Featured Stories
Featured Stories
March gave us a glimpse of spring and during those few days when the sun shone and the blustery winds subsided. I happily peered out the kitchen window trying to identify what species of sparrow was flitting among the greenery. There were so many spots on the window, though, I had to temporarily quash the budding John James Audubon within me and instead vowed to do some spring cleaning. So I found myself on an all-out mission to organize and de-clutter our living space while the vinegar and squeegee sat on the counter. After all, you generally cannot clean things if they are cluttered or crowded by other things. Maybe that is the problem—too many things. Continue reading

Senator Jackie Winters
Senator Jackie Winters (R-Salem) released the following statement following the announcement from Governor Kate Brown regarding her plans to call a Special Session:

By Paul Driessen
Boulder, CO wants oil companies to restore snowy winters of an idyllic past – and pay it billion
This Earth Day (April 22) we need to ask whether environmentalism has gone completely bonkers.
Back in the 1970s, I skied Colorado’s cross-country and downhill slopes pretty regularly. Some years were incredible: many feet of snow as glorious to behold as to ski on. Other years, like 1977, I’d come around a bend on my XC skis, see nothing but rock in front of me, and just ditch. Continue reading
Celebrate blossom time in the beautiful Hood River Valley by visiting the Blossom Craft Show on April 21-22, 2018 from 10am to 5pm. The event is held at the Hood River County Fairgrounds at 3020 Wy’east Road, Hood River, OR.
Find fine art, arts and crafts, gourmet food items, jewelry, soft goods, photographs, and much more. Taste award-winning local wines, and enjoy delicious food. Add to your yard and garden with purchases at the Odell Garden Club plant sale, or at one of the other vendors offering plants and shrubs. The Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers plan to have tasty fresh pears for sale. Additional special displays and offerings. Free admission and parking. For more information visit: www.hoodriverfair.org
Oregon owns 1.5 million acres of School Trust Lands that must be managed for the benefit of public education. When profits are earned, the money goes into the Common School Fund, an endowment. Last year, the Fund distributed more than $70 million to local schools.
The Trust Lands are managed by the State Land Board, comprised of the Governor, the State Treasurer, and the Secretary of State. By policy, they are supposed to sell money-losing lands and keep the profitable ones. Continue reading

Governor Kate Brown

Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum
Because Governor Kate Brown and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum pushed for adoption in 2017 of House Bill 3464, which made it almost impossible to discover Oregon public records that reveal the identify “a person’s citizenship or immigration status,” researchers have turned to federal records on illegal aliens to compare those records with Oregon’s public voter registration database. Continue reading
With the Portland Trail Blazers battling it out in the playoffs, many fans will be looking for the best deals to catch a game. At the same time, scammers will be looking for the best ways to con fans out of their money. Better Business Bureau Northwest & Pacific is warning fans of counterfeit tickets and merchandise.
In the past year there have been more than 850 counterfeit scams and more than 300 ticket scams reported to BBB Scam Tracker in North America.
BBB advises the following tips to avoid being scammed: Continue reading
One of my favorite bloggers, Tim Challies, linked to a fascinating article in his daily A La Carte feature: Your smartphone is making you stupid, antisocial and unhealthy. So why can’t you put it down!?️ Here are some notable sections from it about the impact smartphones are having on our lives and minds:
They have impaired our ability to remember. They make it more difficult to daydream and think creatively. They make us more vulnerable to anxiety. They make parents ignore their children. And they are addictive, if not in the contested clinical sense then for all intents and purposes. Continue reading
Since the start of the new year, Better Business Bureau Northwest & Pacific has seen an uptick in customers searching for general contractors to help spruce up their homes. BBB has received more than 72,000 local inquiries to general contractors since January—that’s up nearly 4,000 from last year. Locally there were more than 21,000 searches in Oregon. Unfortunately, scammers are hoping to capitalize on this interest by finding ways to con consumers and contractors out of money. Continue reading