On this day, May 21, 2001, in Seattle, Wa., members of the Earth Liberation Front torched the Univ. of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture causing about $6 million in damage. An Oregon tree farm owned by Jefferson Poplar Farms was also burned. four people were later convicted of taking part in the firebombing. One later committed suicide in prison.
Also on this day, May 21, 2002, The George W. Bush administration said it will allow new mining to resume on nearly one million acres of the Siskiyou region.
Also on this day, May 21, 2006, demolition crews destroyed the 499-foot cooling tower of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant. Demolition of the containment dome was scheduled in 2008.
Also on this day, May 21, 1998, 15 year-old Kipland Kinkel killed one classmate and wounded 19 more at Thurston High School. His parents, William and Faith, were found shot dead at home and a 2nd student died the next day. He had been expelled from school the previous day for bringing a gun to school. Kinkel dropped an insanity plea in 1999 and pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and 26 counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced over 111 years in prison.
“If the majority party thought we would turn a blind eye they are mistakenâ€
Several Oregon Republicans are prepared to abandon a bi-state committee currently negotiating the Interstate Bridge Replacement between Oregon and Washington if the Washington Legislature passes a
6-cent tax on Oregonians’ fuel.
“Republicans will not stand by and let Washington raise the cost-of-living for our residents without a fight,†said Senator Lynn P. Findley (R-Vale), a member of the Bi-state committee.
“If the majority party in Washington thought we would turn a blind eye when they force us to pay for their roads, they are mistaken,†added Representative Shelly Boshart Davis (R-Albany), who also serves on the committee. “If this unconstitutional tax passes, then Washington should pay the entire cost of the Interstate Bridge Replacement themselves.â€
According to a
2019 audit of the Columbia River Crossing project done by the Oregon Secretary of State, "The Columbia River Crossing, otherwise known as the CRC, was a bi-state megaproject to build a bridge between the cities of Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. The new bridge would have replaced and modernized the existing stretch of Interstate 5 (I-5) that currently connects the two cities across the Columbia River. The two states’ Departments of Transportation formed a joint CRC project team in 2004 to manage this effort.
"The intent of the project was to improve safety, reduce congestion, and increase mobility of motorists, freight traffic, transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians in a notoriously congested section of I-5. To finance the effort, the CRC team developed a plan that relied on federal, state, and toll funding. However, after Oregon passed legislation in 2013 to authorize its $450 million share, Washington failed to follow suit. As a result, after nine years of planning and millions of dollars spent, the CRC project was terminated in 2014 without any construction."
Some insiders see the Washington tax proposal as retaliation for Oregon's
proposal to toll parts of interstates 5 and 205.
--Staff Reports| Post Date: 2022-02-25 06:17:07 | Last Update: 2022-02-24 21:19:09 |
