Legislature hopping as end draws near
With the Legislature still hoping to wrap up this year’s session before the Fourth of July, several significant bills are being signed into law – or headed to the ballot. The most significant is a bill that will ask voters in November whether they want to modify Measure 37, the initiative passed in 2005 that requires governments in Oregon to reimburse landowners who can’t develop their property under land-use laws in place when they bought the property, or receive a waiver from government to develop according to land-use laws in place at the time. Some bills likely to become law: One that caps
interest rates on consumer loans under $50,000 at 30 percentage points above the Federal Reserve discount rate, and another that requires Oregon’s Pacific Power, Portland General Electric and Eugene Water and Electric Board to get 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025. The Oregon State Police also has received funding to hire another 100 troopers for highway patrol. Some of the bigger issues, such as the levels of funding for education at all levels and transportation, still are being worked out.
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Driving more or less? That depends
Last week’s survey question was, “Are you driving less or the same because of rising gas prices?” We received lots of responses on this one, including several who simply replied “same.” Some other comments were:
“’We’re driving less, and so are most of our friends. Additionally, I have staff members who bought houses in Redmond and Prineville as opposed to Bend, because they couldn’t afford the Bend prices. They are now being greatly affected by the high prices of gas necessary for their commutes. It doesn’t seem right that Bend prices are so much higher than the rest of the state.”
“Yes. We live about nine miles out, so we try to consolidate trips even more than we used to. And here’s a tip: In a recent trip to Portland to pick up an item too big for my mid-sized car, I did the math and found it cheaper to rent a small trailer rather than drive my big pickup over the mountains. I saved a lot of money and burned 20 less gallons of gas.”
“We definitely are driving less. We are going to bring our bikes into work this summer and ride from town to do errands, etc., and drive as little as possible. We live out by Alfalfa and the gas prices are killing us financially. Any increase in pay over the summer is now going to gas. Not fair!”
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Meth summit coming to Bend
Concerned about the scourge of methamphetamine use? Mark your calendar for Monday, June 18, when the 2007 “Conquering Meth” summit will be held at The Riverhouse Convention Center. The guest speaker will be Kevin McCauley, M.D., who will speak on “Disease Model of Addiction.” The free summit will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with three breakout sessions on various subjects such as “Why implement a drug-free workplace,” “My life revolved around meth: Panel of recovering addicts,” and “The dilemma for healthcare providers.” Lunch will be provided. This summit is
for anyone who deals with meth issues, including business owners and human resources managers, law enforcement and community justice professionals, teachers and school administrators and friends or families with an addicted loved one. Because space is limited, pre-registration is required. Registration forms are available at www.methaction.org
. This event is sponsored by the Meth Action Coalition.
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More events in the next week …
More events coming to town: Office Depot will celebrate the opening of its first store in Bend at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 14. The public is invited to the ribbon cutting at the store, located at 3188 N. Highway 97. … The Sterling Savings Bite of Bend is moving to downtown and expanding to two days, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 16 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 17. The event will be held on Bond and Minnesota Avenues. … Jeff Monson, Executive Director of Commute Options for Central Oregon, will give a talk titled “Bike Everywhere: Using Your Bicycle Instead of Your Car” at 6 p.m.
Thursday, June 14 in the Brooks Room of the Bend Public Library. … The late Vince Genna, former director of the Bend Park and Recreation District and the man considered the father of Bend parks, will be remembered at memorial services scheduled for 1:30 to 4 p.m. Friday, June 15, at Genna Stadium, SE Fifth Street and Roosevelt Avenue. … Mark Croatti, professor of American Government at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, will be the featured speaker at a free community event sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 12 at the Bend Senior Center, 1600 SE Reed Market Road. He will speak on “The Iraq War from the Muslim Viewpoint.”
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News still not good on home prices
The National Association of Realtors this week revised its already gloomy forecast and now predicts the median price of an existing home should fall 1.3 percent this year. That’s nearly twice the 0.7 percent drop forecast two months ago. As recently as March, the Realtors were forecasting a 1.2 percent increase in the median existing home price. The group said new home prices are expected to fall 2.3 percent this year. If the predictions hold true, it will be the first time such declines are registered in the 40 years the Realtors have been tracking home prices.
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