Portland Water Bureau proposes delay on reservoir projects until at least 2020

January 28 − Officials overseeing Portland's water supply want to delay federally mandated reservoir projects until at least 2020 -- years beyond the original schedule. The Portland City Council on Wednesday will consider the recommendations from the Portland Water Bureau, which is on the hook to spend hundreds of millions for reservoir projects at Kelly Butte, Mt. Tabor and Washington Park. The latter two reservoir systems are not covered and open to the air, prompting the projects. Portland's extension request will be submitted to the Oregon Health Authority for consideration. The first round of so-called "LT2" requirements had been scheduled for completion by 2014 with all projects completed by 2020. But after city officials learned there may be wiggle room, they are now seeking to complete the first project by 2020 and wrap up all work by 2025. Some ratepayer advocates have suggested the city should ask for an extension past 2030.  Read more....

A kid's paradise

January 28 − Perhaps it was coincidence or just perfect timing, but when city dignitaries, business owners, families and children held the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Troutdale’s Imagination Station playground structure one Sunday afternoon in 1994, a rainbow arched across the clear blue sky. Troutdale resident Doug Daoust, who coordinated the Imagination Station effort, says the rainbow seemed like a heavenly stamp of approval for the project, a community effort in which thousands of volunteers and many businesses from all over the region took part. “Anybody you talk to who was involved in it 18 years ago still has vivid, good memories of it,” says Daoust, who is now a city councilor. Their efforts apparently paid off for countless children and families. Imagination Station, located in Columbia Park next to Reynolds High School, was selected in the Readers Choice as the best place in East County to take children.  Read more...

Gerry Frank's Picks: Breitenbush Hot Springs, Barley Brown's Brew Pub and more

January 28 − Oregon's throwback to the '60s, Breitenbush Hot Springs (Detroit; 503-854-3320; breitenbush.com), is tucked in 154 acres in the Willamette National Forest about 10 miles upstream from Detroit on the Breitenbush River. Open year-round, this sanctuary offers a retreat for singles, couples or groups. Pitch a tent (good weather) or stay in the geothermally heated cabins; enjoy vegetarian organic cuisine; take advantage of well-being offerings (yoga, meditation, massage) and natural hot springs for soaking away any worries ("au naturel" is the perfectly accepted un-garb). This escape is off the grid in many ways and yours to experience starting at $72 per person, including meals. Tyler Brown and Shawn Kelso love beer. Combining their passion with making a living, Barley Brown's Brew Pub (2190 Main St., Baker City; 541-523-4266; barleybrowns.com) came into being in 1998.  Read more...

At 101, Denny Jones is Oregon's oldest former state lawmaker and says Legislature 'could use me again'

January 28 − Salty-talking Denny Jones, the former state representative from Ontario, will be 102 years old in September and figures the Oregon Legislature -- or even Congress -- could do a lot worse than have him ride herd on spending. "I was tighter than bark on a tree and we didn't waste a dollar," says the lifelong rancher and cowboy who retired in 1999 after nearly three decades as a lawmaker. "They could use me again." Jones -- walking with a cane, but still driving his pickup ("People will say, 'How'd you get here?' and I will say, 'Dammit, I drove!'") -- keeps an eye on state and national politics. He'll be watching the 2012 Legislature when it convenes Wednesday, but most of his attention these days is focused on Congress and what he says is out-of-control federal debt. "We better do something," he says. Jones oversaw a $7 billion state budget as co-chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee in the mid- to late-1990s and was among the most powerful figures in the Capitol. For 26 years, he kept his saddle cinched around House District 60, which used to encompass Harney, Malheur, Lake and half of Klamath counties, roughly one-quarter of Oregon, but now is smaller.  Read more...

Lone wolf commands a following

January 28 − On the Chinese calendar, this week ushers in the year of the dragon. But here, it feels a lot more like the year of the wolf. On Dec. 28, a 2 1/2 -year-old gray wolf crossed the state line from Oregon, becoming the first of his species to run wild here in 88 years. His arrival has prompted news articles, attracted feverish fans and sent wildlife officials scrambling to prepare for a new and unfamiliar predator. “California has more people with more opinions than other states,” said Mark Stopher, senior policy adviser for the California Department of Fish and Game. “We have people calling, saying we should find him a girlfriend as soon as possible and let them settle down. Some people say we should clear humans out of parts of the state and make a wolf sanctuary.”  Read more...

Portland firefighter wedding: Fate or luck brought them together -- and $340 made sure of it

January 27 − When Portland firefighter Morgan Long runs into burning buildings, the man is so calm that his hands never tremble. But last spring, two simple words -- "you're next" -- made his palms damp. The 29-year-old, never at a loss for words, stammered when he tried talking his way out of a jam that he knew would likely lead to one of his life's most embarrassing nights. His name should never have made it onto the list. He'd mistakenly clicked the wrong icon on the Facebook page. He was two hours late and had missed the official instructions. It didn't matter. You're next. The last thing 28-year-old Robin Jacobs wanted was a night out with the girls. The certified public accountant was buried under paperwork and deadlines as the 2011 tax season drew to a close. All she wanted to do this night was to go to the gym and then head home to watch television. But her girlfriend insisted that Jacobs attend her big birthday party, which she was throwing at downtown Portland's Rock Bottom Brewery.  Read more...

Only two in three Oregon high school students graduate in four years

January 27 − Oregon high schools again failed to graduate one of every three students last year, figures out today show. More than 11,000 young people in the high school class of 2011 dropped out. State school Superintendent Susan Castillo cheered the increase in the state's on-time graduation rate, which rose from 66 percent for the classes of 2009 and 2010 to 67 percent for the class of 2011. But Gov. John Kitzhaber called the 67 percent rate "unacceptable." Most of Oregon's large and medium-size districts failed to get even 70 percent of the students who entered high school in fall 2007 to earn a diploma within four years.  Read more...

Innovative design comes in new Boxx

January 27 − If Steve Jobs designed an electric moped, it might have had the look and sensibilities of a Boxx. Largely shrouded in secrecy until its public unveiling at this week’s 2012 Portland International Auto Show, the Boxx resembles a giant upright iMac with wheels, handlebars and seat attached. In a style reminiscent of innovator Jobs, the recently departed Apple visionary, Portlander Eric Vaughn has orchestrated the custom design of every component of his new moped, including the Boxx body, motor, tires, lights, all-wheel drive and electronic controls. “I design, from the ground up, every detail,” says the 36-year-old Boxx design engineer, founder and chief executive officer. Vaughn even wrote 80-page drafts of several patent applications, with editing help from a lawyer.  Read more...