Inmate release program criticized
SALEM - Anti-crime activists and some prosecutors are taking aim at the Oregon Legislature s move to reduce many state prison inmate sentences as a way to save money. Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance spokeswoman Tara Lawrence said Friday that courts and di...
 3.1K - Nov. 7, 2009; scored 43.0 Former Blazer eyes run for governor
SALEM Chris Dudley s free throw shots were always iffy propositions. Now the former Portland Trail Blazer is in a new arena taking aim at a governor s chair and Oregon s Republicans think he can score. Dudley hasn t formally announced a bid for t...
3.6K - Nov. 6, 2009; scored 43.0 Governor expands flu readiness authority
SALEM (AP) Gov. Ted Kulongoski has signed an executive order giving the state public health director more authority to prepare Oregon for a major flu outbreak and manage the response. The governor said the order issued Thursday grants Dr. Mel Kohn ...
0.9K - Nov. 6, 2009; scored 43.0 Vineyards report good yields
SALEM (AP) It may turn out to be a very good year for Oregon vineyards. Final numbers are still pending, but the state s vineyards are reporting good yields, volume and quality for 2009. The National Agricultural Statistics Service said crop yields...
1.3K - Nov. 6, 2009; scored 43.0 Sheriffs' group opposes guns for pot smokers
SALEM The right of Oregonians to use marijuana for medical reasons and also to obtain concealed handgun permits is being challenged by local sheriffs who say federal law prevents those people from packing heat. Advocates for the state s medical mar...
3.6K - Nov. 5, 2009; scored 43.0 State overhauls 'green' tax breaks
SALEM (AP) Oregon s Department of Energy has issued new rules aimed at curbing a state program that grants lucrative tax credits for wind, solar and other renewable power plants. The changes are intended to trim the program s cost by making it hard...
2.6K - Nov. 4, 2009; scored 43.0 State gets good credit rating, says treasurer
SALEM (AP) The Oregon treasurer s office says national credit rating firms are reporting that Oregon remains a safe credit risk at a time when many states are being warned about potential downgrades. Moody s, Fitch Inc. and Standard and Poor s last...
1.0K - Nov. 4, 2009; scored 43.0 10,000 children benefit from health plan
SALEM More than 10,000 children have been added to the state health plan under a new law aimed at expanding health insurance coverage to nearly every child in Oregon, officials said Tuesday. Cathy Kaufmann, manager of the program, said the sign-ups...
2.1K - Nov. 4, 2009; scored 43.0 Care providers fault new background checks
SALEM (AP) Some people who provide child care so that parents in low-income families can go to work say new precautions by an Oregon state agency are delaying their payments. In Oregon, such child care is subsidized at a rate ranging from $2.6...
0.9K - Nov. 3, 2009; scored 68.0 Activists rally to OK gay nuptials
SALEM Gay rights backers kicked off a voter education campaign Monday aimed at eventually overturning Oregon s ban on same-sex marriage. Evan Wolfson of the national gay rights group Freedom to Marry said Monday he thinks hearts and minds are chan...
3.4K - Nov. 3, 2009; scored 43.0 Johnson 50th Anniversary
Gary and Betsy (Spear) Johnson, of Bandon, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Oct. 29. Gary was a North Bend boy, the son of Melvin and Ruth Johnson. Betsy was a Coos Bay girl, the daughter of Charlie and Elizabeth Spear. Growing up, they knew...
1.7K - Nov. 2, 2009; scored 43.0 Former Oregon State Bar president dies
SALEM (AP) Edward L. Ned Clark Jr., a former president of the Oregon State Bar and a pioneer in land-use planning for Marion and Polk counties, has died. He was 86. Clark practiced law in Salem for 42 years before retiring in 1995. He was also ch...
0.8K - Nov. 2, 2009; scored 86.0 Hang up and drive law comes Jan. 1
SALEM As of Jan. 1, you can get slapped with a $90 fine if you use a hand-held cell phone while driving in Oregon. Will that be enough to encourage motorists to keep their full attention on the road? And how well can the law be enforced? Orego...
6.2K - Nov. 2, 2009; scored 86.0 North Bend Hall of Fame inductees
George Edward Gebhardt (Class of 1933): Gebhardt was born in 1915 and was class president during his time at North Bend High School. He also won the Coos County extemporary speaking contest and was selected Outstanding Senior Boy. He earned a degree...
4.7K - Oct. 31, 2009; scored 43.0 Don Schirmer
A celebration of life will be held for Don Schirmer, 79, of Myrtle Point, at 5 p.m., Monday, Nov. 2, at the Oaks Pavillion at the Coos County Fairgrounds. Pastor Jeff May, of the Broadbent Community Church, will officiate. Don was born Sept. 1, 1930,...
4.4K - Oct. 31, 2009; scored 43.0 Bulldogs to honor coaches
The North Bend High School Hall of Fame celebrates its 10th year on Friday, with the induction of five men who helped enhance the opportunities for students in the school district. The 10th class will push the number of members of the Hall of Fame to...
2.6K - Oct. 29, 2009; scored 43.0 CB library looks to expand building
Ever go to the library wanting to check e-mail and all the computers were occupied? Ever go to a children s event at the library and had to wait for a second show because there wasn t enough room? Ever want to grab a cup of coffee to go with a page-t...
2.9K - Oct. 28, 2009; scored 43.0 FAA grounds Northwest pilots
WASHINGTON (AP) The two Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot their Minneapolis destination are grounded indefinitely unless the National Transportation Safety Board grants them a reprieve. The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that it ...
1.2K - Oct. 28, 2009; scored 43.0 Educators urge lower lottery profits for bars
SALEM (AP) Education advocates say they will continue to press the Oregon Lottery Commission to reduce bars and taverns share of video lottery profits. The advocates plan to be on hand Friday when the commission decides the issue. Lottery Director...
0.9K - Oct. 28, 2009; scored 43.0 Salem project gives free care for pets of homeless
SALEM (AP) Tammy Thompson lives in a tarp-covered tent on Salem s fringe, sharing her little spot in the woods with three much-loved dogs. They re my children. They re everything to me, said Thompson, 44. That s why she was grateful for a local ...
3.0K - Oct. 28, 2009; scored 329.0 | 
