Two-bite news bits.
state of Oregon
Posted inNews
Bridge to Disaster
A Proposed New 12-Lane Bridge over the Columbia River Will Cost $4.2 Billion, Increase Traffic, and Do Little to Alleviate Climate Change. What the Hell Are We Thinking?
A man driving a gray Toyota pickup truck seems frantic; veering in and out of lanes trying to pass other traffic on the Interstate Bridge. His furtive moves don’t do him much good—moments later, as we crest the green steel bridge headed south into Portland, we’re greeted with flickering brake lights. Traffic slows to a […]
Posted inNews
Here We Go Again
Another Anti-Gay Initiative Filed
Less than a month after same-sex couples in Oregon started registering as domestic partners under a state law that lets them enjoy the same state rights and responsibilities as their married opposite-sex counterparts, anti-gay activists filed an initiative to repeal the law. State Senator Fred Girod (R-Stayton) and State Representative Sal Esquivel (R-Medford) filed the […]
Posted inNews
Mannix’s Crack Idea
Drug Addicts? One Strike and You’re Out!
Former State Representative Kevin Mannix wants Oregon to vote for a ballot initiative in November that would send crack dealers, identity thieves, and felony property criminals to jail for at least three years on a first conviction—without the option of drug treatment. Mannix has built his reputation on being “tough on crime”: He was the […]
Posted inNews
Domestic Problems
Oregon’s Domestic Partnership Law Runs into Murky Waters
When Sally Sparks and her partner, Heather Dugas, registered as domestic partners at the Multnomah County Building the day the new state law took effect on February 4, Sparks was overdue with their second child. “It was a good feeling that [the law] went through and we were going to walk into the hospital as […]