State mailing $10M in unclaimed funds to Oregonians
Oregon is about to send $10 million to people across the state as part of a new program aimed at returning unclaimed funds to their rightful owners. The program focuses on returning money reported to the state in 2018 through 2020 in its “Checks Without Claims” program. “I think we usually give people a year or two to claim (their money),” Treasury spokesperson Eric Engleson said. “Next year it will be 2021.” According to the Treasury, $65.4 million has gone to 47,000 people since the state’s unclaimed property program moved from the control of the department of state lands in July 2021. The Treasury says more than $1 billion in unclaimed funds are sitting in state coffers. (Bill Poehler/Salem Statesman Journal)
ODOT unveils micro-grants for mobility in underserved communities
Over the next few weeks, communities across Oregon will receive $87,000 from a new state program to buy supplies like bike locks, helmets, and transit passes. The new Innovative Mobility Program offers micro-grants of $5,000 to nonprofits, transit districts, tribes, and businesses providing community service. Shelley Snow, the communications coordinator at the Oregon Department of Transportation, said it’s for communities that have been historically excluded. “We’re really focused on helping people that have traditionally not been served well by the transportation system,” she said. (Jasmine Lewin/KLCC)
Court rules for Clark County teacher who wore MAGA hat
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of a former Evergreen Public Schools teacher, concluding that his action to wear a “Make America Great Again” hat to school was protected speech under the First Amendment. Court documents showed that Eric Dodge, a longtime science teacher in Vancouver, brought the baseball cap with him to school on two occasions just before the start of the 2019-2020 school year. The first occasion was a staff-only cultural sensitivity and racial bias training hosted by a professor from Washington State University. The court ruled that other staff may have been outraged or upset at the symbolism of the hat, but the district provided “no evidence of actual or tangible disruption to school operations had been presented.” (Griffin Reilly/The Columbian)
Quarter-million invasive crabs trapped in Washington
Washington state removed more than a quarter-million invasive green crabs last year from coastal waters. The bulk of those was caught in Pacific County, where shellfish farmers, tribes and other partners are collaborating. The European green crab threatens native species and commercial shellfish operations in Willapa Bay and other parts of the state. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, nearly 270,000 green crabs were caught statewide in 2022. Of those, more than 140,000 were trapped in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. (Chinook Observer)
Greater Idaho effort eyes Wallowa County again
Once again, secessionist stirrings are rising in an effort to pull Wallowa County out of Oregon and join it with neighboring Idaho. The Move Oregon’s Border for a Greater Idaho movement has submitted signatures to the county clerk to put a measure on the ballot for a second time that would require county commissioners to meet twice a year to consider the county’s best interests in joining Idaho — or remaining in Oregon. A previous effort in 2020 failed with the ballot measure receiving 2,478 “yes” votes and 2,519 “no” votes. Even if the measure passes, any actual movement of the state borders would need the approval of the legislatures of Oregon and Idaho and of Congress. (Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain)
