State Library eClips
* Rare solar eclipse coming to Oregon in 2017, hotels already booked
* Oregon’s recreational marijuana market expands to edibles and extracts starting Thursday
* Moda sues U.S. government demanding promised $180 million
* Oregon DMV says hello to 2001, installs debit and credit card readers
* University of Oregon ‘at a crossroads,’ but committed to greatness, president says
* Does Oregon’s hands-free law cover GPS or music apps? Cops, courts disagree
* Marijuana-infused edibles and extracts on sale starting Thursday Q&A
* Is it a coincidence that the whitest states are the least stingy with welfare?
* A campaign challenge Gov. Kate Brown should accept — Opinion
* Long-term marijuana use linked to periodontal issues
* ‘Generous’ welfare in Oregon helps mostly white families: Report
* Oregon State to offer separate dorm for students recovering from drug, alcohol addiction
* Agency director fired for whistleblowing gets $1.2 million
* Local teachers get to grade the schools
* Oregon allowing stores to sell recreational pot edibles, topicals and concentrates
* Oregon’s only majority-black high school could be a model for the rest of the state
* Radon found in Portland schools on the heels of lead scare
* Starting today, edible pot becomes legal
* Oregon hospitals agree to provide cost estimates
* DMV will begin accepting debit, credit cards
* Editorial: Legislators helped create this mess — Opinion
* PPS Update, Oregon Air Quality & Taxes
* Portland Public Finds High Radon Levels In More Than 100 School Rooms
* FDA Guidelines Target The Sodium Hiding In Our Diets
* Portland School Officials Publish Database Of Past Lead Fixes, Remaining Problems
* New Rules To Ban Payday Lending ‘Debt Traps’
* What’s The Biggest Problem: Lead Paint Or Lead In The Water?
* Homelessness Expert: Portland’s Efforts Are Admirable, But Not Enough
* Portland School Leaders Confronted With Notice, Health Questions
* Oregon Health Facilities More Willing To Report Their Medical Mistakes
* Our view: A stacked system — Opinion
* Estimates vary among agencies
* Apply now to claim water that may never really exist
* Southwest Oregon’s fire season starts Friday
* Be careful with pot edibles that go on sale Thursday
* Local veteran gets VA to upgrade suicide prevention hotline
* Wolf or coyote?
* Fire season begins Friday in Klamath, Lake counties
* Water update: Potential ‘real’ for wild fires
* Walden’s bill could bring needed change — Opinion
* Coast Guard seasonal station opens in Bandon
* We need to rein in unproductive forest rhetoric — Guest Opinion
* A sales tax by any other name — Guest Opinion
* One nurse per school is the new policy
* Smith returns from state hospital
* A nudge toward preparedness
* Editorial: Oregon is appallingly bad at regulating lobbyists — Opinion
* Editorial: Ballot measure could handcuff school districts — Opinion
* Federal government may be pulling back from education
* Jack Ward Thomas left an inspiring legacy
* Forest officials take a preventative approach to campfire safety
* MY VOICE: Yes, a staircase worth climbing — Guest Opinion
* Annual weed tour offers latest on technology, strategy and rules
* PBJ readers: Losing farmers and farmland raises red flags– Blog
* Portland District Failed to Disclose Excessive Lead Levels at 47 School Buildings
* Email Shows Top Officials in Portland Public Schools Knew About Lead Danger in 2012
* Most schools in Oregon not required to test for lead in drinking water
* FamilyCare, Oregon Health Authority Reach Settlement Agreement
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RARE SOLAR ECLIPSE COMING TO OREGON IN 2017, HOTELS ALREADY BOOKED (Portland Oregonian)
Mark your calendar for August 21, 2017, Oregon, a date that may seem far off, but will be well worth some advance planning.
That’s the day of the next total solar eclipse, a rare and spectacular cosmic event that will sweep over Oregon on its way across the continental United States.
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OREGON’S RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA MARKET EXPANDS TO EDIBLES AND EXTRACTS STARTING THURSDAY (Portland Oregonian)
From dawn until midnight, Andi Bixel churns out ice cream. She’s made so much ice cream that the machine has started to act up. She bought another this week so she can keep going without a break.
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MODA SUES U.S. GOVERNMENT DEMANDING PROMISED $180 MILLION (Portland Oregonian)
Moda Health Plans on Wednesday became the third insurer in the country to sue the federal government, saying the company could have averted nearly-fatal fiscal problems if the government delivered $180 million in financial assistance it had promised.
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OREGON DMV SAYS HELLO TO 2001, INSTALLS DEBIT AND CREDIT CARD READERS (Portland Oregonian)
The Oregon DMV is finally embracing plastic as a form of payment. In 2016.
The agency announced on Wednesday that its 60 field offices would begin accepting cards in addition to cash and check over the next four months.
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UNIVERSITY OF OREGON ‘AT A CROSSROADS,’ BUT COMMITTED TO GREATNESS, PRESIDENT SAYS (Portland Oregonian)
Michael Schill, the University of Oregon’s president, said he believes the future is bright for the state’s best known public university and for higher education overall, but the school remains “at a crossroads” and faces significant challenges on the road to rebuilding its academic reputation.
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DOES OREGON’S HANDS-FREE LAW COVER GPS OR MUSIC APPS? COPS, COURTS DISAGREE (Portland Oregonian)
Is it legal to touch your smartphone while driving if you’re using it as a navigation device, not to text or make calls?
Perhaps surprisingly, given Oregon’s hands-free law, the answer is yes. But that’s not without controversy.
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MARIJUANA-INFUSED EDIBLES AND EXTRACTS ON SALE STARTING THURSDAY Q&A (Portland Oregonian)
- What can recreational shoppers buy starting Thursday?
- People 21 and older can buy one low-dose marijuana-infused edible per day at medical marijuana dispensaries in Oregon that sell to recreational customers.
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IS IT A COINCIDENCE THAT THE WHITEST STATES ARE THE LEAST STINGY WITH WELFARE? (Portland Oregonian)
The Atlantic’s website has a report this week quoting research from “Disciplining the Poor,” a book by Joe Soss, Richard C. Fording and Sanford F. Schram. The researchers say that the political party in charge of the state legislature has a big influence on how generous that state is with welfare benefits.
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A CAMPAIGN CHALLENGE GOV. KATE BROWN SHOULD ACCEPT — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Back in February, Statesman Journal editorial page editor Dick Hughes issued an interesting challenge to Gov. Kate Brown and Salem oncologist Bud Pierce, whom the paper endorsed in the Republican primary. If both win in May, he wrote, they should spend a few weeks campaigning together across the state, debating in places big and small.
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LONG-TERM MARIJUANA USE LINKED TO PERIODONTAL ISSUES (Portland Oregonian)
A long-term study in New Zealand found that smoking marijuana for 20 years caused poorer periodontal health.
But unlike tobacco use, it was not associated with other physical problems like lung cancer and heart disease.
The increased legalization of marijuana, which is approved in Oregon for medical and recreational use, has increased scientific interest in medical studies.
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‘GENEROUS’ WELFARE IN OREGON HELPS MOSTLY WHITE FAMILIES: REPORT (Portland Oregonian)
Welfare programs have declined in the past two decades across the U.S., but in Oregon, a higher share of poor families is on welfare, and most of them are white, according to a recent report from The Atlantic.
In the story, “Welfare Utopia,” The Atlantic took a close look at Temporary Aid to Needy Families TANF.
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OREGON STATE TO OFFER SEPARATE DORM FOR STUDENTS RECOVERING FROM DRUG, ALCOHOL ADDICTION (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon State University will open an on-campus dorm this fall specifically designed for students recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.
The university said it believes the new housing and support center is the first of its kind in Oregon, at either a private or public institution.
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AGENCY DIRECTOR FIRED FOR WHISTLEBLOWING GETS $1.2 MILLION (Salem Statesman Journal)
The former head of a state agency has been awarded $1.26 million after a jury found that she was fired for whistleblowing.
Kyle Walker was CEO of the semi-independent state agency Oregon Travel Experience until being fired in 2014.
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LOCAL TEACHERS GET TO GRADE THE SCHOOLS (Salem Statesman Journal)
Teachers routinely grade students and administrators evaluate the teachers, but every two years educators have an opportunity to rate the environment in which they work.
The Oregon Education Association Oregon, Oregon School Boards Association and others partner with Deputy Superintendent of Education Dr. Salam Noor to administer the Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning TELL Oregon survey, which is a biennial, anonymous statewide survey of licensed school-based educators to assess teaching conditions at the school, district and state levels.
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OREGON ALLOWING STORES TO SELL RECREATIONAL POT EDIBLES, TOPICALS AND CONCENTRATES (Eugene Register-Guard)
Let the eating begin.
A whole new market in Oregon’s fast-emerging recreational marijuana industry opens Thursday.
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OREGON’S ONLY MAJORITY-BLACK HIGH SCHOOL COULD BE A MODEL FOR THE REST OF THE STATE (Portland Tribune)
-Jefferson High School’s 14-point jump in graduation rates credited to wrap-around services-
In a state with dismal on-time high school graduation rates and a school district with similar rates, Jefferson High School Middle College for Advanced Studies is like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
In 2010, the school was so dysfunctional and unpopular that many in the district thought the best thing would be to close it down. Jefferson avoided the chopping block, though, and doubled-down on programs that were working.
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RADON FOUND IN PORTLAND SCHOOLS ON THE HEELS OF LEAD SCARE (Portland Tribune)
Parents of Portland Public Schools children have something else to worry about this week: Radon gas.
Coming in the midst of a controversy of elevated lead levels in PPS water fixtures, the district announced late Wednesday that tests have also discovered high levels of the radioactive, cancer-causing gas in nine rooms of six schools. Those schools are: Meek, Beaumont, Whitman, Roseway Heights, Lent and Marysville.
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STARTING TODAY, EDIBLE POT BECOMES LEGAL (Bend Bulletin)
-Bend dispensaries have infused chocolates, hard candy, drinks, more-
A veritable dessert tray of food and beverages infused with the active ingredient in marijuana becomes available today for purchase by any adult age 21 and over at medical marijuana dispensaries in Oregon.
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OREGON HOSPITALS AGREE TO PROVIDE COST ESTIMATES (Bend Bulletin)
-Health insurers still best source for prices-
Price transparency advocates say Oregon hospitals collective pledge to provide cost estimates will be of little use to most Oregonians.
Even the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, which convinced all 62 hospitals to agree to the voluntary policy, says the most accurate cost estimates for procedures will still come from health insurance companies.
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DMV WILL BEGIN ACCEPTING DEBIT, CREDIT CARDS (Bend Bulletin)
-Central Oregon’s locations should be card-ready by October-
The Oregon DMV announced it will begin accepting debit and credit card transactions at its offices.
Offices in Dallas, McMinnville, and two locations in Salem were the first to install debit- and credit-card systems in May.
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EDITORIAL: LEGISLATORS HELPED CREATE THIS MESS — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Oregon lawmakers may face an unhappy prospect when they meet next year. They could have $1.5 billion less to spend than they’ve already promised. That’s a problem.
State labor negotiators agreed to contracts with thousands of state employees the state cannot afford. That’s $250 million-plus of the problem.
Then there’s the multibillion-dollar liability in the Public Employees Retirement System pension fund. Nearly every public agency in Oregon is on the hook, the state itself for as much as $225 million next year.
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PPS UPDATE, OREGON AIR QUALITY & TAXES (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
-Segments on air at noon today-
OPB’s education reporter Rob Manning gives us an update on the controversy over lead in the water at Portland Public Schools.
Leah Feldon from the Department of Environmental Quality and David Farrer from the Oregon Health Authority talk about the states air quality and monitoring programs.
We dig into the report from the Legislative Revenue Office about what could be the most contentious issue on Oregon’s November ballot a gross receipts tax measure currently known as Initiative Petition 28. Legislative Revenue Officer Paul Warner joins us.
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PORTLAND PUBLIC FINDS HIGH RADON LEVELS IN MORE THAN 100 SCHOOL ROOMS (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Even though the Portland Public Schools District continues to tackle revelations of lead in drinking water at several schools, another concerning toxin has emerged: radon.
Results from radon testing in school buildings released late Wednesday show classrooms across the district have elevated levels of the radioactive gas.
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FDA GUIDELINES TARGET THE SODIUM HIDING IN OUR DIETS (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The Food and Drug Administration is leaning on the food industry to cut back on the amount of sodium added to processed and prepared foods.
The FDA on Wednesday released a draft of new sodium-reduction targets for dozens of categories of foods from bakery goods to soups.
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PORTLAND SCHOOL OFFICIALS PUBLISH DATABASE OF PAST LEAD FIXES, REMAINING PROBLEMS (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Portland Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Tony Magliano sent a memo Wednesday to school board members outlining work that the district has done over the last 12 years to mitigate lead problems that were found in district water.
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NEW RULES TO BAN PAYDAY LENDING ‘DEBT TRAPS’ (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today is proposing new regulations to protect consumers from predatory lending practices that the CFPBs top regulator calls debt traps.
Americans are being set up to fail by payday and auto-title lenders, Richard Cordray, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, tells NPR.
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WHAT’S THE BIGGEST PROBLEM: LEAD PAINT OR LEAD IN THE WATER? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
For years, Multnomah County has been warning people about lead contamination in the home from paint dust to pottery.
Its also warned about water, but with the caveat that lead in the water is not a common source of poisoning.
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HOMELESSNESS EXPERT: PORTLAND’S EFFORTS ARE ADMIRABLE, BUT NOT ENOUGH (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Donald Burnes wrote his first book on homelessness 23 years ago. He titled it A Nation in Denial. When the Colorado-based researcher set out to write a second book on the topic last year, he thought about calling it A Nation Still In Denial.
But that’s not fair, Burnes decided. The United States isn’t in denial about the root causes of homelessness. We just don’t care enough to end it.
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PORTLAND SCHOOL LEADERS CONFRONTED WITH NOTICE, HEALTH QUESTIONS (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The recent discoveries of lead-tainted drinking water at Portland schools has parents demanding more information about lead and more quickly.
Recent revelations about elevated lead levels at two PPS schools first became public through the media. Willamette Week later reported on a database of reported high lead levels at schools dating back years, most of which hadnt been previously reported publicly.
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OREGON HEALTH FACILITIES MORE WILLING TO REPORT THEIR MEDICAL MISTAKES (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Oregon’s health facilities are becoming more transparent about mistakes, according to a new report from the Oregon Patient Safety Commission.
Oregon’s health organizations don’t have to tell the state about mistakes. But all hospitals and most nursing centers do report. Pharmacies have only recently been asked to report, and are dragging their heels.
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OUR VIEW: A STACKED SYSTEM — OPINION (East Oregonian)
Its no wonder people are lining up to vote for Donald Trump.
After reading the East Oregonian story Lobbying, contributions dual paths to political clout by Capital Bureau reporter Hillary Borrud, you too may be inclined to send a big broom to the White House and State Capitol and sweep out every vestige of the current political class.
The article detailed in numbers and personal examples the ease and mystery through which corporations and special interest groups are lobbying the state.
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ESTIMATES VARY AMONG AGENCIES (Argus Observer)
A declining number of honey bees continues to be a concern around the nation, although estimates differ as to whether the numbers are down enough to cause concern.
The Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, in a recent report, quoted U.S. Department of Agriculture figures that show 28 percent of honey bees died last winter, 6 percent more than in 2015.
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APPLY NOW TO CLAIM WATER THAT MAY NEVER REALLY EXIST (Argus Observer)
Local irrigation districts are being given opportunity to renew water reservations for unappropriated water in the Owyhee River and the Malheur River basins.
There is a catch: That water may or may not be there in the future.
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SOUTHWEST OREGON’S FIRE SEASON STARTS FRIDAY (Medford Mail Tribune)
A looming forecast of scorching temperatures, some in the triple digits, for later this week has prompted Oregon Department of Forestry officials to declare the start of the 2016 summer fire season in southwest Oregon.
ODF officials said the season will kick off a minute after midnight Friday, June 3. After that, burn piles and burn barrels will not be allowed on the 1.8 million acres of lands protected by the department’s southwest Oregon district. That includes state, private, county, city and Bureau of Land Management forestlands in Jackson and Josephine counties.
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BE CAREFUL WITH POT EDIBLES THAT GO ON SALE THURSDAY (Medford Mail Tribune)
Area marijuana dispensaries and public health officials are recommending that recreational users use caution with extracts and edibles that will be come available Thursday, especially around children.
Edible marijuana products with up to 15 milligrams of THC will be available at dispensaries that serve recreational users 21 and older.
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LOCAL VETERAN GETS VA TO UPGRADE SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE (Medford Mail Tribune)
Pushed by a local veteran, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., says he has helped convince the Department of Veterans Affairs to create an easier phone system for veterans seeking suicide prevention help.
Merkley visited the VA’s Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics in White City today to discuss the high rates of suicide among veterans and his role in helping push for the new direct connection for veterans.
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WOLF OR COYOTE? (Herald and News)
Two recent Klamath County livestock death investigations have yielded inconclusive results.
In one incident, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife District Biologist Tom Collom investigated the deaths of two lambs owned by Sprague River rancher Steve Van Sickle. Collom ruled that a wolf did not kill the lambs; however, he was unable to conclusively say what did kill them.
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FIRE SEASON BEGINS FRIDAY IN KLAMATH, LAKE COUNTIES (Herald and News)
The Oregon Department of Forestry ODF plans to declare Friday the official start of fire season in Klamath and Lake counties, with the season expected to last through the beginning of October.
This marks a period of fire restrictions for public and private lands during which outdoor debris burning is prohibited without a permit, as well as a need for fire-suppression equipment for those operating power-driven machinery on forestland.
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WATER UPDATE: POTENTIAL ‘REAL’ FOR WILD FIRES (Herald and News)
A wet winter and warm spring means more grass is growing and fire fuels are building up.
Wildfire season officially begins Friday, according to Bureau of Land Management Spokeswoman Larisa Bogardus.
Interagency Fire Management Officer Barry Shullanberger said observations of this seasons prescribed burns indicate that last winters ample snowpack melted quickly did not saturate large fire fuels, such as downed trees, in Klamath and Lake counties.
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WALDEN’S BILL COULD BRING NEEDED CHANGE — OPINION (Herald and News)
Lets hope the third times the wait, no, its actually the fourth time that U.S. Rep. Greg Walden has gotten his bill through the House of Representatives to manage federal forest lands in a way that will reduce major wildfires.
Regardless of whether its the third or the fourth, we hope its the charm.
For the fourth time in four years the Resilient Federal Forest Act has now been sent to the Senate, where it has died three times.
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COAST GUARD SEASONAL STATION OPENS IN BANDON (The World)
-Bandon’s inlet hazardous to boaters-
It’s boating season again, which means the U.S. Coast Guard has opened its Seasonal Station Small in Bandon.
The station is open annually from Memorial Day to Labor Day to monitor the safety of recreational boat traffic. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kary Moss, from USCG Station Coos Bay, said they have been doing this for years because the Bandon inlet is hazardous water.
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WE NEED TO REIN IN UNPRODUCTIVE FOREST RHETORIC — GUEST OPINION (The World)
For decades, the federal Bureau of Land Management has been stuck between the rock of Northwest timber counties and the hard place of environmental advocacy coalitions.
In matters of public debate, the best solution is often somewhere in the moderate middle. In the case of federally owned O&C lands, that would entail some sort of forward-thinking plan providing increased logging on BLM lands and establishing and enforcing measures to better protect streams, forests and the habitat they provide.
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A SALES TAX BY ANY OTHER NAME — GUEST OPINION (The World)
Public employee union backers of Initiative Petition 28 appear to have turned in more than enough signatures to place their massive 2.5 percent gross receipts tax measure on Oregon’s November ballot.
While supposedly dedicating most of the $6 billion per biennium additional tax revenue to public education, health care and senior services, in reality legislators would be under pressure from powerful lobbyists in the Capitol to substitute at least some of this new revenue for money they otherwise would dedicate to those services
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ONE NURSE PER SCHOOL IS THE NEW POLICY (The World)
-Coos Bay School District nurses talk about the raising need-
There should be one nurse in every school, according to the new American Academy of Pediatrics AAP policy statement. Coos Bay School District nurses Karen Brown and Cynthia Edge agree with that policy, because the student population of chronically ill children is going up and there just aren’t enough resources to deal with it.
The population of ill kids are getting larger and larger, Edge said, and nurses need to push districts in order to manage these case loads.
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SMITH RETURNS FROM STATE HOSPITAL (Daily Astorian)
Accused murderer Jessica Smith returned to Clatsop County Jail Tuesday after a monthlong stay at the Oregon State Hospital to determine if she is mentally ill or faking her erratic behavior.
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A NUDGE TOWARD PREPAREDNESS (Daily Astorian)
How does a forum focused on the many ways North Coast residents can lose their lives, loved ones and property to natural and man-made disasters strike a positive note without downplaying the dangers? By making it about preparedness.
The city of Astoria’s Community Emergency Preparedness Forum, held Tuesday evening at the Liberty Theater, ran the gamut of hazards facing the region, from floods and forest fires to the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami.
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EDITORIAL: OREGON IS APPALLINGLY BAD AT REGULATING LOBBYISTS — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
Even idealistic Oregon is under the thrall of paid lobbyists
Follow the money is some of the oldest and best advice for investigative reporters. It also, unfortunately, is regarded as a personal credo by politicians and lobbyists exploiting political connections for personal gain.
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EDITORIAL: BALLOT MEASURE COULD HANDCUFF SCHOOL DISTRICTS — OPINION (Albany Democrat Herald)
Among the ballot measures that Oregon voters likely will get to decide in the November election is Initiative Petition 65, a measure that would essentially mandate that school districts spend a certain amount of their state money on career and technical education, college-readiness programs and initiatives to improve school attendance.
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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MAY BE PULLING BACK FROM EDUCATION (LaGrande Observer)
Talk of new federal government guidelines for schools often leaves local education officials exasperated, fearing additional red tape, but this draft rule is the exception.
New proposed guidelines would allow states to decide how to use a mix of test scores, academic growth and other measures like chronic absenteeism to identify failing schools and which children are in the most need of help.
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JACK WARD THOMAS LEFT AN INSPIRING LEGACY (LaGrande Observer)
-Former chief of U.S. Forest Service worked for 21 years in La Grande-
Jack Ward Thomas spoke with a slow Texas drawl but had a lightning quick mind that propelled him to national heights.
The wildlife biologists rapid-fire mind also propelled him to literary success. Thomas wrote, co-wrote and edited more than 250 books, book chapters and professional papers about wildlife and ecosystem management.
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FOREST OFFICIALS TAKE A PREVENTATIVE APPROACH TO CAMPFIRE SAFETY (LaGrande Observer)
Forest officials for the Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman national forests announce seasonal safety regulations for building campfires when recreating on the three national forests.
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MY VOICE: YES, A STAIRCASE WORTH CLIMBING — GUEST OPINION (LaGrande Observer)
Architectural historians have said that Eastern Oregon University’s grand staircase is arguably the most outstanding exterior staircase in the entire United States. It has been compared to the Spanish Steps in Rome, where scenes from Roman Holiday and The Talented Mr. Ripley were filmed.
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ANNUAL WEED TOUR OFFERS LATEST ON TECHNOLOGY, STRATEGY AND RULES (Wallowa.com)
As the vans loaded up with the 2016 weed warriors from Asotin County and Wallowa County on Friday for the annual weed tour, there was an outlier in the bunch.
Usually, the folks who take the weed tour are ranchers and farmers who want to earn their herbicide applicators credits, understand new chemicals and strengthen their weed identification. The vegetation department folks from both counties and Forest Service fellows in charge of managing noxious and invasive species join these folks.
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PBJ READERS: LOSING FARMERS AND FARMLAND RAISES RED FLAGS— BLOG (Oregon Business Journal)
Oregon is losing its farmers, which could lead to a massive transfer of agricultural land in coming decades.
Portland Business Journal readers say that could bring huge issues.
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PORTLAND DISTRICT FAILED TO DISCLOSE EXCESSIVE LEAD LEVELS AT 47 SCHOOL BUILDINGS (Willamette Week)
-Records show that dozens of school buildings had elevated lead levels from 2010 to 2012, some higher than results released last week.-
Last week, Portlanders learned the Portland Public Schools had found elevated levels of lead in water at two schools in March, but failed to disclose this information for nearly two months.
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EMAIL SHOWS TOP OFFICIALS IN PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS KNEW ABOUT LEAD DANGER IN 2012 (Willamette Week)
-After elevated lead levels were found in the water at 47 schools, district officials took steps to curb drinking from school sinks.-
An email obtained today by WW appears to contradict Portland Public Schools chief operating officer Tony Magliano’s claim that he was previously unaware of test results from 2010 to 2012 that found elevated levels of lead in the water at 47 PPS buildings.
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MOST SCHOOLS IN OREGON NOT REQUIRED TO TEST FOR LEAD IN DRINKING WATER (KATU)
Turns out Portland Public Schools and the overwhelming majority of schools statewide are not required to monitor for lead in drinking water.
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FAMILYCARE, OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY REACH SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT (The Lund Report)
The lawsuit, filed by FamilyCare, arose from the rate-setting process that began in 2014.
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