Spanning the State--Prodigal Headline Edition

[For some reason, Blogger isn't letting me post a headline right now. I'll try to get one plugged in later. But for now this is a headline-free post. Ugh.]

update 1pm--fixed...TJ


Recently, free speech in the Portland metro area has taken a couple of interesting turns.

First is the appearance of The Freeway Blogger in Portland:


The Freeway Blogger had signs up all around the freeways in Portland. Click on the link to check out more.


On the opposite end of the spectrum is this piece by Becky at Preemptive Karma. Becky reports that private security in charge of the Portland Blues Festival were likely way out-of-free-speech-bounds:

A man was standing on the bridge overlooking the festival and holding up two signs. One read "Impeach" and the other "End the War." He was merely standing on the sidewalk showing his signs to festival-goers. He wasn't shouting, he wasn't in anyone's way, and he wasn't being disruptive. Nevertheless, two members of the festival security team began harassing him, one calling for backup on the radio and the other angrily talking with him. The man moved further down the bridge, but was gone a few minutes later when we looked again.

The Portland Blues Festival is held at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in the southwest part of the city. The bridge that overlooks the park is the Hawthorne Bridge, which is city property and not at all a part of the Festival grounds.

Private security kicking people off of public property? Hmmm...where have I seen that before...?

And now, let's Span the State!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::gong::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I hate that Steve Duin doesn't cover sports for the O anymore. Today's column is a reminder of what a good sports writer he is.

A family from Lewisburg is getting a new home thanks to ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

A potential standoff is brewing in Canby. Some locals are unhappy with a proposal to build a large chicken farm operation near their homes. If the family who wants to build the farm is ultimately denied, they'll undoubtedly have a large Measure 37 claim. Clackamas County voted overwhelmingly to pass M37. Buyer's remorse, anyone?

The McMenamin brothers are looking to create another of their unique inn/restaurant destinations, this time at the former Multnomah County Correctional Facility.

Madras is beaming over native son Jacoby Ellsbury, who got the call this week from the Boston Red Sox to play with the big club at Fenway.

Molalla City Council has an apparent charmer in their midst. Newly seated City Councilor Steve Clark sent out an email asking city planning director Shane Potter if he's retarted and allegedly had to be asked to leave city hall a few weeks ago by a police officer after some of the staff felt threatened by him.

The newspaper of record in Prineville loves the 2007 Legislative Session.

Spanning the State--GARDEN! Edition

I'm a woman of limited passions. If I spread my interests too thin I become frustrated with the restrictions that come with the number of hours in a day. So besides politics, my only other serious hobby is gardening.

I don't write about gardening all that often because I'm emminently unqualified. I've considered taking the Master Gardener course through OSU. But the volunteer hours required are prohibitive for me until I have a LOT more free time. So I'll continue to fumble around in my limited capacity--figuring things out as I go.

This year is my first attempt at growing blueberries. My neighbors have grown them for years with great success. So this year I created a blueberry bed. The first few years apparently come with a meager harvest (I'll probably get a quart or two from my four plants).

But once they're well established I've been assured that they'll fruit like crazy.



The back raised bed garden was built 3 years ago. I grow vegetables, tomatoes and dahlias in it for the most part. Last year I grew dill which went to seed when I wasn't paying attention, so this year I'm pulling dill out of all the beds like weeds. The black shade cloth is up in front of the squash because I had to move the plant--which had volunteered right up next to a tomato plant. This garden gets heavy western exposure and the late afternoon/early evening heat was doing it in.

Last week I stopped at a garage sale on my way home and found this old, painted milk can. I have no idea how old the can (or the painting) is.



I've seen similar items in antique malls for upwards of $50-$100. I got 2 of these for $5. I sprayed this one with a few coats of clear lacquer to help keep the remaining paint from peeling away--and I gave the other one to my neighbor.



This is a pot of Mimulus that I started from seed. If you look closely, you'll see a little garden statue frog in the middle of the pot. My daughter gave that to me last year for my birthday.

Below is Queen-of-the-Prairie, which has grown in this location since before I moved into my house.

It's thrived in this location and despite its tendency to take over, I love it so I haven't dug it out.


Last Fall I decided to create a new garden at the side of my house. So I covered the lawn with newspaper and a heavy coating of new garden soil, and left it to winter over. The grass died off pretty well and I tilled the whole thing up with a generous amount mushroom compost this Spring.

Its still a work in progress--but this is what I've managed so far:



And now that you've indulged my garden hobby, let's indulge in my other. Let's Span the State!



::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::gong:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

In a Pamplin-esque move, Evanite Fiber Corp is offering to gift the city of Corvallis with a chunk of riverfront acreage along the Willamette River. The catch? Evanite wants the city to help get the company out from under state regs that "hinder operations" at the industrial site.

A federal judge has halted a US Forest Service timber sale with a restraining order. The judge will hear arguments on July 12 from conservation groups claiming that the Forest Service distorted scientific evidence on spotted owl habitat and the flouting of the Northwest Forest Plan's prohibition on logging old growth for commercial purposes.

A proposed mining operation near Coquille is under threat from locals who say that the proposed mine will threaten their health and their way of life.

The Register-Guard in Eugene gives the legislative session a B+.

If I was getting my electricity from Coos-Curry Electric I would be pissed. Their board just voted to close its meetings from members. Members may only attend meetings if they request to attend a session and be approved by the Board.

A Prairie City man is looking for a new home for his 2000+ can and bottle collection.

The LaGrande Observer notes that The Office of Rural Policy in Salem is riding on a razor's edge--looking at the business end of the budget ax for the 2008 session. The Observer believes that the Office is crucial to bridging the urban-rural divide in Oregon and is complaining that legislators aren't giving it a real chance to succeed.

Costco is cruising McMinnville in an effort to find a new location.

Spanning the State--Oversight correction edition

TJ and I have jobs that we've divvied up between us for the management and operations of Loaded Orygun. One of my jobs is supposed to be to update and maintain the blogroll on the right sidebar.

Frankly--I suck at it. I don't remember to do it and I'm notorious for not adding really obvious links. This morning I've attempted to add a few things that should have been over there ages ago.

Specifically, I added a link to the Green Party, MIPRAP's blog,Our Oregon,The Portland Mercury and Blogtown PDX.

So please take a minute to review the blogroll on the right hand side. And if you have suggestions for additions, please feel free to let me know via email to loadedorygun (at) gmail (dot) com.

And now, let's Span the State!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::gong:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Speaking of the Green Party, their State Convention is today in Corvallis.

The Tillamook Headlight Herald has a piece showing the growing pains in Pacific City.

OSU Beaver Baseball is on the threshold of back to back national championships. Yesterday's rout of the North Carolina Tarheels sets the stage for today's game. You can watch it this afternoon at 4PM on ESPN2 or listen to it on the radio: KBZY (1490 AM), KEJO (1240 AM), KUIK (1360 AM).

Another stupid and inane recall petition has been filed, this time in Molalla. Based on my weekly review of newspapers and mainstream media outlets in Oregon, these type of recalls are done most often in more conservative areas of our state, demonstrating an abuse of the recall system. This abuse is an extreme waste of taxpayer dollars and valuable time of government employees. Ironic, isn't it?

A contentious feud over a Measure 37 claim in Yamhill County appears to have turned violent. Yamhill County resident Michelle Michelsen has been strongly and vocally opposed to a M37 claim filed by her neighbor, John Kroo. Wednesday morning Michelsen discovered that one of their minature horses had been shot to death with a pellet gun and another had been injured. Kroo has threatened Michelsen in the past with a letter warning of "consequences" for her attempts to throw up legal roadblocks to Kroo's attempts to develop.

Senator Ron Wyden held a town hall meeting in Burns to highlight his support of county timber payments.

The Bend Bulletin's gleeful hatred of Senate Bill 30 (which bans destination resorts at the Metolius River Basin) bubbles over into their latest news coverage of the bill. Interestingly, the Bulletin also includes photos of the two lobbyists trying to kill the bill in Salem, Rick Allen and Hasina Squires, who will certainly reap a windfall if the bill is scuttled.

A 12 year old boy from Baker City scored a once in a lifetime big horned sheep tag.

Spanning the State--Monday Monday Edition

Our absence this weekend left Loaded Orygun without a writer to pick up the slack for our regular Sunday column: Spanning the State. But since I'm back (TJ is still MIA), blogging has resumed.

Thus without further ado and with all due props to The Mamas and the Papas, let's Span the State!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::gong::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The good folks over at The Dalles Chronicle have a developed a way for locals to be tourists in their own backyard. The paper has created a list of great day and weekend trips for locals to seek out--while saving money not having to dump as much cash into the gas tank.

The 24th Annual Junior Police Fishing Derby at Detroit Lake was forced to relocate after the Oregon Department of Human Services issued a warning about potentially toxic levels of blue and green algae along the south shore of the lake.

Republicans tell us that they don't like "big government", until something happens that puts it all into perspective. Then big government is just hunky dory. I very much hope that Senator Winters' family pull through their illnesses unscathed. But I do find it ironic that she's seeking a government solution to an enviornmental problem linked to a private business.

Thurston High School shooter Kip Kinkel is arguing for a new trial. Kinkel's attornies are expected to make the case that Kinkel was incapable of understanding his guilty plea because of a mental illness.

Just so progressives understand what they're up against when it comes to gun control and whacknutters, fasten your seat belts (and scroll down to the second letter on the page). The linked LTE calls for the abolishment of the Gun Control Act of 1968. This guy is waaaaaaaay over the edge.

The Coos Bay World takes a look at the effects of suicide on the survivors.

The Eugene Weekly examines how the federal government labels terrorists and terrorism and the net effect those labels have on political speech throughout the country.