Shop in Lebanon this weekend
I am a believer in shopping locally. If I can buy it in town, and can afford it (which usually I can), I will. So, as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and now, Small Business Saturday approaches, I thought it would be a nice story about what deals are around. Are Lebanon businesses open on Black...
Ode to the Farmers Market
Ah Thursdays. It’s the day the Downtown Farmers Market sets up for the afternoon in the lot kitty-corner from my office. As soon as I see the tents begin to pop up over the hedges, I start to get a bit excited, perhaps a bit distracted, even. The Farmers Market means fresh everything. When it...
Drunk driving is never OK
Today I covered a fatal accident involving a family of four and a car full of high school students. The driver had been drinking. Don’t think me unkind for talking about such a tragedy, but it was a reenactment of what a drunk driving accident looks like, part of a senior project. None of it...
Brown bagging it
I pack my own lunch nearly every day. Even when I was in school, I often ate from a bag. My mum would put my name on it in a colored Sharpie. She would sometimes pack a little note, telling me to have a good day. It was then, and still is, a treat to...
Does bullying start at home?
I’m an observer by nature. Last week, I was on my front porch and watched as the two girls across the street played together in what felt like the first sunny day Oregon has ever had. The two young girls zoomed around on their bike and scooter, one was yelling, “red light, red light!” After...
Increase taxes to increase revenue is oxymoron
The Oregon Legislature is tossing around an idea to tax cigarettes even more, $1 to $2 a pack. Legislators are saying it will increase revenue, something the state (and everybody) is low on. They also say it will encourage people to quit smoking, because smoking is unhealthy. But they don’t want people to quit. It...
An introduction to Budget Season
It may seem a bit strange, but I look forward to budget season. It’s a time when I get to focus on lots of documents and take a really close look at how public officials spend taxpayer money. Whether it’s federal, state, property taxes, or from a levy, it’s all your money they are spending...
Wrestling: Possibly the greatest
It was understood on a primal level. I did not need to understand the rules or points. Two young men approached each other on the mat, only one would emerge the victor. I was able to attend my first wrestling tournament on Jan. 9 in Dallas. My assignment was to spend an hour or so...
Celebrities and politics
I turned to Showtime this weekend and found a documentary called “Poliwood,” a 2009 film by Barry Levinson, following celebrities to the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions. I tuned in midstream, when celebrities were trying to impress governors and senators with the value of arts, music and P.E. in public schools. This I found...
Having homeless over for dinner
Growing up, whenever it was a holiday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, my dad often would look around the room as the meal was being prepared and decide we did not have enough mouths to feed. He and my mom would get in the car and go pick up a homeless person or two. I don’t know...
Driving: A dangerous business
I've always wondered what keeps cars from crashing into one another on a regular basis: Is it a fear of breaking the law, resulting in a ticket and fine? Or a respect for life? A trust of one another that we'll all follow the rules of the road?
