World’s last Blockbuster promises to stay open until the bitter end in Bend
The last Blockbuster video store on Earth, located on Revere Avenue in Bend, is no stranger to attention. The store is widely known from countless media interviews with the owners and even a Netflix documentary, not to mention the brand recognition of the preeminent video chain. But general manager Sandi Harding and her employees still could not have predicted the wave of sales brought on by a 40-second Instagram ad during the Super Bowl. The ad features a cockroach named Steve who’s become a regular at the Blockbuster, still open in a post-apocalyptic Bend. The last Blockbuster has been receiving about 40 to 80 online merchandise orders a day, compared to about 10 before the ad, according to store manager Dan Montgomery. (Joe Siess/The Bend Bulletin)
Poor US strawberry crops leave Pacific Northwest market without many berries
Chefs across the Northwest are complaining they don’t have enough spring strawberries for their menus. So where are all the berries? This year, there are fewer berries to choose from — and they cost more. Cold weather in two of the nation’s warmest states — California and Florida — hasn’t helped. “As soon as we get a few weeks of sun, there’s anticipation that the strawberry plants should recover in time to harvest in the spring,” said Jeff Cardinale of the California Strawberry Commission. Hundreds of acres in California have been damaged from heavy rains. In Florida, growers say cold weather, pressure from a fungal disease, and farmers who have switched to new varieties of strawberries have all put berries behind. (Anna King/Northwest News Network)
Bill would dedicate $10 million to help Oregon children read
Less than 44% of Oregon students tested as proficient in English language arts in the 2021-22 school year, according to the latest available data. That’s almost 9 percentage points less than it was in 2019, and the numbers for third graders are particularly low. Oregon lawmakers are considering a bill that would put more money behind programs to improve reading and literacy among the state’s youth. If passed, the bill would authorize up to $10 million from the Student Success Act for literacy coaching, summer learning programs, tutoring and more for pre-kindergarteners through third graders. (Miranda Cyr/The Eugene Register-Guard)
Imbler School near La Grande approves switch to 4-day week
The Imbler School Board voted Wednesday to transition to a four-day school week starting in 2023-24. It joins a growing roster of schools in northeast Oregon that also have four-day weeks. Board member Jason Beck said he voted in favor of the four-day week because of tremendous support from teachers, staff and community members. “They are the experts,” he said. “If they support it, I know it must be a good move.” Oregon is among the states with the most schools with four-day weeks in the country. (Dick Mason/The La Grande Observer)
Enrollment opens at 2 new Vancouver public schools
The Vancouver public school district is opening enrollment to two new schools on Feb. 21. The Vancouver Innovation and Technology Arts Elementary School, or VITA, provides project-based learning, which accentuates student-led, long-term group projects with focuses on creativity and collaboration. Ruth Bader Ginsburg Elementary will be the district’s first fully dual-language Spanish/English choice school and will only enroll students in kindergarten and first grade next year. (Griffin Reilly/The Columbian)
