For deaf or hard-of-hearing drivers, being pulled over by police can cause more anxiety than just getting a ticket.

The worry: The officer approaches the car, the driver doesn't respond to commands, and the situation escalates.

That’s one reason many states, including Oregon, are setting up ways to alert law enforcement that a driver is deaf or hard of hearing – before an officer approaches the driver.

Starting Jan. 3, 2022, Oregonians can add an indicator that they are deaf or hard of hearing to their vehicle registration, driver license, permit or ID card through the DMV.

The option places an indicator on their record, allowing Oregon officers to see the indicator from their patrol vehicles when they run the license plate or license number.

The indicator is voluntary, and you can sign up any time through DMV2U. If you want to add an indicator to both your license/permit/ID card and your vehicle registration, you will need to do each separately at DMV2U.

“This significant milestone is geared to build trust and cooperation between more than one million Oregonians with hearing loss and our law enforcement,” said Chad A. Ludwig, Executive Director of Bridges Oregon, “It will foster a better understanding of communication needs while protecting and facilitating a strong relationship with law enforcement officers.”

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Ludwig said over half (51.7%) of deaf and hard-of-hearing Oregon residents had difficulties communicating with police, according to a survey by Denise Thew Hackett, a Ph.D. at Western Oregon University. WOU published the survey results in a Community-Based Needs Assessment of Oregon's Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities in 2016.

This new DMV service is part of ODOT’s commitment to transportation safety and a direct benefit of new technology investments that have accelerated DMV’s ability to launch new services and better serve Oregonians.

Before you visit a DMV office, see if you can get the DMV service you need at DMV2U.Oregon.gov.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2022-01-03 17:09:10

Last Update: 2022-01-03 17:28:49

AAs soon as the Recall School Board members petition obtained the required amount of signatures the lawn signs and field signs went up around Newberg, Oregon both supporting the petition and opposing it.

Door to door canvassing and social media punditry exploded as well.

Then the "No on the Recall" signs started disappearing. Several concerned and frustrated citizens sought to solve the mystery.

Field sign Erection Leader, James Goings said “they’re at it again”, referring to the chopped up, vandalized and abducted field signs of the 2020 elections in Newberg.

One conspiracy theorist claimed “it was a crime of theft”.

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A break in the case came right after Governor Kate Brown issued her weather emergency. An unnamed neighborhood watchman used powers of observation to look into the matter. A freshly vanished sign had tracks in the snow leading away from the scene of its abduction. They led to the backyard of a home that had several other signs being guarded by the backyard fence.

The police were called.

When they arrived the confronted homeowner said he “didn’t know how they got there”.

With plausible deniability in play, no charges or arrests could be made.

Other field signs are still missing out on North Valley Rd. and not for the first time. The snow has melted, putting into question the validity of the Governor's recently declared weather emergency. The investigation continues.

There’s been one possible break in the case. A mask was found next to the spot where a sign used to be. It said, “if found please return to Progressive Yamhill”. No one is jumping to conclusions.


--Tom Hammer

Post Date: 2022-01-02 08:01:32

Last Update: 2022-01-01 19:44:23

Editor's note: These are the top 10 stories based on your clicks. Thank you for your support. Read on and see that the bar has been set pretty low for 2022. Have a great new year!

OHA Silently Rebuked by Oregon Court of Appeals
'Rules cannot violate law'
On September 29, 2021, Kate Brown's administrative state agency went a bridge too far with the Oregon Appeals Court.

According to a former state government regulator and CPS investigator source the majority of the ever-growing enlarging administrative state power over the citizen is because citizens bent to it beginning in modern...[READ MORE]
Friday, October 8

Beaverton School District Under Fire
A formal complaint has been submitted to the Beaverton School Board
School districts and boards are being targeted by CEI, Center for Equity & Inclusion, promoting equity and inclusion, another name for Critical Race Theory that markets their services to train and control the content and decisions once contracted. The contracts allow unelected personnel to make local decisions avoiding public input. ...[READ MORE]
Friday, October 22

Stan Pulliam Announces Federal Lawsuit Against Gov. Brown
'The constitution provides us specific guarantees of liberty'
Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam is announcing a lawsuit to be filed in Federal court on behalf of Heart of Main Street, the Oregon Mom's Union, and several businesses and individuals. The lawsuit challenges Oregon Governor Kate Brown's authority to continue using executive action to maintain a state of emergency.[READ MORE]
Wednesday, May 19

Mike Strickland Goes to US Supreme Court
'I was just a guy standing there holding a camera'
Four years ago today Judge Thomas Ryan declared me guilty of 10 felonies and 11 misdemeanors in a Multnomah County courtroom. This involved the incident where I drew my firearm in response to a gang of thugs coming after me. I didn't even fire a round, as simply drawing was enough force to get the mob to back away and leave me alone. I didn't h...[READ MORE]
Thursday, February 11

Aurora Fire District Chief Blasts Kate Brown
'Our State government has been weaponized'
The Fire Chief of Aurora Fire District in Aurora, Oregon has released a statement in response to Governor Kate Brown's recent demands that everyone in Oregon should wear face coverings, both indoors and outdoors, regardless of Covid vaccination status [READ MORE]
Saturday, August 28

Why I Unenrolled My Kids from Newberg School District
'We aren't even helping kids pass classes because the focus has been lost'
Recently, I made the tough decision to take the last of my 4 children out of the public school system. I have always been a strong believer that we are our best advocates for our kids, and so we have looked for what worked best to help...[READ MORE]
Thursday, December 9

Medical Freedom Group Sues Governor Brown
The mandate violates the employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements
Free Oregon, Inc. has filed a lawsuit on behalf of several plaintiffs against the State of Oregon and the Oregon Health Authority for a temporary stay on the state's vaccine mandate on health workers, first responders, teachers and ...[READ MORE]
Tuesday, September 28

Vaccine Passports: Legal Action Taken
'This guidance puts Oregon at odds with the CDC, the White House, and nearly every other state in the country'
Oregon once again made national headlines last week for being the first state in the union to move forward with a vaccine verification system for its residents.

The May 18 Interim Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals, from the Oregon Health Authority, reads 'a business, employer or faith institution that has a policy request...[READ MORE]
Wednesday, May 26

Union County Sheriff Sends Kate Brown a Letter
Says mindless dictates will no longer be tolerated
The Union County Oregon Sheriff has now sent Governor Kate Brown a letter dated Friday, August 13th, in response to the latest round of restrictions imposed statewide on Oregonians.

The letter reads as follows:
"I write to you today...[READ MORE]
Friday, August 13

Forever Gun Purchase Delays Considered by Oregon
Anti-Gun bill hearing scheduled for Feb 18th
Oregon HB 2543, which will allow the State Police to delay a firearm's purchase forever even when there is no denial on a background check, has been scheduled for a hearing on February 18th 2021 At 1PM.

The summarized language of the bill is exp...[READ MORE]
Tuesday, February 9


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-01-01 18:33:45

Last Update: 2022-01-01 18:46:24

Oregon State Senator Chuck Senator Riley (D-Hillsboro) was first elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2004 and served in the House from 2005 until 2011. In 2014, Senator Riley was elected to the Oregon Senate. He is retiring today after 15 years of total service. His legacy is marked by a statement he made during a town hall he held on April 25, 2015, in which he says that the US Supreme Court decision affirming slavery was "right for the time." The video below has his statement on slavery, as well as his emotional apology from the Senate floor.

Senator Riley's Democratic party has a strict standard for those on the other side of the aisle, but we're happy to apply it to them as well.

In a press release, by the Senate Democratic leadership pointed out that "Senator Riley focused on investing in Oregon schools." The investment has been made but the gain has yet to be realized. Oregon schools remain in a state of failure.

“Senator Chuck Riley has served as an invaluable member of the Senate Democratic team for many years,” said Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego), who has had his own struggles with the race issue. “He has shown leadership on many critical issues, ranging from expanding educational opportunities for Oregon students to providing better supports for small businesses and improving government accountability. I am grateful for the time he served with us in the Oregon Senate and wish him a rewarding and well-deserved retirement.”

Rest assured, neither Riley nor Wagner will be called a white supremacist by other members of the media.

During his apology -- also featured in the video -- Senator Riley commits two further gaffes that, themselves, may beg an apology in this age. He says, "I hope that we can work together to make every citizen of the state treated equal under the law."

While in 2015, this would be seen as a statesmanlike concluding statement, today, one could call into question his use of the term "citizen" -- which by definition excludes illegal aliens -- and demand that he use the now preferred "resident," which is more inclusive. Further, the standard of "equal under the law" has since been abandoned by the Democratic party in favor of equity, in which some citizens -- er, uh, residents -- are more equal than others.

What a tangle web they've woven. It's a shame when they catch one of their own.




--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-12-31 15:27:21

Last Update: 2021-12-31 17:31:41

Why did FDA approve the redefined vaccine for children without the full testing protocol?

Trial lawyer Robert F Kennedy, Jr. who sues pharmaceuticals for a living says they have to five the vaccine to kids because pharma cannot give it without an immunity shield. As a New York bestseller author of The Real Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, Big Pharma and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health, he presents a 100-year history of what led up to the COVID-19 pandemic. He says “the irony of Fauci leading the global response to a pandemic that he may have created becomes starker by the day.”

It seems that Governor Brown's assertion that boosters work against the Omicron variant is a science limited to the US. Even in the US the response on effectiveness is limited to a third dose that ranges from 'likely' to suggesting modifications may be necessary in order to be effective against Omicron.

As a trial lawyer, Kennedy has taken on the world’s most powerful corporation and held them accountable for harming people and the environment. He says, “I have enough evidence against the pharmaceuticals they’d be done if they market illegally. They are not going to market a vaccine that kills people or injures them without liability. Emergency use vaccines have protection under the Prep Act and Cures Act. If you take it under emergency use, you can’t sue them. Once they get approved, now you can sue them, unless they can get it recommended for children. All vaccines get a liability protection if recommended for children even if an adult takes that vaccine. That is why they are going after kids. They know it will kill or injure a huge number of children but they need to do it for the liability protection.”

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The omicron variant doesn’t invade the lungs as other variants and even the WHO said that the omicron variant does not turn deadly like the earlier variants. Israel’s Health Ministry’s Central Virology Laboratory reported their findings using live virus where others use a pseudovirus, says a booster with a 100-fold increase would still have lower protection than neutralized immunity. They have determined that natural immunity from omicron is seven-times more effective than a booster enabling herd immunity that could eradicate future variants.

Although Oregon’s new cases with PCR testing going unverified as they increase, there are virtual no or very few hospitalizations. If Oregon treated omicron like the flu and left natural immunity take its course, we could see the end in a few months.

Instead, Governor Brown pushes boosters and vaccines for kids that haven’t been fully tested. The CDC says the vaccines for children ages 5 through 11 years are “being monitored for safety with the most comprehensive and intense safety monitoring program in U.S. history.” That means your children are being used as experiments.

Governor Brown uses the excuse for extending the emergency to ensuring that Oregon can continue to receive federal funding to help handle the COVID-19 pandemic. So, our health, freedom and sanity are for sale for a few dollars to pay for what? The hospitals are down in occupancy, she reached her vaccination goal, anything else is not related to the declared emergency. Are the dollar signs blinding her?

Taking the shot is an option, but is there real informed consent? Does the state know what they are putting into our children?


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-12-31 09:13:04

Last Update: 2021-12-31 09:45:29

A shooting involving nearly 100 shots fired in the Parkrose Heights Association neighborhood is under investigation.

On Tuesday, December 28, 2021 at 9:42p.m., Portland East Precinct officers were dispatched to a report of shots fired in the 10800 block of Northeast Weidler Street.

When officers arrived, they located evidence of gunfire, including almost 100 cartridge casings of multiple calibers. They found multiple parked vehicles in a nearby restaurant parking lot had been damaged by bullets.

At this time, there are no known physical injuries connected to this event, and no arrests have been made.

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Upon investigation, officers located video from a residential surveillance system that captured the shooting and appeared to involve an unknown group of people.

The Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST) is investigating this shooting and is asking anyone with information, including additional surveillance footage, to contact the Portland police and reference case number 21-361241.

Anonymous tips can be sent through Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers of Oregon offers cash rewards of up to $2,500 cash for information, reported to Crime Stoppers, that leads to an arrest in any unsolved felony crime and tipsters can remain anonymous.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-12-30 21:05:22

Last Update: 2021-12-30 21:18:47

Business owner Lucetta Elmer announced she will be a candidate for State Representative for District 24 which includes most of McMinnville, Yamhill, Carlton, Sheridan, Willamina and Grand Ronde. She is running as a Republican.

"As State Representative for District 24, I plan to give a voice to the people. I am interested in learning about your personal concerns, and bringing answers and solutions to things which matter most: your well being and that of each Oregon citizen," states Lucetta. "Quality of life and community development are equally important, and an essential key to both is to hear the voices of each individual member of that community. Whether you're enjoying retirement, in the prime career years of your life, or a student, everyone deserves to be heard."

Lucetta Elmer is an Oregon entrepreneur with over thirty years of business experience. She specializes in community development, education, family, and improving the everyday lıves of Oregon citizens. Her campaign states that she encompasses hard work and dedication and values the voice of the people.

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Lucetta has owned and operated over ten businesses throughout the years. Each business has been rooted in the multiple facets that make up the great state of Oregon: tourism, commerce, land development, education, housing and entertainment. She says she is excited to make a difference and see District 24 thrive.

Lucetta has experience representing her community, having sat on and represented many boards: Chair of McMinnville Chamber of Commerce, Chair of McMinnville Christian Academy, Board Member of McMinnville Downtown Association, and Member of Government Affairs Committee.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-12-29 12:10:12

Last Update: 2021-12-29 19:53:23

In a rare case of attempting to perform an act of science, while at the same time transparently sharing the data, the Brown administration has left many speechless -- including the media -- as they struggle to develop COVID policy.

Governor Brown was clear in her emphatic assertion that boosters work against the Omicron variant. In a December 17 press conference, she said, “I know that bracing for a new variant as we head into our second pandemic holiday season is not what we all hoped for. If you take one thing away from today’s press conference, let it be this: Get your booster shot. Boosters work and are incredibly effective at continuing your protection against this virus and hospitalization.”

However, as a part of her December 17 press conference, Dr. Peter Graven who is the Lead Data Scientist at Oregon Health Sciences University presents his forecast for the impact of Omicron in Oregon. It's largely based on data out of Denmark which has 91,104 cases of Omicron infection with 25 hospitalizations. You read that right. 25. Watch the video below.

For most Oregonians that should be all they need to know. Government need not be developing policy and dedicating resources to a variant that is so mild that you have less than a .02% of a chance of being hospitalized. Instead, in the face of scientific data indicating the contrary, the advice is to get more vaccines and boosters.

According to data in the forecast, "The percent breakthrough [in Denmark] is 77% for Delta (“Other variants”) and 91% for Omicron. Both are high compared to [Denmark's] vaccination rate of 80%." It seems that vaccines are not so "Incredibly effective at continuing your protection against this virus and hospitalization,” as Governor Brown suggests.

What is notable about the Governor's response to Omicron is that there is no talk of natural immunity, or the immunity one gets from becoming infected. What if the 99.98% of Danes who become infected are endowed with a natural immunity whose effectiveness surpasses that of vaccines and boosters? This could mean the end of the outbreak and the dawn of herd immunity as the virus is unable to find receptive hosts.

It's equally disappointing to see that the media present at the press conference unable to focus on natural immunity. One member of the media asks, "Do we have a forecast for deaths from Omicron?" Dr. Graven responds, "We are not getting the deaths we had before." Then he turns the question to hospitalizations, which again, are minimal.




--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-12-29 09:26:29

Last Update: 2021-12-29 15:04:54

In November of 2014, Oregon voters approved the sale and use of recreational marijuana. The law was scheduled to go into effect in January of 2016, but Governor Kate Brown -- unable to wait for enforcement and taxation bureaucracies to prepare -- signed a bill in October of 2015 allowing legalization early.

The Promise

Supporters of legalized marijuana lined up to push the benefits of legal pot. As a regulated, legal industry, the black market would disappear, as would arrests for the victimless offense of using marijuana. Taxing the newly legal pot would bring in dollars that would more than cover regulation and enforcement.

In a voters' pamphlet statement, Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Portland) said "Our marijuana laws don’t work and exact a terrible cost in tax dollars, law enforcement priorities and people’s lives. I’m working in Congress to reform marijuana policy -- and we are making progress at the national level -- but it is in the states that the most constructive change has been happening."

Blumenauer argues in favor of Measure 91. "It strictly regulates its production, distribution and sale through the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. It provides more protection for kids than the current black market system. Right now, it is easier for a middle school student to get a joint than it is for them to get a six pack. It taxes marijuana, with the proceeds going to schools, state and local law enforcement, treatment and substance abuse education."

Anthony Johnson, one of the Chief Petitioners for Measure 91 said, "What will Oregon look like after Measure 91 passes? We will have taken money and power away from the black market and drug cartels. We will have provided protections for neighborhoods and kids. We will have funded schools, public safety, prevention and mental health."

Kris Olson, former Chief Federal Prosecutor in Oregon, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton -- "I didn't inhale" -- said, "I learned firsthand how our current approach to marijuana has failed. By keeping marijuana illegal, we enrich organized crime and violent drug cartels. At the same time, we distract police, who spend too much time arresting and citing people for small amounts of marijuana.

The Result

2021-23 is projected to see an estimated $319 million in marijuana tax revenue distributed to drug treatment and recovery, schools, cities, counties, state police and mental health.

Despite the promise of a reduction in organized crime, in 2018 the Oregon Legislature passed SB 1544 which established the Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement Grant Program to assist local governments with costs incurred by local law enforcement agencies in addressing unlawful marijuana cultivation or distribution operations. While it funded $8.25 million in enforcement grants from 2018 to 2023, it also quietly expanded the medical marijuana program.

Marijuana related crime -- especially in Southern Oregon -- has mushroomed. Accordingly, spending on enforcement has also increased. The 2021-23 budget for IMMEGP activities will total $26 million with the additional $20 million General Fund proposed in the omnibus budget bill. During the recent special session, the Oregon Legislature unanimously approved SB 893 which requires prioritizing financial assistance to local law enforcement agencies to partner with community-based organizations in order to address humanitarian crisis associated with unlawful marijuana cultivation or distribution operations in awarding grants through Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement Grant Program.

Oregon kids seem to have avoided the enforcement trap. According to a research paper published by the US Drug Test Centers In only two states do more than 10% of adolescents regularly consume marijuana, and it should be noted that even though recreational marijuana is currently legal in both Vermont and Oregon, during the collection period for this data, it was legal only in Oregon, and it’s not legal in either state for children to consume weed.

This might be a key to understanding some of the reasons for the failure of Oregon schools.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-12-28 19:30:26

Last Update: 2021-12-28 20:26:29

Oregon Health Authority is investigating an outbreak of Oregon’s first cases of Candida auris, a serious fungal infection that is often resistant to multiple antifungal medicines.

The Healthcare-Associated Infections Program at the OHA Public Health Division, working with a regional public health laboratory in Seattle and Salem Hospital, have identified Candida auris in three Salem Health patients.

The first case was detected at Salem Hospital Dec. 11 in a patient who had recent international health care exposures, and confirmed Dec. 17. Candida auris has only recently appeared in the United States.

Two of the cases did not have international health care exposures, but had epidemiologic links to first case, indicating health care-associated spread of Candida auris to the second and third patients – identified Dec. 23 and Dec. 27, respectively.

The Healthcare-Associated Infections Program is leading the investigation, working with local public health authorities, local health care partners, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the regional public health laboratory to identify cases and ensure appropriate infection control measures are in place.

“Candida auris is an emerging pathogen of concern because it can cause serious infections, particularly in those with serious medical problems, and can be resistant to the antifungal drugs we have to treat it,” said Rebecca Pierce, Ph.D., Healthcare-Associated Infections Program manager. “Fortunately, the organism we’re dealing with in this outbreak appears to respond to existing treatments. Nonetheless, it’s critical that we prevent the spread of the infection.”

Jasmin Chaudhary, medical director of infection prevention at Salem Health, said the health system is taking action on a number of fronts to prevent the spread of Candida auris at Salem Hospital.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a rise in multi-drug resistant organisms around the world and nationwide, and Salem is not immune,” Chaudhary said. “Salem Health is working with OHA and the CDC to execute a rigorous plan, implementing aggressive eradication measures that have been shown in other hospitals to be successful in eliminating Candida auris. These include proactive steps that will assist in preemptively identifying new cases to prevent spread.”

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Among the measures in effect: working with the patients’ care teams to ensure frequent and effective disinfection of the health care environment; using transmission-based precautions for those infected or colonized with Candida auris; adhering to hand hygiene protocols; and conducting effective interfacility-transfer communication about a patient’s Candida auris status when being transferred to another health care facility.

In addition, OHA and Salem Health have been coordinating to notify health care facilities that previously received transferred patients from affected units at Salem Health, and to support safe discharge of patients from Salem Health during the anticipated COVID-19 surge.

Candida auris is a type of yeast that can cause severe illness, particularly those suffering from serious medical conditions in hospitals and nursing homes. According to the CDC, patients who have been hospitalized in a health care facility for long periods, have a central venous catheter or other lines or tubes entering their body, or have weakened immune systems are at highest risk of infection and serious complications. The risk of Candida auris infection to otherwise healthy people, including health care personnel, is extremely low.

The fungus can cause serious infections, including bloodstream infections and wound infections. It also has been isolated from respiratory and urine specimens and can colonize patients’ skin. A laboratory test is needed to determine whether a patient is colonized or infected with Candida auris, but laboratories should be aware that it can be misidentified as other types of fungi and should know when to suspect Candida auris, as misidentification could delay treatment and control measures. Health care facilities that suspect they have a patient with Candida auris should contact their local public health authority immediately.

Since 2013, more than 1,150 clinical cases of Candida auris have been identified in the United States. There have never been any cases of the fungus identified in Oregon until now.

Patients who test positive or had a high-risk exposure will be contacted by Salem Health.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-12-28 16:47:34

Last Update: 2021-12-28 16:56:55

According to the Census Bureau, Oregon saw a net increase of 8080 new migrations into the state in 2021, the 22nd largest increase in the nation.

Population growth is affected by births, deaths, and migration. This past year, Oregon experienced 2,210 more deaths than births, leaving population growth entirely by net migration of new residents.

If Oregon hadn’t been sandwiched in between California losing 367,299 and Washington losing 29, Oregon would also be on the losing end.

Realtors indicate Californians coming from a higher median income drive up home prices with their means to out-buy local Oregonians.

Idaho was also on the receiving end of 48,876 migrations.

Approximately 25,000 new residents moved into Oregon, meaning 16,920 moved out. A Portland State University study authorized by ORS 190.540 claims the slowed migration on the pandemic. More than the pandemic are the contributing factors – mandates closing some businesses, and now mandates limit who can work. All the effects of the pandemic on businesses and population growth are a direct result of the government response to the pandemic

. Counties showing the largest increase are where universities are located. Although the prior academic year showed a decline, in 2020- 2021, 206.095 students attended Oregon colleges. Many of the 28,533 who came for an advanced program will make Oregon their home, but undergraduates, not so much.

During the last year, eight counties lost significant numbers of housing units from wildfires during September, 2020. More than 2,300 homes were destroyed in Jackson County, while Marion County and Lane County had more than 500 destroyed homes in each. Douglas, Klamath, Lincoln, and Linn counties also had housing losses attributable to wildfires. State and federal support were provided for residential and commercial to rebuild, which appears not to have impacted net populations.

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However, an unusual dynamic for relocation due to safety can be attributed to violent protestors. Oregon is 10th in the nation for homicides. Portland has seen a decline in growth but still a net increase.

A decline in condo sales goes back prior to the pandemic, which seems to point to the protests becoming violent. Crime is up by around a thousand per month over the previous year, which indicates a continued decline.

Businesses have been rumored to leave the state since Governor Brown took office. The tax issues prompt more businesses to leave each legislative session. It started with Measure 66 and 67, then the CAT tax, and increasing costs with automatic adjustment in minimum wage and costs for family and medical leave. Senator James Manning Jr. (D-Eugene) said in 2019 in the argument that the state’s top income earners will leave the state if their taxes are raised. “I say leave the state,” he said. “Somebody else will come in. I get so sick and tired of hearing that.”

Downtown Portland businesses left when the city refused to clean the streets of needles and garbage even before the riots, which made it worse. When those arrested were released, six businesses permanently closed their doors that started a domino effect. During the holidays pop-up shops and food trucks struggled for lack of office workers and tourists down town to support them. They also site the ongoing crime and common place vandalism to buildings and cars. City leaders encourage support of new businesses, but without the engagement of enforcement officers, these new shops are skeptical whether they will continue after the holidays.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-12-27 19:25:07

Last Update: 2021-12-27 19:52:08

Benton County, Oregon has been allocated over $20 million in state matching funds for the construction of a new County courthouse.

With statewide recognition for the need for a modern courthouse that meets best practice standards for safety, access and services, the County’s program was placed on a priority list by the Association of Oregon Counties-Oregon Judicial Department Courthouse Task Force five years ago.

Benton County collaborated with the Oregon Judicial Department, to apply for state matching funds for a new courthouse from the Oregon Capital Construction and Improvement Fund.

The matching funds enabled the state to pay for half of an approximately $40 million new courthouse, with the County funding the remainder.

Building a new County courthouse to meet the needs of current and future Benton County residents is generally considered to be critical.

The Historic Benton County Courthouse was built in 1888 and is no longer capable of meeting current accessibility, safety and trauma-informed services standards.

Through HB 5006, the 2021 State Legislature approved a 50% match of approximately $20.4 million to the County.

The new courthouse is one of four new facilities proposed for the County’s Justice System Improvement Program. The award of these state matching resources is contingent upon the County demonstrating the ability to provide its equal share of the project cost.

These resources were contemplated to come through the County’s original bond measure date of May 2022, which has since moved to May 2023.

The year-long postponement of the bond measure vote required that the County either identify another funding source for matching funds or re-request funds from the Legislature in the 2023 session.

On Tuesday, December 7, the Board of Commissioners agreed to fund the County’s $20.4 million in matching funds for the new courthouse using a combination of budget reserves and borrowing, enabling the project to advance as originally contemplated.

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The Board did not wish to forego the $20.4 million matching funds from the State and risk the possibility of a future legislature reducing or eliminating the award.

The Board’s decision will enable the County to execute an agreement with the state to receive an official award of the resources so that design work on the new courthouse may begin in 2022, with an estimated completion date of July 2025.

A portion or all of the County’s matching funds may still be included in the May 2023 bond measure to allow the County to reimburse itself for funds drawn from reserves or borrowing. The County does not need to secure its matching funds as a $20.4 million lump sum. It can be staggered over the life of the project.

A site for the new courthouse has not been determined and will in part hinge on the outcome of the Justice System Improvement Program’s site selection process.

Currently, program staff and the Board of Commissioners are contemplating two suburban sites, in west and north Corvallis, and a site downtown that is smaller in size than the suburban sites, but large enough for a new courthouse. The Commissioners will have to align on the new courthouse site in early 2022.

Related to the new courthouse, the Board recently discussed the proposed future location of the District Attorney’s Office. The District Attorney currently occupies a portion of the historic Benton County Courthouse.

Over the past year, the Justice System Improvement Program’s Technical and Community Advisory Committees contemplated whether the District Attorney should remain in the Historic Benton County Courthouse, or become part of, or co-located with, the proposed new courthouse.

Ultimately, the advisory committees recommended the District Attorney’s Office migrate to the new courthouse, to align with industry best practices and the Justice System Improvement Program’s vision of building a justice system for the future.

Similarly, District Attorney John Haroldson advocated for moving the District Attorney’s Office to the new courthouse. The Board weighed the recommendation from the advisory committees and DA Haroldson and agreed to support the move conceptually.

The proposed new District Attorney’s Office is estimated to cost about $16 million and is not included in the new courthouse matching funds awarded by the State.

Consequently, Benton County must fund the entire $16 million to advance the County’s desire to co-locate the District Attorney with the new courthouse. A funding source, whether the result of a successful bond measure, additional borrowing, or a combination of both, has not been determined at this time.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-12-27 14:11:36

Last Update: 2021-12-27 16:34:44