Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 232
Words cannot express the appreciation I have for the overwhelming support and generosity at the Grand Opening of the library – shoulder to shoulder, wall to wall, standing room only! Frances O’Brien’s Legacy of a library in Blue River lives on. Your new Library hours are Tuesday-Saturday 11:00am – 5:00pm and Wednesday 11:00am – 7pm. Come and enjoy this community gathering place. With Gratitude, Connie Richardson President O’Brien Memorial Library...
Across Oregon, the flames from more than 2,000 fires this season have engulfed homes, ravaged landscapes and emitted dangerous levels of particulate matter, while burning through state budgets to rack up a large tab for taxpayers. Oregon’s current approach to wildfire budgeting is inherently incompatible with the level of risk it faces in a changing climate. In fact, the damages – hundreds of thousands of acres burned, dozens of homes and other structures destroyed – are only likely to get worse. The solution? A carbon price. Making pollu...
Months ago, Chani Demello, an energetic and optimistic McKenzie River resident, proposed an idea for a way to make the “dark days of the cooler months” a bit brighter: Invite everyone to Vida McKenzie Community Center to view a full-length independent film or a number of “independent shorts” and then discuss the film(s) afterward. I was skeptical until I started previewing the films. The production quality of the works was fabulous, and the content was both creative and accessible. The first of the “Films with Friends” series took place on Su...
Oregon had few surprises in the general election results that changed the political landscape very little. Tracking closely with similar kinds of results in Washington state, the light blue Beaver state stuck with its usual voting patterns, careful to rarely edge over into landslides. In most cases, Portland remained deep blue and most of the eastern counties stayed deep red. Taken as a whole, Oregon remained generally blue, even as much of the country was awash in red-tinged results. The state...
We are delighted to announce the Grand Opening of the O’Brien Memorial Library in Blue River. With the sustained support of our community, we’ve achieved our goal together. So, we want to extend this warm invitation to you, one of the people who made it happen. Please join us on Saturday, November 16th, from 2:00 to 4:00. Brief presentations will begin at 2:30. Tour the building, enjoy cake, and celebrate this exciting event! at 51771 Blue River Drive in Blue River. We look forward to seeing you at the opening! Sincerely, The O’Brien Memor...
Samhain, my Wiccan friends told me years ago, was the time of year when the veil that sits between the worlds is thinnest. During this time, we can reach out to the other side, speak to the dead and divine the future. It is also the time when the old gods, or other spirits, might walk in our world. An old European holiday that fell at the deepest moment of the fall, it may originally have been simply a marker of the season. But there are hints at something more interesting and obscure; a focus...
It already seems like a long time ago when McKenzie Locals Helping Locals sponsored the fourth annual McKenzie River Community Celebration at the Aaron and Marie Jones Community Track. As you recall, the event was held this summer on September 2, Labor Day, and we had a grand time celebrating our Community. A lot of effort went into the organization and implementation of the annual event and we would be remiss if proper acknowledgment of those efforts went unannounced or not recognized. Please accept our apologies for doing so later rather...
Certainly Tony Casad has done some good things as superintendent of the Blue River Water Board. He does deserve credit for those things. The question becomes: are the things the “good Tony” did outweigh the abuse, bullying and obstructionism that he has dished out to many members of the community. This of course remains a decision only the community of Blue River will make. It is not true that only Tony Casad can manage the Water District. It ran fine before he moved here and will go fine, likely better, if he leaves. There are still some sma...
Lane County “voters” should choose the members of the Lane County Board of Commissioners. A member of the Board of Commissioners should not be allowed to choose his or her “voters.” Ballot Measure 20-362 does just this. It does this by prohibiting the Commissioners or their allies from drawing the boundary lines for their own districts for their benefit. Drawing boundary lines to give a politician an advantage in an election is called gerrymandering. It is immoral and anti-democratic. Ballot Measure 20-362 will stop gerrymandering. Prior to the...
Our community deserves a representative who truly embodies the values of hard work, responsibility, and patriotism—someone who puts the needs of families and taxpayers first. That’s why Michelle Emmons is the clear choice for McKenzie voters. Michelle doesn’t just talk about values; she lives them. As a proven leader with a record of bringing people together, she knows how to get things done without compromising on what matters most—our families, our schools, and our future. On the other hand, Darin Harbick’s time on the McKenzie School Bo...
Almost everyone understands why friends and relatives of the parties facing a jury trial are not allowed to be jurors for that case. The full list of rules that prohibit tainting a jury verdict with conflicts of interests is comprehensive and designed to promote public confidence in the justice system. The rules are strict; an interest in just one of the questions to be decided by a jury requires a Judge to disqualify the ‘interested” person from serving on a jury. By parity of purpose and parity of reasoning we should expect a local government...
The League of Women Voters of Lane County (LWVLC) wants to help you prepare for the general election on November 5, 2024. We are a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights. The League empowers voters and defends democracy through advocacy, education, and litigation, at the local, state, and national levels. The League of Women Voters produces a digital voting guide called VOTE411 found at http://Vote411.org. “Election information you need. Brought to you by The League of Women Voters Education Fund”. By...
As president of McKenzie Valley Wellness, the local nonprofit rebuilding the Clinic, I interact with many people in the community. Usually that’s a fun part of my volunteer service. But not always. In spring, 2022, controversy had risen about McKenzie Valley Wellness (MVW), reflected in articles and letters to the editor in River Reflections. In April, 2022, I learned that Tony Casad was running as a write-in candidate for board seat #3, the position that I held, in MVW’s upcoming annual election of board members. On April 27, 2022, I cal...
While the Lane League wholeheartedly supports the establishment of an Independent Redistricting Commission within the Lane County Charter, we are strongly opposed to Measure 20-362. In a nutshell this is why: * An Independent Redistricting Commission MUST be truly independent and allow for a diversity of voices to be at the table, including minorities and communities of interest that have been traditionally shut out. * When and why redistricting occurs matters and should not be at the whim of elected officials who, for whatever reason, just...
After reading this week’s issue of the River Reflections, I saw that you had included another letter to the editor (is it the third one in less than 2 months?) written by a rep from The Cascade Policy Institute, a PAC I have researched extensively. Out of concern, I sent you a note, wondering why you are allowing this far-right organization to get free advertising for its singular intent on spreading disinformation funded by wealthy individuals and organizations connected to the fossil fuel industry (mostly Koch Bros. in this case). Had you don...
As public schools grapple with lagging student literacy, chronic absenteeism, and classrooms without air conditioning, they are now being pitched to bulletproof their school buildings and students. The reason is obvious – more than 230 school shootings in the last decade and a growing threat of online ideation to shoot teachers and classmates. The solution seems equally obvious – restrict access by minors to firearms and take online threats of violence seriously. But in a capitalist eco...
The Oregon Legislature has mandated that large utilities deliver 100% emissions-free electricity by 2040. Since coal and natural gas account for more than 45% of Oregon’s electricity generation, replacing those fuels with emission-free alternatives will be difficult. Moreover, the closer Oregon gets to a 100% reduction, the more expensive it will become. This challenge stems from the fact that the two preferred power sources—industrial-scale wind and solar—are weather-dependent. This will require overbuilding, plus batteries and back-up power...
On average, healthcare costs for patients with a chronic condition are five times higher than for those without one. Chronic disease patients are getting hit with high drug costs when cheaper generics are available. Many chronic disease patients rely on biologics, medicines made from living organisms and often administered by injection or infusion. Just like medications that come in pill form, biologics have generic versions, called biosimilars. These, on average, cost half as much as their brand-name counterparts. If more widely adopted,...
Who are you voting for? The biennial question and challenging decision(s) each of us currently faces. Complicating our down-ballot decisions this election cycle is the overarching potentially historic presidential race.Sorting and filtering through all the incomplete, biased, and self-serving campaign information takes time. Weighting personal histories, character, policies, and parties to decide who you believe will best represent and advocate for you. Each of us uses different lenses based on experiences and expectations. My experiences...
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warns that today’s youth mental health crisis is the “defining public health issue of our time.” He’s right. American adolescents are experiencing unprecedented levels of mental health challenges. Fortunately, there’s a way to reverse these trends. I’ve spent my career studying the intersection of sports and mental health, including roles as the chief medical officer at the NCAA, co-chair of the International Olympic Committee Consensus Meeting on Mental Health in Elite Athletes, and a fellow of the America...
Oregon Ballot Measure 118 is poorly designed. Its enactment would likely trigger several unintended, damaging consequences. Accordingly, the Oregon Center for Public Policy recommends a “no” vote on the measure. Measure 118, also known as the Oregon People’s Rebate, would increase the state corporate minimum tax to 3% on business sales of more than $25 million in Oregon. The revenue raised from the measure would be distributed equally to all Oregon residents. Although taxing large corporations to fund cash payments to families facing econo...
The ability to afford medicines is about dignity, hope, and fairness. These words from the President have been at the center of our work to implement the Lower Cost Prescription Drug Law, also known as the Inflation Reduction Act. This week marks a historic milestone in improving health benefits for Oregon seniors and families, as the Biden-Harris Administration announced new, lower prices for 10 drugs selected for the first cycle of Medicare drug price negotiations. As Acting Regional Director at the U.S. Department of Health and Human...
“Volume 47” appears on the top of the front page of this edition. Right beside it is “Issue 1.” Those numbers mark the start of the forty-seventh year that River Reflections will be reporting on life along the McKenzie River. In the weeks and months to come, some of the stories are likely to continue to inform on things people may not have thought about, others could be sad, and some at times silly. That last item got me thinking about what might have been lightening the mood of other publications. Here are a few samples. In the early days of...
In the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, President George Washington summons Alexander Hamilton into his study to discuss writing what would come to be known as Washington’s “Farewell Address.” Hamilton protests the very idea of Washington leaving the Presidency: “As far as the People are concerned, you have to serve, you could continue to serve!” Washington, insistent and resolute, replies, “We’re gonna teach them how to say goodbye.” Washington set an example – two terms, no more – that every President voluntarily followed until 1940, when Fr...
A little-known federal agency might be our most powerful asset in the race for global tech leadership. The International Trade Commission has the power to deter patent infringement abroad and at home by blocking infringers’ access to the huge American market. It’s up to policymakers to make sure this asset gets deployed to the full extent of the law. Here’s the problem: In today’s knowledge economy, ideas are the coin of the realm. But America’s intellectual property is under constant attack. That’s because a 2006 Supreme Court decision, e...
