New restrictions for animal feed lots in Oregon awaits governor’s signature
Wastewater violations that brought down a notorious Oregon dairy five years ago have now culminated in legislative reforms affecting livestock operations across the state. Stricter rules for “confined animal feeding operations” under Senate Bill 85, including water and land use restrictions, have passed both chambers of the Oregon Legislature in recent days. Supporters and opponents of SB 85 say regulatory problems at Lost Valley Farm near Boardman, Ore., helped inspire the legislation, which has been debated in various forms since the dairy’s implosion in 2018. Overflowing lagoons and other wastewater violations convinced Oregon farm regulators to slap Lost Valley Farm with a $187,000 fine, the biggest civil penalty for a CAFO in state history. (Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press)
3rd District Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez says voting record refutes claims she’s ‘woke’
“Woke.” “Extremist.” “Radical.” These are all words that Joe Kent — Republican candidate to lead Washington’s 3rd Congressional District next year — has used to describe U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania. Yet, Perez has been making national headlines for appealing to the moderate, working-class population of America and avoiding strong partisanship. Voteview.com, a website led by a UCLA law professor that rates members of Congress from conservative to liberal based on their voting record, states that Perez is more conservative than 99 percent of Democrats in the House of Representatives. Is Perez an extreme liberal, or is she fulfilling her promise to represent everyday, middle-class people? Perez says it’s the latter. (Carlos Fuentes/The Columbian)
New Mazama High signage welcomes students in Klamath languages
A new welcome sign will greet students returning to Mazama High School in Chiloquin this fall in five languages — including Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin-Paiute. The idea came from two high school seniors who are members of the Klamath tribes. (Ken Smith/Klamath Falls Herald & News)
Bend parks stewards are cracking down on beer pong (and other illegal drinking)
Summer beers make Bend feel fine — maybe a little too fine. Since the start of June, park stewards with the Bend Park & Recreation District have had to issue dozens of reminders to park-goers that alcohol is only allowed at parks if they had a permit. They even had to send five groups of beer pong players packing. (Brie Haro/Bend Bulletin)
New staffing model at Providence Medford worries ER physicians
Emergency room physicians at Providence Medford Medical Center worry that a new staffing model, which would call them away from ER patients to assist in the hospital’s intensive care unit, could lead to patient harm. “Anything that pulls us away from the ER potentially puts our patients in jeopardy,” said Dr. Bryce Pulliam, an ER physician at the medical center. Concern for patient safety is one reason ER providers at the medical center unionized in April, they say. (Erick Bengel/Rogue Valley Times)