Oregon’s second female chief justice sworn in
The Oregon Supreme Court’s 44th chief justice, Meagan Flynn, has begun her term after serving as associate justice on the high court since 2014. Flynn is the second woman to serve in the position, following the retirement last year of the court’s first female chief justice, Martha Walters. Flynn’s first order of business was to swear in two new associate justices appointed by Gov. Kate Brown. That means every justice currently on the Oregon Supreme Court has been appointed by Brown. Flynn is now the head of the state court system, which is facing a severe shortage of public defenders. Hundreds of people charged with crimes in Oregon do not have attorneys to represent them. (OPB Staff)
A portion of Interstate 84 shown in the map above will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, to 4 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 8.
Courtesy of TriMet
Interstate 84 closes this weekend near Interstate 205 interchange
Interstate 84 will be closed in both directions for most of this weekend at the Interstate 205 interchange. During the closure, TriMet will be working on a new light rail bridge near the Gateway Transit Center. The closure is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. Friday and the freeway is expected to open again by 4 a.m. Sunday. Drivers should plan to use alternate routes and expect delays in the area. The construction is part of TriMet’s A Better Red project, which is scheduled to be completed next year. (OPB Staff)
Southern Oregon’s lakes rising as winter storms continue
The stream of precipitation over the holidays almost doubled water levels in eastern Jackson County reservoirs. It also bloated the area’s largest reservoir — Lost Creek Lake — to just a few feet shy of its normal filling schedule, water data shows. Overall, reservoir levels in the Talent Irrigation District have nearly doubled since Christmas Eve, but they’re still only about 11% full. The district and its three-headed water system of Hyatt, Howard Prairie and Emigrant reservoirs, are attempting to recharge after last year’s record low levels. While there’s still a long way to go, state biologist Pete Samarin said, “it’s an excellent start to the water year.” (Mark Freeman/Medford Tribune)
Lane County gets funding boost for new crisis center
Lane County’s plans for a new behavioral health crisis stabilization center will get a boost from the 2023 federal omnibus bill. The county is receiving $1.5 million in federal funds, in addition to the $7 million already earmarked by the county to help pay for facilities and equipment. Officials say the new center will help relieve some of the strain felt by mental health service providers and emergency responders that spiked during the pandemic. Jason Davis, the public information officer for the county’s Health and Human Services Department, said the community has sorely needed such facilities. (Brian Bull/KLCC)
Vancouver seeks applicants for traffic calming grants
People in Vancouver, Washington, who want to slow down traffic in their neighborhoods, can now apply to the city’s 2023 Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program. Funded by the city’s real estate excise tax and other sources, the program will provide about $300,000 for improvement projects that reduce residential speeding and improve livability. Residents and associations can only submit one application per year, and each proposal must have someone to champion it through the whole evaluation and selection process. Cost estimates cannot exceed $150,000. Applications can be made online through Feb. 28. (Lauren Ellenbecker/The Columbian)
World-renowned snow scientists are coming to Bend this fall
When it comes to snow, most people come to Bend to ski or snowboard on it. This fall, though, more than a thousand people will arrive not to recreate on snow, but to discuss avalanches, snow science and how a warming planet is impacting snow cover. That’s because the city will host some of the world’s foremost snow science experts Oct. 8-18 at the bi-annual International Snow Science Workshop. The event began in 1976 in Banff, Canada, and has been held nearly 20 times since. It was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. The event’s organizers reportedly chose Bend after a special committee traveled to the last workshop to make a pitch to organizers. (Michael Kohn/The Bend Bulletin)