5.3 earthquake hits Fukushima
AP: A 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture.
Senate approves timber payments
The Senate approved a proposal to extend federal timber payments to Oregon counties.
Health insurance causing rate shock
As the first wave of notices about health reform changes go out, some Oregonians are experiencing rate shock.
Google could get new tax breaks in The Dalles
In exchange for investing $200 million in a new data center in The Dalles, Google will get a new package of tax breaks worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
PDX bans clearcutting ads
The Portland International Airport banned ads by Oregon Wild as part of a campaign to defeat a Congressional bill to increase logging on federal forests.
Ashland tightens tourist rental rules
The Ashland City Council approved new laws requiring property owners to have land-use approval, a business license and to pay a hotel tax if they want to rent to tourists for short stays.
Stayton building material plant plans halted
Plans to open a GreenFLEX building material plant in Stayton have fallen through.
Clark County food bank shipments from Oregon end
A monthly distribution of produce to the Clark County Food Bank is ending.
Medical mistakes might be third leading cause of death
ProPublica: Since 1999, various studies have attempted to estimate deaths resulting from medical mistakes in hospitals, and each time the number seems to rise significantly.
Giving rural Oregon a boost
There are indeed real differences in both the challenges and opportunities faced by rural and urban regions of Oregon. Rural areas of the state have not seen the economic recovery that urban regions are experiencing. A critical function of Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency, is to use the tools, resources and expertise available to us to facilitate job growth in both rural and urban Oregon.