Background: Originally published October 11, 2006. This was another pot pouri (a little bit of everything) column of current events at the time of publication. For those of you who may be tired of my miscellaneous columns that don't share a common theme, I'll be taking a break from my usual columns during the next few weeks. Instead, my daily blog will focus primarily on the upcoming Douglas County commissioner election this May.
ABORTION ACTIVIST SHUNS THE MEDIA
In 1973 she was known as Jane Roe, from the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade. Today she goes by her real name, Norma McCorvey. The young woman who wanted an abortion in 1973 and helped legalize the practice in this country, is now fighting abortions as a pro-life activist. McCorvey is coming to Grants Pass later this month.
However, you won't see McCorvey's story on the evening television news. No, it's not because the "liberal media" is censoring her message. McCorvey herself refuses to grant media interviews. Even a Grants Pass fundraising appearance where McCorvey is the guest speaker is closed to cameras.
I have never understood people who call themselves activists, but who refuse to tell their stories via the media. Instead of reaching thousands of people with her message while McCorvey visits southern Oregon, she will only reach a few hundred people who can afford the $50 per plate dinner. Not exactly the type of people who struggle with abortion decisions in the first place.
Those interested in purchasing a ticket for the Friday, October 20th event, may call the Grants Pass pregnancy center at 541-479-6264. Otherwise, you won't hear McCorvey's story on the evening news.
118 LOCUST STREET
Restaurants aren't the only businesses that have operated in the same two storefronts along Locust Street in Oakland.
Last week I mentioned all of the restaurants that have come and gone since the 1970s: The Spaghetti Place, The Little Acorn, Ye Olde Steakhousre, La Hacienda, and the Oakland Coffee Company operated by Paul Tollefson. Paul shared the two storefronts with North County News Publisher Jean Ivey. Back then, Paul sold coffee, pizza, and featured live entertainment on one end, while Jean operated "Ivey Thyme" in part of the space.
The business that originally housed Edna Adams' "Adams Apple" tavern years ago has also hosted other business ventures over the years. Oakland residents Bart and Karen Copeland operated Oakland Printing Company from 1970-1973 in the storefront adjacent to the alleyway along Locust street. That business closed when Bart Copeland began his long career as the director of printing services at Mercy Medical Center.
As reported last week, Oakland residents Steve and Jill Marek are planning to soon open a grill, deli, and wine shop at that site. It's nice to see that Oakland storefronts aren't vacant for long, as they once were years ago.
ACADEMIC CHALLENGE
My heart sank when I saw this year's schedule for the high school Academic Challenge television program. Of the 20 schools from southern Oregon involved in the television "brain bowl" competition, Oakland is pitted against South Medford during the Oakers' first round.
During the 2005-2006 school year, South Medford trounced every team they competed against, never losing a match. If it's any consolation (pardon the pun), Oakland isn't alone this year in facing challenging teams out of the gate. The top three finishers last year are paired against some of the smallest schools in the competition: #1 South Medford vs. Oakland, #2 Ashland vs. Chiloquin, #3 Grants Pass vs. Glendale.
Academic Challenge is similar to the old College Bowl series. KOBI-TV meteorologist Jeff Heaton asks questions on topics such as history, math, literature, and current events. The double-elimination rounds allow every team to compete at least twice against different teams before they're knocked out of the competition.
When Academic Challenge began last year, public and private schools in Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath Counties were given the chance to fill the 20-team roster. Nearly every school signed up, except for a few like Rogue River and Eagle Point. To fill the remaining slots, schools from outside the Rogue Valley were asked to participate. The Douglas ESD superintendent e-mailed all public school superintendents in Douglas County at the same time, in order to make sure everyone had an equal chance. Canyonville Christian Academy and Umpqua Valley Christian School were also contacted.
As luck would have it, Glendale and Oakland were the first ones to respond back. (No, I didn't have any influence over the selection process.) Brookings-Harbor over in Curry County expressed interest after seeing the first televised match. They found themselves in the competition due to a lack of interest from a couple Jackson County schools.
I thought Oakland's two-hour road trip was long, but Brookings-Harbor has the distinction of making the longest road trip to the KOBI television studios in Medford. Despite the uneven match-ups that sometimes occur between the large schools and the small ones, all 20 teams are returning to the competition this year.
This year's Academic Challenge sponsors include Jeld-Wen, LTM, U.S., Bank, Skinner Autoplex, McDonalds', and Reed and Hamlin Realty. Last year those six businesses contributed more than $40,000 in scholarship money. The top two teams split the money: sixty percent goes to the first place team and forty percent to the second place team.
During my junior year at Oakland High School, I worked on the O.H.S. yearbook under the tutelage of popular teacher Rob Crawford (Mark Rochester's predecessor). The yearbook editor had me write a brief paragraph caption to put on the page devoted to Oakland's Hi-Q team. In my write-up, I mentioned that Oakland finished in the top four out of seven Douglas County teams that year, and therefore competed in the final television matches on KPIC-TV, channel 4.
Rob Crawford returned my yearbook script to me with a revision, simply stating that Oakland "appeared on local television." Crawford told me, "I don't think it's necessary to do a plug for KPIC." Now that I'm employed at KOBI-TV, I'm not afraid to do a shameless plug for Academic Challenge, which airs Sunday evenings on channel 5.
[2014 note: After an eight year run, KOBI cancelled the Academic Challenge program during the 2013-2014 school year. There were difficulties in finding enough sponsors to sustain the program.]
Cavemen
Grants Pass Cavemen at Oregon Caves, 2006.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Bandon Fire Remembered
Background: Originally published September 27, 2006. Today isn't the anniversary date of the Bandon fire. But I'm going ahead and posting this column now, lest I forget and don't post this column on the September anniversary date.
September 26, 2006, marked the 70th anniversary of the Bandon fire. The deadliest forest fire in Oregon's history killed 13 people and destroyed the town of Bandon, leaving about 1,800 of the town's 2,000 residents homeless. The National Guard built a tent city for homeless people.
My mother was an eyewitness to the Bandon fire, even though she lived miles away from Bandon at the time. My grandfather had a dairy farm at Fairview, east of Coquille. The Bandon fire swept across the hillside and arrived at the edge of my grandfather's farm. Fortunately, young CCC men were on the scene and kept the fire from reaching any buildings on the property.
My grandfather sent my mother and her sister, Doris, to bring in two plow horses. Dan, a white gelding, and Vinnie, a black mare, were out in the pasture when the fire arrived at the farm. Thick smoke obviously made the animals uneasy. When the girls couldn't reach the horses, my grandfather had to go out and bring in the animals.
For the most part, their Fairview farm was left untouched by the Bandon fire. The only remnants left behind on the landscape were a large number of bologna sandwiches wrapped in wax paper. Apparently, the CCC boys didn't like the rations that the government had provided them while they were fighting the fire.
The Bandon museum hosted an open house on the Bandon fire this past Sunday afternoon, where survivors were on hand to recount their stories. Some of them recall the dry summer of 1936 and the hot winds that helped burn several fires in Coos County; Two of them were within five miles of Bandon.
September 26, 2006, marked the 70th anniversary of the Bandon fire. The deadliest forest fire in Oregon's history killed 13 people and destroyed the town of Bandon, leaving about 1,800 of the town's 2,000 residents homeless. The National Guard built a tent city for homeless people.
My mother was an eyewitness to the Bandon fire, even though she lived miles away from Bandon at the time. My grandfather had a dairy farm at Fairview, east of Coquille. The Bandon fire swept across the hillside and arrived at the edge of my grandfather's farm. Fortunately, young CCC men were on the scene and kept the fire from reaching any buildings on the property.
My grandfather sent my mother and her sister, Doris, to bring in two plow horses. Dan, a white gelding, and Vinnie, a black mare, were out in the pasture when the fire arrived at the farm. Thick smoke obviously made the animals uneasy. When the girls couldn't reach the horses, my grandfather had to go out and bring in the animals.
For the most part, their Fairview farm was left untouched by the Bandon fire. The only remnants left behind on the landscape were a large number of bologna sandwiches wrapped in wax paper. Apparently, the CCC boys didn't like the rations that the government had provided them while they were fighting the fire.
The Bandon museum hosted an open house on the Bandon fire this past Sunday afternoon, where survivors were on hand to recount their stories. Some of them recall the dry summer of 1936 and the hot winds that helped burn several fires in Coos County; Two of them were within five miles of Bandon.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Frog Is In The I.C.U.
KVAL-TV did a nice story tonight on "Frog" Miller, who is in the intensive care unit tonight in fair condition with heart and digestive problems.
Anyone who attended the University of Oregon is familiar with Frog, who has pedaled his joke books on the streets for decades. Most of his jokes are off-color, but he did write some "family" joke books. I purchased a couple of them several years ago when I was in Graduate school at the UO. I never took the time to interact with Frog when I was earning my Bachelor degree in the 1980s, so when I returned to receive my Master's degree in 2011, I felt it was my "duty" to obtain some of Frog's iconic work while he was still around.
My most memorable moment with Frog occurred in Roseburg while I was working at KPIC-TV in the late 1990s. Frog was selling his joke books at the Umpqua Valley Spring Fair at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. I decided to interview Frog because I knew he was a colorful character who would be able to do a good, spontaneous interview.
Anyone who attended the University of Oregon is familiar with Frog, who has pedaled his joke books on the streets for decades. Most of his jokes are off-color, but he did write some "family" joke books. I purchased a couple of them several years ago when I was in Graduate school at the UO. I never took the time to interact with Frog when I was earning my Bachelor degree in the 1980s, so when I returned to receive my Master's degree in 2011, I felt it was my "duty" to obtain some of Frog's iconic work while he was still around.
My most memorable moment with Frog occurred in Roseburg while I was working at KPIC-TV in the late 1990s. Frog was selling his joke books at the Umpqua Valley Spring Fair at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. I decided to interview Frog because I knew he was a colorful character who would be able to do a good, spontaneous interview.
I did a live shot with Frog during the evening news (in addition to a live shot with a different vendor as well), and I included a taped story with Frog during the 11:00p.m. news. An organizer of the Spring Fair was upset because he thought I had given too much air time to Frog. The organizer thought Frog was not representative of the Spring Fair. (I thought to myself, if he is not representative, then why is he allowed to be a vendor?)
I didn't regret interviewing Frog for the news, because I knew that Frog's name recognition in Eugene and beyond would bring in more customers to the Spring Fair than some other vendor might accomplish. Here's hoping that Frog has a speedy recovery!
The G-String, Pate's Plays, And Oakland Melodrama
Background: Originally published August 3, 2006. This column featured excerpts of different events. Josephine County, just like Douglas County, went through an era where adult businesses seemed to flourish and then disappeared. Today, the former "Club 71" at Sunny Valley sits vacant. A sign on the business indicates that another business has already come and gone since Larry Lacey opened a topless bar there at the I-5 freeway exit 71 interchange.
LARRY LACEY V. GRANTS PASS
Business owners in Grants Pass' historic downtown district don't want their area to be known as the red-light district, or the "G-string" as Larry Lacey referred to his proposed business on G street.
The man who opened Club 71 at Sunny Valley in March, 2005 is moving forward with plans to open another topless bar in Grants Pass. Moving forward, even after police placed tape around his Grants Pass building. Lacey recently purchased a two-story building and began renovating the upstairs, including the removal of a load-bearing wall.
When city officials asked permission to look inside, Lacey refused them entry. Deeming the building unsafe to occupy, Grants Pass police then taped off the building, forcing two downstairs restaurants to close their doors. Lacey then hired his own inspector to examine the building, and Lacey removed the police tape.
Police returned to tape off the building a second time and warned Lacey he would be arrested for "obstructing government" (that's the first time I've heard of that particular charge) if he removed the tape again. Lacey is now appealing the nine building citations issued by the city. Lacey's inspector has declared the building safe, but Lacey still refuses to allow city officials inside to confirm his findings.
The Grants Pass City Council scheduled a hearing date on August 30th for Lacey to appeal his nine citations. In the meantime, a group of nearby religious leaders has sponsored a vigil outside the building.
LIFE IMITATES ART
He brought controversy to Grants Pass when his theater group performed The Vagina Monologues and The Laramie Project in recent years. But the biggest surprise of all came this past month, when Sebastian "James" Pate was accused of robbing a Washington Mutual Bank at Gold Hill on July 6th.
To Connect The Dots, Pate's theater group, performed several dozen successful theater productions during its three-year run in Grants Pass. A cloud of suspicion arose in 2004 when board members resigned and various Rogue Valley residents accused Pate of swindling them out of money. As it turned out, To Connect The Dots never did achieve 5013c status, as Pate had claimed when promoting his group to the community.
A few faithful theater followers stayed with Pate until the end...which came last summer when the group could no longer afford to pay the rent on the building and moved its belongings into storage. Pate kept a low profile until July 6th, when his cheerful face appeared on a bank camera videotape.
Despite his familiarity in the area, Pate made no effort to conceal his identity when he allegedly robbed the Gold Hill bank. Pate was seen at the Rogue Valley Mall in Medford four hours after the bank robbery, but he still remains on the loose.
Perhaps this play isn't over yet?
[2014 note: After Pate was captured and sentenced to jail, jail officials mistakenly released Pate early, leading to a cross-country search for Pate! What a movie this saga would make if filmmakers ever pursue it.]
SPEAKING OF PLAYS: THE SCOUNDREL OF DAGGER GULCH
My sister was in for a pleasant surprise when she visited Oakland a week ago. She had always wanted to see a melodrama. After all, Oakland is well known for melodramas dating back to the 1980s when the Oakland Gaslight Players attracted people from outside Douglas County. As luck would have it, Oakland Community Theater was performing The Scoundrel of Dagger Gulch the same weekend my sister was in town.
I thought the Washington School gymnasium would be packed with people, being as hundreds of Cycle Oregon participants were in town that weekend. But I couldn't find a single cyclist at the Saturday night melodrama attended by my sister.
I later discovered the Cycle Oregon group had a special recognition program and dance at Turkey Hall the same time the melodrama was being performed. So much for cross-promotion of different events to bring people into Oakland. I guess I should be happy that organizers scheduled conflicting events the same evening. I was able to get a front-row seat at the melodrama, making it easier for me to yell catcalls at the villain, Dana Basque.
NON-PARTISAN POLITICS
I recently learned an interesting fact about non-partisan races, while covering a story in Josephine County. After the two candidates with the most votes win the May primary, there's no provision for choosing a back-up candidate in the event one of the finalists drops out of the race.
Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel received the most votes during the May primary race for county commissioner. But Daniel dropped out of the race in July, citing health concerns. The second-highest vote recipient was Three Rivers school board member Dave Toler. Consequently, Toler's name will be the only Josephine County commissioner candidate on the ballot this November.
Barring a miraculous write-in campaign victory from someone else, Toler will automatically become the next commissioner.
In partisan races, if a candidate drops out of the running after he/she wins an election, the party then chooses a replacement to continue the race.
Toler said he still plan to campaign for the job this fall. Meanwhile, the third-highest vote recipient, James Rafferty, has said he will run a write-in campaign to offer voters a choice this November.
[2014 note: Dave Toler won the election.]
LARRY LACEY V. GRANTS PASS
Business owners in Grants Pass' historic downtown district don't want their area to be known as the red-light district, or the "G-string" as Larry Lacey referred to his proposed business on G street.
The man who opened Club 71 at Sunny Valley in March, 2005 is moving forward with plans to open another topless bar in Grants Pass. Moving forward, even after police placed tape around his Grants Pass building. Lacey recently purchased a two-story building and began renovating the upstairs, including the removal of a load-bearing wall.
When city officials asked permission to look inside, Lacey refused them entry. Deeming the building unsafe to occupy, Grants Pass police then taped off the building, forcing two downstairs restaurants to close their doors. Lacey then hired his own inspector to examine the building, and Lacey removed the police tape.
Police returned to tape off the building a second time and warned Lacey he would be arrested for "obstructing government" (that's the first time I've heard of that particular charge) if he removed the tape again. Lacey is now appealing the nine building citations issued by the city. Lacey's inspector has declared the building safe, but Lacey still refuses to allow city officials inside to confirm his findings.
The Grants Pass City Council scheduled a hearing date on August 30th for Lacey to appeal his nine citations. In the meantime, a group of nearby religious leaders has sponsored a vigil outside the building.
LIFE IMITATES ART
He brought controversy to Grants Pass when his theater group performed The Vagina Monologues and The Laramie Project in recent years. But the biggest surprise of all came this past month, when Sebastian "James" Pate was accused of robbing a Washington Mutual Bank at Gold Hill on July 6th.
To Connect The Dots, Pate's theater group, performed several dozen successful theater productions during its three-year run in Grants Pass. A cloud of suspicion arose in 2004 when board members resigned and various Rogue Valley residents accused Pate of swindling them out of money. As it turned out, To Connect The Dots never did achieve 5013c status, as Pate had claimed when promoting his group to the community.
A few faithful theater followers stayed with Pate until the end...which came last summer when the group could no longer afford to pay the rent on the building and moved its belongings into storage. Pate kept a low profile until July 6th, when his cheerful face appeared on a bank camera videotape.
Despite his familiarity in the area, Pate made no effort to conceal his identity when he allegedly robbed the Gold Hill bank. Pate was seen at the Rogue Valley Mall in Medford four hours after the bank robbery, but he still remains on the loose.
Perhaps this play isn't over yet?
[2014 note: After Pate was captured and sentenced to jail, jail officials mistakenly released Pate early, leading to a cross-country search for Pate! What a movie this saga would make if filmmakers ever pursue it.]
SPEAKING OF PLAYS: THE SCOUNDREL OF DAGGER GULCH
My sister was in for a pleasant surprise when she visited Oakland a week ago. She had always wanted to see a melodrama. After all, Oakland is well known for melodramas dating back to the 1980s when the Oakland Gaslight Players attracted people from outside Douglas County. As luck would have it, Oakland Community Theater was performing The Scoundrel of Dagger Gulch the same weekend my sister was in town.
I thought the Washington School gymnasium would be packed with people, being as hundreds of Cycle Oregon participants were in town that weekend. But I couldn't find a single cyclist at the Saturday night melodrama attended by my sister.
I later discovered the Cycle Oregon group had a special recognition program and dance at Turkey Hall the same time the melodrama was being performed. So much for cross-promotion of different events to bring people into Oakland. I guess I should be happy that organizers scheduled conflicting events the same evening. I was able to get a front-row seat at the melodrama, making it easier for me to yell catcalls at the villain, Dana Basque.
NON-PARTISAN POLITICS
I recently learned an interesting fact about non-partisan races, while covering a story in Josephine County. After the two candidates with the most votes win the May primary, there's no provision for choosing a back-up candidate in the event one of the finalists drops out of the race.
Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel received the most votes during the May primary race for county commissioner. But Daniel dropped out of the race in July, citing health concerns. The second-highest vote recipient was Three Rivers school board member Dave Toler. Consequently, Toler's name will be the only Josephine County commissioner candidate on the ballot this November.
Barring a miraculous write-in campaign victory from someone else, Toler will automatically become the next commissioner.
In partisan races, if a candidate drops out of the running after he/she wins an election, the party then chooses a replacement to continue the race.
Toler said he still plan to campaign for the job this fall. Meanwhile, the third-highest vote recipient, James Rafferty, has said he will run a write-in campaign to offer voters a choice this November.
[2014 note: Dave Toler won the election.]
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Special Teachers
Background: This excerpt was part of a larger "pot pouri" (a little bit of everything) column published October 25, 2006. I'm still debating whether or not to post everything from my columns. Does anyone care about "Halloween 2006" or how the Oakland High School "Academic Challenge" team fared that year? But I have to think that some writings, such as this one on special teachers, should always be remembered.
It's probably safe to say that every high school teacher goes beyond the call of duty and often does thankless deeds for their students that often go unnoticed. During my travels, however, I've come across several high school faculty members who have especially stood out.
Former Oakland High School coach CAL SZUEBER was one. I've encountered some coaches who refuse to call in scores from games. Their attitude is that when a game is over they have too many hectic issues to deal with, than to worry about doing the media any favors by making a bunch of phone calls to different newspapers and broadcast stations.
Szueber came from southern California where high school sports were never mentioned on the local news. He once told me he was astounded by the amount of air time local stations gave to high school sports here in southern Oregon. Szueber considered it free publicity for the kids. It was promoting a positive message and athletes deserved all the time they could get during the local news.
While I worked at KPIC-TV, I could count on Szueber not only to call in scores from the sports that he coached (football), but any other athletic event that he happened to be attending. Even away games on the road did not deter him; While I was producing the 11:00p.m. news on KPIC, I would often get a collect call (the station paid for long-distance calls when scores are called in) from Szueber at a pay phone from some far-away town where the Oakers were playing. [2014 note: Obviously, cell phones and the internet have changed the way sports scores are communicated during the past decade.]
What prompted this week's column was another high school teacher whom I encountered earlier this month. Former Glendale High School teacher STU BURGESS now teaches history and government classes at Hidden Valley High School at Murphy, outside of Grants Pass. Back in the late 1990s, I did a story when Burgess helped launch a low-power radio station at Glendale High School. This time, I bumped into him at a candidates forum in Grants Pass.
Very few Grants Pass residents bothered to attend the forum of city council candidates, which is why Burgess' presence especially stood out to me. After talking with him, I learned it was all about his students.
Not only does Burgess attend candidate forums, but he records the special interview segment during KOBI-TV's 5:00p.m. news and he incorporates that into his curriculum. As part of one class assignment, Burgess' students submitted twenty questions to KOBI's 5:00p.m. producer, to consider asking the gubernatorial candidates, when Ted Kulongoski and Ron Saxton appear during a live debate on KOBI Tuesday, October 24th.
I'm sure there are other coaches out there who take the time to call in sports scores. And I'm sure there are other civics teachers out there who take the time to attend candidate forums and incorporate hands-on projects into their classroom discussions. But it's refreshing for me to see first-hand the dedicated individuals who commit selfless acts to help promote their students.
It's probably safe to say that every high school teacher goes beyond the call of duty and often does thankless deeds for their students that often go unnoticed. During my travels, however, I've come across several high school faculty members who have especially stood out.
Former Oakland High School coach CAL SZUEBER was one. I've encountered some coaches who refuse to call in scores from games. Their attitude is that when a game is over they have too many hectic issues to deal with, than to worry about doing the media any favors by making a bunch of phone calls to different newspapers and broadcast stations.
Szueber came from southern California where high school sports were never mentioned on the local news. He once told me he was astounded by the amount of air time local stations gave to high school sports here in southern Oregon. Szueber considered it free publicity for the kids. It was promoting a positive message and athletes deserved all the time they could get during the local news.
While I worked at KPIC-TV, I could count on Szueber not only to call in scores from the sports that he coached (football), but any other athletic event that he happened to be attending. Even away games on the road did not deter him; While I was producing the 11:00p.m. news on KPIC, I would often get a collect call (the station paid for long-distance calls when scores are called in) from Szueber at a pay phone from some far-away town where the Oakers were playing. [2014 note: Obviously, cell phones and the internet have changed the way sports scores are communicated during the past decade.]
What prompted this week's column was another high school teacher whom I encountered earlier this month. Former Glendale High School teacher STU BURGESS now teaches history and government classes at Hidden Valley High School at Murphy, outside of Grants Pass. Back in the late 1990s, I did a story when Burgess helped launch a low-power radio station at Glendale High School. This time, I bumped into him at a candidates forum in Grants Pass.
Very few Grants Pass residents bothered to attend the forum of city council candidates, which is why Burgess' presence especially stood out to me. After talking with him, I learned it was all about his students.
Not only does Burgess attend candidate forums, but he records the special interview segment during KOBI-TV's 5:00p.m. news and he incorporates that into his curriculum. As part of one class assignment, Burgess' students submitted twenty questions to KOBI's 5:00p.m. producer, to consider asking the gubernatorial candidates, when Ted Kulongoski and Ron Saxton appear during a live debate on KOBI Tuesday, October 24th.
I'm sure there are other coaches out there who take the time to call in sports scores. And I'm sure there are other civics teachers out there who take the time to attend candidate forums and incorporate hands-on projects into their classroom discussions. But it's refreshing for me to see first-hand the dedicated individuals who commit selfless acts to help promote their students.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Optimism And One Of Dad's Jokes
If you just want to read my late father's joke and skip my monologue, then scroll down to the bottom of the page.
I've learned this past week that if one doesn't stress over the challenges in life, then circumstances often turn out to be somewhat bright. "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Of course, it helps to have divine intervention in one's life, for those who are people of faith. In my situation this past week, I've felt there was a shield around me, protecting me from my enemies and those who would attempt to bear false witness about me.
(If you are unaware of my personal situation this past week, then I would refer you to read my blog entry from six days ago, "Much Ado About Nothing," for background information.)
BLESSING NUMBER ONE: I was prepared for an onslaught of negative phone calls and e-mails this past week. I didn't receive a single one. Instead, I DID receive a phone call from a former campaign donor who had read about my incident in the newspaper and he wanted to donate money, if I run again for Douglas County Commissioner this spring!
BLESSING NUMBER TWO: I discovered that a radio station had incorrectly reported that I had been arrested. But the person who heard the report didn't believe it, and told me the allegation was so out of character for me, that she burst out laughing when she heard the report.
BLESSING NUMBER THREE: I bumped into another person who knows me and didn't speak a word about the incident until he said, "You should have run them over, Monte. Man, what a joke."
While I may not agree or approve of that last remark, it reflects the sentiment of everyone I'm bumping into around Douglas County. Without even talking to me first, people are deciding that I'm being railroaded on false charges. I, obviously, agree with that assessment.
It's times like these that I wish my father were around. A solid rock who always saw the practical side of life, my father often used humor to make light of a situation. My father told the joke below more times than I can remember. I've attempted to tell it word-for-word, to the best of my ability....in memory of Milo Edward Muirhead;
A TALE OF TWO BOYS
There were two boys with opposite personalities, one always optimistic, the other was pessimistic. The optimistic boy was always laughing, playing, and enjoying life, seeing the good side of every circumstance. The pessimistic boy was always sad, depressed, and crying, seeing the bad side of every circumstance.
A psychologist, or some official of the sort, decided to break the mono personalities of the two boys. So the psychologist conducted an experiment by placing the boys in separate rooms.
He put the pessimistic boy in an empty room with nothing but a bright, new fire engine toy on the floor...a toy that would be the envy of any child.
He put the optimistic boy in a room filled with horse manure.
After leaving the two boys alone in the rooms for several hours, the psychologist decided to check on the results. He opened the door with the pessimistic boy, and discovered the child was standing by the untouched fire engine, crying.
"Why are you crying when you have a brand new toy to play with?," he asked.
"I'm afraid might break it," sobbed the boy.
The psychologist then went to check on the optimistic boy, whom he discovered to be running around the room, playing, throwing manure into the air.
"Why are you so happy when you're in such a filthy room?," he asked.
The boy replied, "With all of this manure, there's bound to be a pony in here somewhere."
I've learned this past week that if one doesn't stress over the challenges in life, then circumstances often turn out to be somewhat bright. "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Of course, it helps to have divine intervention in one's life, for those who are people of faith. In my situation this past week, I've felt there was a shield around me, protecting me from my enemies and those who would attempt to bear false witness about me.
(If you are unaware of my personal situation this past week, then I would refer you to read my blog entry from six days ago, "Much Ado About Nothing," for background information.)
BLESSING NUMBER ONE: I was prepared for an onslaught of negative phone calls and e-mails this past week. I didn't receive a single one. Instead, I DID receive a phone call from a former campaign donor who had read about my incident in the newspaper and he wanted to donate money, if I run again for Douglas County Commissioner this spring!
BLESSING NUMBER TWO: I discovered that a radio station had incorrectly reported that I had been arrested. But the person who heard the report didn't believe it, and told me the allegation was so out of character for me, that she burst out laughing when she heard the report.
BLESSING NUMBER THREE: I bumped into another person who knows me and didn't speak a word about the incident until he said, "You should have run them over, Monte. Man, what a joke."
While I may not agree or approve of that last remark, it reflects the sentiment of everyone I'm bumping into around Douglas County. Without even talking to me first, people are deciding that I'm being railroaded on false charges. I, obviously, agree with that assessment.
It's times like these that I wish my father were around. A solid rock who always saw the practical side of life, my father often used humor to make light of a situation. My father told the joke below more times than I can remember. I've attempted to tell it word-for-word, to the best of my ability....in memory of Milo Edward Muirhead;
A TALE OF TWO BOYS
There were two boys with opposite personalities, one always optimistic, the other was pessimistic. The optimistic boy was always laughing, playing, and enjoying life, seeing the good side of every circumstance. The pessimistic boy was always sad, depressed, and crying, seeing the bad side of every circumstance.
A psychologist, or some official of the sort, decided to break the mono personalities of the two boys. So the psychologist conducted an experiment by placing the boys in separate rooms.
He put the pessimistic boy in an empty room with nothing but a bright, new fire engine toy on the floor...a toy that would be the envy of any child.
He put the optimistic boy in a room filled with horse manure.
After leaving the two boys alone in the rooms for several hours, the psychologist decided to check on the results. He opened the door with the pessimistic boy, and discovered the child was standing by the untouched fire engine, crying.
"Why are you crying when you have a brand new toy to play with?," he asked.
"I'm afraid might break it," sobbed the boy.
The psychologist then went to check on the optimistic boy, whom he discovered to be running around the room, playing, throwing manure into the air.
"Why are you so happy when you're in such a filthy room?," he asked.
The boy replied, "With all of this manure, there's bound to be a pony in here somewhere."
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Where Are They Now?
Background: Originally published June 21, 2006. During the years that I wrote a newspaper column, I would occasionally write a "Where are they now?" column, profiling the whereabouts of different southern Oregon journalists who had moved on to greener pastures. This particular column was written more than seven years ago, so all of the information is now dated. However, it provides a snapshot in time of where broadcasters who began their careers in Roseburg ended up going.
I used to keep a flow-chart of all the news staff at KPIC-TV, as the station evolved from a one-person to a four-person news department over the years. I ceased the practice about the time that I left KPIC in 1999. For one thing, I ran out of space on my three-foot long sheet of paper.
But my column from two weeks ago, "four station press conference," prodded my curiosity once again. Where have people gone, and do they remember their humble beginnings in Douglas County? (Sidebar: The four station press conference was one of the only times in my life, that I can recall as many as four television stations covering a press conference in Roseburg....not including the sensational court cases that attracted the Portland stations. The press conference involved Douglas County Commissioner Doug Robertson announcing the county would not impose garbage dumping fees. The reporters present included myself (KLSR-TV), Jan Boyd (KOBI-TV), Douglas Mott (KMTR-TV), and Roland Beres (KPIC-TV).)
Roland Beres is now a morning anchor at WKOW-TV in Madison, Wisconsin. His biography on the WKOW website credits "his start anchoring the 11 o'clock news at a bureau in Roseburg, Oregon back in 1990."
Bureau? Technically, KPIC is a full-power station because it produces its own separate local news block (separate from KVAL) and the station has its own sales and engineering staff, separate from KVAL. A bureau by definition is an extension of a news department in another city. ABC news has a bureau in London. KOBI-TV has a bureau inside the Grants Pass Daily Courier. Etc. But I won't split hairs. At least Roland gives credit to KPIC.
David Springer, who preceded Dan Bain as KPIC's 6:00p.m. anchor, also pays tribute to the Umpqua Valley in his biography on the News12 website from Connecticut. "I began my career at KPIC-TV in Roseburg, Oregon in 1991. From Senator Bob Packwood to the spotted owl, that's where I received my real education in TV news."
Other big-city journalists proudly proclaim their first jobs in Roseburg. San Diego's news and sports anchor John Howard says the following on KFMB's website: "John's first job after college was in Roseburg, Oregon. He worked as a reporter/anchor at KPIC-TV, and was soon promoted to news director."
However, some people have more important things to write on their website biographies. Mitch Truswell is now the morning anchor at KVBC in Las Vegas. His background profile on the website is limited to his six years spent as a weekend anchor in Phoenix, but Mitch makes no mention of his time working in Sacramento, his three years at KTVL in Medford, or the one year he spent in his first job at KPIC in Roseburg.
I tried to see if former KPIC 5:00p.m. anchor Gemma Gaudette listed her beginnings in Roseburg. But unfortunately, her website bio is no longer posted after the Tampa station she was working at re-arranged their staff. Gemma was their morning anchor until earlier this year.
I did find one common thread among the website bios of former Douglas County broadcasters. The ones who grew up in, or had family in small towns (Roland Beres in Eugene, David Springer in Roseburg, Gemma Gaudette in Coos Bay) usually held a prominent role for the experience they obtained in Roseburg. Those who grew up in larger cities (Mitch Truswell in Portland) typically overlooked their first broadcasting jobs in their biographies.
Most former KPIC employees are difficult to find when doing a google search on the internet. Many of them left the broadcasting profession long ago. Former KPIC News Director Jerry Drelling now has a public relations consulting business in Hawaii. Former KPIC News Director Marleen Eitzen is now the associate director of public relations and development at Montana State University. Still others are impossible to trace altogether online. Try finding Mike Costa on the world wide web and track down the only one who worked in Roseburg!
As for me and my website biography....well, I'm still working in southern Oregon, but I proudly give credit to all the stations in Roseburg, Eugene, Medford, and Coos Bay where I've worked over the years.
I used to keep a flow-chart of all the news staff at KPIC-TV, as the station evolved from a one-person to a four-person news department over the years. I ceased the practice about the time that I left KPIC in 1999. For one thing, I ran out of space on my three-foot long sheet of paper.
But my column from two weeks ago, "four station press conference," prodded my curiosity once again. Where have people gone, and do they remember their humble beginnings in Douglas County? (Sidebar: The four station press conference was one of the only times in my life, that I can recall as many as four television stations covering a press conference in Roseburg....not including the sensational court cases that attracted the Portland stations. The press conference involved Douglas County Commissioner Doug Robertson announcing the county would not impose garbage dumping fees. The reporters present included myself (KLSR-TV), Jan Boyd (KOBI-TV), Douglas Mott (KMTR-TV), and Roland Beres (KPIC-TV).)
Roland Beres is now a morning anchor at WKOW-TV in Madison, Wisconsin. His biography on the WKOW website credits "his start anchoring the 11 o'clock news at a bureau in Roseburg, Oregon back in 1990."
Bureau? Technically, KPIC is a full-power station because it produces its own separate local news block (separate from KVAL) and the station has its own sales and engineering staff, separate from KVAL. A bureau by definition is an extension of a news department in another city. ABC news has a bureau in London. KOBI-TV has a bureau inside the Grants Pass Daily Courier. Etc. But I won't split hairs. At least Roland gives credit to KPIC.
David Springer, who preceded Dan Bain as KPIC's 6:00p.m. anchor, also pays tribute to the Umpqua Valley in his biography on the News12 website from Connecticut. "I began my career at KPIC-TV in Roseburg, Oregon in 1991. From Senator Bob Packwood to the spotted owl, that's where I received my real education in TV news."
Other big-city journalists proudly proclaim their first jobs in Roseburg. San Diego's news and sports anchor John Howard says the following on KFMB's website: "John's first job after college was in Roseburg, Oregon. He worked as a reporter/anchor at KPIC-TV, and was soon promoted to news director."
However, some people have more important things to write on their website biographies. Mitch Truswell is now the morning anchor at KVBC in Las Vegas. His background profile on the website is limited to his six years spent as a weekend anchor in Phoenix, but Mitch makes no mention of his time working in Sacramento, his three years at KTVL in Medford, or the one year he spent in his first job at KPIC in Roseburg.
I tried to see if former KPIC 5:00p.m. anchor Gemma Gaudette listed her beginnings in Roseburg. But unfortunately, her website bio is no longer posted after the Tampa station she was working at re-arranged their staff. Gemma was their morning anchor until earlier this year.
I did find one common thread among the website bios of former Douglas County broadcasters. The ones who grew up in, or had family in small towns (Roland Beres in Eugene, David Springer in Roseburg, Gemma Gaudette in Coos Bay) usually held a prominent role for the experience they obtained in Roseburg. Those who grew up in larger cities (Mitch Truswell in Portland) typically overlooked their first broadcasting jobs in their biographies.
Most former KPIC employees are difficult to find when doing a google search on the internet. Many of them left the broadcasting profession long ago. Former KPIC News Director Jerry Drelling now has a public relations consulting business in Hawaii. Former KPIC News Director Marleen Eitzen is now the associate director of public relations and development at Montana State University. Still others are impossible to trace altogether online. Try finding Mike Costa on the world wide web and track down the only one who worked in Roseburg!
As for me and my website biography....well, I'm still working in southern Oregon, but I proudly give credit to all the stations in Roseburg, Eugene, Medford, and Coos Bay where I've worked over the years.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Thursday Nights In Ashland, Campaigning During The News
Background: Originally published September 20, 2006. The two excerpts in this column were part of a larger pot pouri column; the other excerpts were posted three days ago under the heading "Grants Pass Chuckles."
One of my former Ashland friends operates The Coffee House above Bloomsbury Books. He friended me on Facebook this week, which prompted me to post this. This column is obviously dated, when I refer to MySpace.
THURSDAY NIGHTS MOCHAS AND MYSPACE
Summer is now ending, which means The Coffee House in Ashland is once again open late nights Thursday through Sunday. I'll probably spend most of my Thursday evenings there enjoying a double-shot mocha or a spirulina-fortified smoothie until closing at 9:30p.m. Sorting through old newspapers and magazines is more productive than spending my time on MySpace.
I've learned that one can never be fulfilled on MySpace. Regardless of how many friends you collect online, there will always be someone else out there who has more. What I found particularly disturbing is that people who had never met me were wanting to add me to their friends collection, while people whom I know and I had sent them a little "how are you doing?" note never responded! How rude! I've since learned to be content with just 11 friends.
CAMPAIGNING DURING THE NEWS
Has anyone else noticed more political campaign advertisements airing during television newscasts than they did years ago? I forget where I learned it; it was either in journalism school at the University of Oregon or during my internship at KVAL-TV.
But somewhere along the way, I learned that political campaign advertisements were never aired during local newscasts. Part of it was an ethical concern to avoid any confusion over a television station endorsing a particular candidate. But part of it was also to avoid confusion among viewers; the prevailing fear was that some unsavy viewers would confuse an advertisement with a news story and thus now know the source of the information. (This was in the pre-internet era when everyone presumably believed everything they saw on TV.)
The first time I noticed a change in policy was during the gubernatorial race of 1990. I remember seeing a Dave Frohnmayer advertisement during a commercial break on KLSR-TV's Prime Time News. I asked my news director about it. He told me the Frohnmayer campaign had specifically requested to purchase commercials with the understanding they would air during KLSR's 10:00p.m. newscast.
Wow! I thought to myself. There's no higher form of praise than when a political campaign is clamoring to advertise during a particular newscast, because the candidate believes you have viewers who are important voters.
While channel surfing this election season in 2006, I've noticed there is no longer any distinguishing between news and non-news programming. Political campaign advertisements appear to pop up at all times. I don't know exactly when the edict changed that said television newscasts are no longer too sacred for political campaigning. I guess (or hope?) that today's television viewer is smarter than the viewer from twenty years ago, and can tell a commercial apart from regular news programming..??
[2014 note: I just wish that internet surfers would stop believing the on line hoax that actor Will Smith is dead. Perhaps viewers CAN'T tell apart a campaign advertisement from legitimate news reporting..??]
One of my former Ashland friends operates The Coffee House above Bloomsbury Books. He friended me on Facebook this week, which prompted me to post this. This column is obviously dated, when I refer to MySpace.
THURSDAY NIGHTS MOCHAS AND MYSPACE
Summer is now ending, which means The Coffee House in Ashland is once again open late nights Thursday through Sunday. I'll probably spend most of my Thursday evenings there enjoying a double-shot mocha or a spirulina-fortified smoothie until closing at 9:30p.m. Sorting through old newspapers and magazines is more productive than spending my time on MySpace.
I've learned that one can never be fulfilled on MySpace. Regardless of how many friends you collect online, there will always be someone else out there who has more. What I found particularly disturbing is that people who had never met me were wanting to add me to their friends collection, while people whom I know and I had sent them a little "how are you doing?" note never responded! How rude! I've since learned to be content with just 11 friends.
CAMPAIGNING DURING THE NEWS
Has anyone else noticed more political campaign advertisements airing during television newscasts than they did years ago? I forget where I learned it; it was either in journalism school at the University of Oregon or during my internship at KVAL-TV.
But somewhere along the way, I learned that political campaign advertisements were never aired during local newscasts. Part of it was an ethical concern to avoid any confusion over a television station endorsing a particular candidate. But part of it was also to avoid confusion among viewers; the prevailing fear was that some unsavy viewers would confuse an advertisement with a news story and thus now know the source of the information. (This was in the pre-internet era when everyone presumably believed everything they saw on TV.)
The first time I noticed a change in policy was during the gubernatorial race of 1990. I remember seeing a Dave Frohnmayer advertisement during a commercial break on KLSR-TV's Prime Time News. I asked my news director about it. He told me the Frohnmayer campaign had specifically requested to purchase commercials with the understanding they would air during KLSR's 10:00p.m. newscast.
Wow! I thought to myself. There's no higher form of praise than when a political campaign is clamoring to advertise during a particular newscast, because the candidate believes you have viewers who are important voters.
While channel surfing this election season in 2006, I've noticed there is no longer any distinguishing between news and non-news programming. Political campaign advertisements appear to pop up at all times. I don't know exactly when the edict changed that said television newscasts are no longer too sacred for political campaigning. I guess (or hope?) that today's television viewer is smarter than the viewer from twenty years ago, and can tell a commercial apart from regular news programming..??
[2014 note: I just wish that internet surfers would stop believing the on line hoax that actor Will Smith is dead. Perhaps viewers CAN'T tell apart a campaign advertisement from legitimate news reporting..??]
Friday, February 21, 2014
Abraham Lincoln Perseverance
When I was employed at DELL computers, the business hung a number of inspirational posters around the business to help inspire employees. Each poster had a different theme, such as perseverance, success, integrity, etc.
One of the posters featuring Abraham Lincoln caught my eye, and so I purchased a small desk-top poster of my own. That poster sat on my desk when I was employed at KOBI-TV, the Winston Reporter, and KMTR-TV.
That poster reminded me, and still does, that any failures or setbacks we encounter today, do not need to affect the successes we may have tomorrow.
PERSEVERANCE
He failed in business in '31.
He was defeated for state legislator in '32.
He tried another business in '33. It failed.
His fiancee died in '35.
He had a nervous breakdown in '36.
In '43 he ran for Congress and was defeated.
He tried again in '48 and was defeated again.
He tried running for the Senate in '55. He lost.
The next year he ran for Vice President and lost.
In '59 he ran for the Senate again and was defeated.
In 1860, the man who signed his name A. Lincoln, was elected the 16th President of the United States.
The difference between history's boldest accomplishments and its most staggering failures is often, simply, the diligent will to persevere.
One of the posters featuring Abraham Lincoln caught my eye, and so I purchased a small desk-top poster of my own. That poster sat on my desk when I was employed at KOBI-TV, the Winston Reporter, and KMTR-TV.
That poster reminded me, and still does, that any failures or setbacks we encounter today, do not need to affect the successes we may have tomorrow.
PERSEVERANCE
He failed in business in '31.
He was defeated for state legislator in '32.
He tried another business in '33. It failed.
His fiancee died in '35.
He had a nervous breakdown in '36.
In '43 he ran for Congress and was defeated.
He tried again in '48 and was defeated again.
He tried running for the Senate in '55. He lost.
The next year he ran for Vice President and lost.
In '59 he ran for the Senate again and was defeated.
In 1860, the man who signed his name A. Lincoln, was elected the 16th President of the United States.
The difference between history's boldest accomplishments and its most staggering failures is often, simply, the diligent will to persevere.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Are There Two Candidates Or Five?
Background: Originally published September 20, 2006. I've always been disappointed with the national media when they always refer to the "two" Presidential candidates (Republican and Democrat) and completely ignore the handful of candidates who belong to other parties. Such elitism also occurs on the state level in some gubernatorial races, as this column portrays.
Four televised gubernatorial debates are tentatively scheduled between September 28th and October 24th. Three of them are tentatively scheduled in Portland and one confirmed debate in Medford.
Oregon Public Broadcasting is hosting a live debate September 28th.
The City Club of Portland is hosting a tape-delayed debate October 13th.
The Oregonian and NBC-affiliate KGW-TV Channel 8 are hosting a live debate October 17th.
NBC-affiliate KOBI-TV Channel 5 is hosting the last one live October 24th.
Both Republican nominee Ron Saxton and Democratic incumbent Ted Kulongoski have agreed to other debates before the November election. The Oregonian newspaper, which is hosting one televised debate, criticized debate organizers for not including minor party candidates during the debates: Libertarian Richard Morley, Constitution Party Mary Starret, and Green Party Joe Keating.
In an August 24th editorial, the Oregonian stated all three "are articulate and interesting candidates....Why not invite all five....and have one big, freewheeling discussion about Oregon's problems and how to best fix them? That sure sounds like more fun than watching Saxton and Kulongoski go at it, once, twice, three times, before the same Portland audience."
Southern Oregon viewers can watch the fourth debate live, 6:30-8:30p.m., Tuesday, October 24th. NBC5's Chris Corcoran will moderate the Medford debate, while a panel of five southern Oregon media managers are tentatively scheduled to ask questions. They include Medford Mail Tribune Editor Robert Hunter, Grants Pass Daily Courier Editor Dennis Roler, Klamath Falls Herald and News Editor Steve Miller, and KLSR-TV News Director Bob Broderick.
Cable TV viewers in Sutherlin-Oakland can watch it either on KOBI-TV Channel 5 or Eugene's KEVU-TV Channel 23 (Charter Cable Channel 11). Neither one of those channels is carried by local satellite TV providers in Sutherlin-Oakland, so don't forget to save your pennies and pay your cable bill!
[2014 follow-up: The "Portland audience," as referred to by the Oregonian, did have the opportunity to see the fourth debate from Medford. After the Medford debate was over, someone drove a copy of the debate from Medford to Portland, so that KGW-TV could air a tape-delay showing of the debate. Only Kulongoski and Saxton participated in the Medford debate. Kulongoski stood considerably shorter than Saxton, so one never saw a two-shot of the candidates side by side during the Medford debate. Afterwards, both candidates expressed pleasure because they each felt they did well during the debate. Kulongoski won the election.]
Four televised gubernatorial debates are tentatively scheduled between September 28th and October 24th. Three of them are tentatively scheduled in Portland and one confirmed debate in Medford.
Oregon Public Broadcasting is hosting a live debate September 28th.
The City Club of Portland is hosting a tape-delayed debate October 13th.
The Oregonian and NBC-affiliate KGW-TV Channel 8 are hosting a live debate October 17th.
NBC-affiliate KOBI-TV Channel 5 is hosting the last one live October 24th.
Both Republican nominee Ron Saxton and Democratic incumbent Ted Kulongoski have agreed to other debates before the November election. The Oregonian newspaper, which is hosting one televised debate, criticized debate organizers for not including minor party candidates during the debates: Libertarian Richard Morley, Constitution Party Mary Starret, and Green Party Joe Keating.
In an August 24th editorial, the Oregonian stated all three "are articulate and interesting candidates....Why not invite all five....and have one big, freewheeling discussion about Oregon's problems and how to best fix them? That sure sounds like more fun than watching Saxton and Kulongoski go at it, once, twice, three times, before the same Portland audience."
Southern Oregon viewers can watch the fourth debate live, 6:30-8:30p.m., Tuesday, October 24th. NBC5's Chris Corcoran will moderate the Medford debate, while a panel of five southern Oregon media managers are tentatively scheduled to ask questions. They include Medford Mail Tribune Editor Robert Hunter, Grants Pass Daily Courier Editor Dennis Roler, Klamath Falls Herald and News Editor Steve Miller, and KLSR-TV News Director Bob Broderick.
Cable TV viewers in Sutherlin-Oakland can watch it either on KOBI-TV Channel 5 or Eugene's KEVU-TV Channel 23 (Charter Cable Channel 11). Neither one of those channels is carried by local satellite TV providers in Sutherlin-Oakland, so don't forget to save your pennies and pay your cable bill!
[2014 follow-up: The "Portland audience," as referred to by the Oregonian, did have the opportunity to see the fourth debate from Medford. After the Medford debate was over, someone drove a copy of the debate from Medford to Portland, so that KGW-TV could air a tape-delay showing of the debate. Only Kulongoski and Saxton participated in the Medford debate. Kulongoski stood considerably shorter than Saxton, so one never saw a two-shot of the candidates side by side during the Medford debate. Afterwards, both candidates expressed pleasure because they each felt they did well during the debate. Kulongoski won the election.]
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Grants Pass Chuckles In The News
Background: Originally published September 20, 2006. During the time that I spent operating the KOBI-TV news bureau inside the Grants Pass Daily Courier, there were some unique stories that had a somewhat humorous side to them. I consolidated some of them that occurred in the same time period into one of my columns for the North County News.
GINGER SNAP OR MOLASSES WITH YOUR MARIJUANA?
Grants Pass resident Rycke Brown admits that she handed out ginger snap or molasses cookies laced with marijuana. After standing on the street corner the past six years handing out literature in favor of legalizing all drugs, Brown wasn't getting the attention that she wanted. That's when Brown, in early 2005, began handing out pot cookies to passersby who wanted them.
Brown was prepared to go to jail for her act of civil disobedience. She figured that possession of a controlled substance was not that serious of a charge. However, Brown bit off more than she could chew (pardon the pun) when people began accusing her of handing out pot cookies, without mentioning the secret ingredient. The Josephine County district attorney attempted to prosecute Brown on the more serious felony charges of delivering a controlled substance to a minor and forced ingestion of a controlled substance.
Brown acted as her own attorney during the trial, and responded that some of the cookie recipients were residents at the nearby mission, who only said they didn't know about the pot, in order to avoid getting into trouble during random drug tests. During her closing arguments, Brown said her accusers were casting her in a false light:
"I'm a crazy woman giving pot cookies to unsuspecting little kids, handing them out willy-nilly to all comers. Michelle Davis tells a story of me handing them out to crowds of people. Here, have a cookie. Get nice and high and come back and beat me to a pulp for putting you through it. How much time and money do people think I have for baking cookies with expensive ingredients,?" stated Brown during her closing argument. (Brown acted as her own attorney.)
The twelve-person jury returned a guilty verdict on one count of possession, and not guilty on all other charges.
PENNIES FOR CABLE
Grants Pass resident Robin Fay only receives some $600 a month in disability pay. Tired of Charter Cable TV continually increasing its rates, and at the same time removing popular channels from the basic cable tier, Fay decided to make her own political statement.
A friend of hers carried $61.13 in pennies to pay her monthly cable TV bill at the Grants Pass office of Charter Communications. Charter office workers quickly evicted photographers from the Daily Courier and KOBI-TV, before spending 45 minutes counting and labeling 122 rolls of pennies.
Fay is encouraging other dissatisfied customers to also pay in pennies, in hopes that Charter will restore more channels to the lower tier. "They are taking channels on a lower tier and they are putting them on the higher tiers, so that people who can only afford basic cable can not get the channels that they want to watch. And on top of that, they're putting more paid programming on and they're putting other bullcrap on, that people don't want to watch," said Fay.
FUNERAL DIRECTOR STEPS OUT OF THE BOX
My favorite quote of the month was from the owner of a new funeral home in Grants Pass. "We're here to serve the community, give the community something that they haven't experienced at another establishment. We're willing to step out of the box in funeral services, in cremation services," said Kevin Stephens.
Actually, Stephens Family Chapel has reason to make those claims. The funeral home has a cupola to let in extra light for a bright and airy look in the lobby. The chapel has a large-screen television to allow for special tribute videos during memorial services. And, instead of a display room for caskets, customers select the casket that they want online from a computer.
Until now, Grants Pass had been served by only two other funeral homes in town. One was founded in the late 1920s and the other opened in the early 1970s. Stephens worked for one of the other two chapels in town, but decided he wanted to run his own family business, instead of working for a corporate-owned funeral home.
GINGER SNAP OR MOLASSES WITH YOUR MARIJUANA?
Grants Pass resident Rycke Brown admits that she handed out ginger snap or molasses cookies laced with marijuana. After standing on the street corner the past six years handing out literature in favor of legalizing all drugs, Brown wasn't getting the attention that she wanted. That's when Brown, in early 2005, began handing out pot cookies to passersby who wanted them.
Brown was prepared to go to jail for her act of civil disobedience. She figured that possession of a controlled substance was not that serious of a charge. However, Brown bit off more than she could chew (pardon the pun) when people began accusing her of handing out pot cookies, without mentioning the secret ingredient. The Josephine County district attorney attempted to prosecute Brown on the more serious felony charges of delivering a controlled substance to a minor and forced ingestion of a controlled substance.
Brown acted as her own attorney during the trial, and responded that some of the cookie recipients were residents at the nearby mission, who only said they didn't know about the pot, in order to avoid getting into trouble during random drug tests. During her closing arguments, Brown said her accusers were casting her in a false light:
"I'm a crazy woman giving pot cookies to unsuspecting little kids, handing them out willy-nilly to all comers. Michelle Davis tells a story of me handing them out to crowds of people. Here, have a cookie. Get nice and high and come back and beat me to a pulp for putting you through it. How much time and money do people think I have for baking cookies with expensive ingredients,?" stated Brown during her closing argument. (Brown acted as her own attorney.)
The twelve-person jury returned a guilty verdict on one count of possession, and not guilty on all other charges.
PENNIES FOR CABLE
Grants Pass resident Robin Fay only receives some $600 a month in disability pay. Tired of Charter Cable TV continually increasing its rates, and at the same time removing popular channels from the basic cable tier, Fay decided to make her own political statement.
A friend of hers carried $61.13 in pennies to pay her monthly cable TV bill at the Grants Pass office of Charter Communications. Charter office workers quickly evicted photographers from the Daily Courier and KOBI-TV, before spending 45 minutes counting and labeling 122 rolls of pennies.
Fay is encouraging other dissatisfied customers to also pay in pennies, in hopes that Charter will restore more channels to the lower tier. "They are taking channels on a lower tier and they are putting them on the higher tiers, so that people who can only afford basic cable can not get the channels that they want to watch. And on top of that, they're putting more paid programming on and they're putting other bullcrap on, that people don't want to watch," said Fay.
FUNERAL DIRECTOR STEPS OUT OF THE BOX
My favorite quote of the month was from the owner of a new funeral home in Grants Pass. "We're here to serve the community, give the community something that they haven't experienced at another establishment. We're willing to step out of the box in funeral services, in cremation services," said Kevin Stephens.
Actually, Stephens Family Chapel has reason to make those claims. The funeral home has a cupola to let in extra light for a bright and airy look in the lobby. The chapel has a large-screen television to allow for special tribute videos during memorial services. And, instead of a display room for caskets, customers select the casket that they want online from a computer.
Until now, Grants Pass had been served by only two other funeral homes in town. One was founded in the late 1920s and the other opened in the early 1970s. Stephens worked for one of the other two chapels in town, but decided he wanted to run his own family business, instead of working for a corporate-owned funeral home.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Much Ado About Nothing
Being the Shakespeare fan that I am, I felt it only appropriate to use one of his plays as the title for this column. And this column really is much ado about nothing. I am going to report the facts, and just the facts, concerning a recent alleged misdemeanor case at North Medford High School that became front page news in the Medford Mail Tribune and page two news in the Roseburg News-Review.
* Five pickets attempted to flank the left side of a moving vehicle, attempting to make contact with the vehicle. In order to avoid touching the pickets, the driver had to swerve on to a sidewalk where NO pedestrians were present at the time. The driver was not recklessly endangering anyone. The pickets had illegally been blocking a public roadway, preventing vehicles from passing.
* Contrary to what was reported in the Mail Tribune, Medford police did NOT hand a citation to the driver. Medford police were NOT going to cite the driver unless the disgruntled picket(s) pressed charges, which she did. As of Tuesday, February 18th, the driver had still not received a citation.
* There were no police officers, security officers, or other third-party witnesses present to offer an objective view of what happened. Because of the fog that morning at 7:00, there was no security footage present to substantiate the claims of the disgruntled pickets.
* School administrators and classified employees offered their sympathy to the driver and expressed regret over what some of the certified employees had done....namely blocking a public roadway in an effort to prevent a teacher from entering the school campus.
* There have been at least two other incidents that were more serious during the past week, where physical contact WAS made between opposing sides. Those incidents were never in the news. Why?
* During the past few days, pickets have been shadowing Medford school board members, paying them "visits" (picketing and other activities) at their homes. Can the pickets truly be believed when they employ aggressive tactics against the top leaders of the school district?
* There were four public comments posted with the Mail Tribune's article, as of 6:00p.m., Tuesday, February 18th. The public comments posted in the Medford newspaper are as follows:
ore.347 likes this.
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The above information is posted for the benefit of anyone to read. It will not be posted or expanded on anywhere else.
Monte Muirhead
February 18, 2014
* Five pickets attempted to flank the left side of a moving vehicle, attempting to make contact with the vehicle. In order to avoid touching the pickets, the driver had to swerve on to a sidewalk where NO pedestrians were present at the time. The driver was not recklessly endangering anyone. The pickets had illegally been blocking a public roadway, preventing vehicles from passing.
* Contrary to what was reported in the Mail Tribune, Medford police did NOT hand a citation to the driver. Medford police were NOT going to cite the driver unless the disgruntled picket(s) pressed charges, which she did. As of Tuesday, February 18th, the driver had still not received a citation.
* There were no police officers, security officers, or other third-party witnesses present to offer an objective view of what happened. Because of the fog that morning at 7:00, there was no security footage present to substantiate the claims of the disgruntled pickets.
* School administrators and classified employees offered their sympathy to the driver and expressed regret over what some of the certified employees had done....namely blocking a public roadway in an effort to prevent a teacher from entering the school campus.
* There have been at least two other incidents that were more serious during the past week, where physical contact WAS made between opposing sides. Those incidents were never in the news. Why?
* During the past few days, pickets have been shadowing Medford school board members, paying them "visits" (picketing and other activities) at their homes. Can the pickets truly be believed when they employ aggressive tactics against the top leaders of the school district?
* There were four public comments posted with the Mail Tribune's article, as of 6:00p.m., Tuesday, February 18th. The public comments posted in the Medford newspaper are as follows:
Was the right of Way blocked? Was anyone cited that blocked the right of way?
ore.347 likes this.
The teachers need to be cited. The police need to be neutral in this and cite the teachers for disorderly conduct for blocking the driveway. Why don't you find parents and citizens that don't agree with the teachers and get their point of view. Everyday KDRV post a story on Facebook about the strike there are more people against what the teachers are doing then for.
Picketing is legal, but blocking access crosses the line of acceptability from where I sit.
I hope the District stands firm and beats the Union thugs once and for all! Their usefulness is long out lived the need. Unions establish/create an adversarial environment when ever they get a foot hold. Like the Race mongers it keeps them in demand and lines their pockets IMO.
Bust the unions and America will benefit far more - put an end to collective bargaining and public employee unions!
I hope the District stands firm and beats the Union thugs once and for all! Their usefulness is long out lived the need. Unions establish/create an adversarial environment when ever they get a foot hold. Like the Race mongers it keeps them in demand and lines their pockets IMO.
Bust the unions and America will benefit far more - put an end to collective bargaining and public employee unions!
In reporting this "incident", did you also research whether or not it is a "crime" to block a public right of way?
Just curious!
Just curious!
The above information is posted for the benefit of anyone to read. It will not be posted or expanded on anywhere else.
Monte Muirhead
February 18, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
Garbage Dumping Fees In Douglas County
Background: Originally published January 24, 2007. Douglas County in 2014 is still one of the few places where people can dump their garbage for free at the local landfill/transfer station. But, it's likely this year's budget committee will approve a garbage dumping fee to be implemented in 2015. This is one of the reasons why I feel it's important for me to consider running again for Douglas County commissioner this year.
Here we go again. Garbage Dumping Fees. There has been no public discussion of the controversial idea, but already the idea is being anonymously floated to Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman's private O & C committee, as a way Douglas County could save money from the O & C shortfall. Douglas County currently spends more than three million dollars a year on its solid waste program.
After my father retired from the lumber mills, he worked part-time as an attendant at one of Douglas County's transfer sites. That was back in the days when private security guard agencies, not local corrections workers, staffed the landfill sites.
When the county ceased having landfills open seven days a week 8:00a.m.-8:00p.m., people protested the cutbacks. Inevitably, when my father would arrive one morning to unlock the gate, he would find loose garbage dumped at the gate's entrance. Apparently, some disgruntled resident who had visited the landfill on one of the closed days didn't have the patience to return when the transfer site was open for business.
If people became that agitated simply because of inconvenient hours, my father wondered what would it be like if people who live below the poverty level had to pay money to dispose of their garbage?
Years later, I saw the answer to that question first-hand, while I was news director at KCBY-TV and covering a BLM story in Coos County. I visited sites along Seven Devils Road, a scenic byway. In some places, a person could see a panoramic view of the ocean and with barely turning one's head, see piles of garbage, debris, and appliances along the road.
Coos County had a problem with people throwing away their garbage on pristine land, because the guilty parties did not have the money to pay for garbage disposal. Ironically, garbage dumping fees were seen as a way to generate revenue, but the county didn't have the money to enforce the law against people who littered. It was a catch-22. Is it worth it to implement a tax that will generate money, but at the same time potentially cost society just as much money in economic and environmental harm?
I don't have the answer to that question. But I chuckle when I read about people who say there should be a garbage dumping fee, because citizens should have to pay for waste they generate. Couldn't a person use the same logic to justify a fee at the library? After all, books and internet computers aren't free.
Is it fair for someone to drive up to Cooper Creek reservoir for free, without paying some kind of toll for the upkeep of the road and park facilities? There is no free lunch, whether it's dumping one's garbage, checking out a book at the library, or having a picnic along the sandy shore of Cooper Creek.
But when it comes time to think of new taxes, garbage dumping fees, not library or park fees, are often put forward as a good idea. I'm not sure why garbage dumping fees are seen as a justifiable tax, when other free county services are taken for granted. Those are the kinds of difficult decisions county leaders will have to wrestle with this coming year, as they decide how to cope with the loss of O & C money.
Here we go again. Garbage Dumping Fees. There has been no public discussion of the controversial idea, but already the idea is being anonymously floated to Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman's private O & C committee, as a way Douglas County could save money from the O & C shortfall. Douglas County currently spends more than three million dollars a year on its solid waste program.
After my father retired from the lumber mills, he worked part-time as an attendant at one of Douglas County's transfer sites. That was back in the days when private security guard agencies, not local corrections workers, staffed the landfill sites.
When the county ceased having landfills open seven days a week 8:00a.m.-8:00p.m., people protested the cutbacks. Inevitably, when my father would arrive one morning to unlock the gate, he would find loose garbage dumped at the gate's entrance. Apparently, some disgruntled resident who had visited the landfill on one of the closed days didn't have the patience to return when the transfer site was open for business.
If people became that agitated simply because of inconvenient hours, my father wondered what would it be like if people who live below the poverty level had to pay money to dispose of their garbage?
Years later, I saw the answer to that question first-hand, while I was news director at KCBY-TV and covering a BLM story in Coos County. I visited sites along Seven Devils Road, a scenic byway. In some places, a person could see a panoramic view of the ocean and with barely turning one's head, see piles of garbage, debris, and appliances along the road.
Coos County had a problem with people throwing away their garbage on pristine land, because the guilty parties did not have the money to pay for garbage disposal. Ironically, garbage dumping fees were seen as a way to generate revenue, but the county didn't have the money to enforce the law against people who littered. It was a catch-22. Is it worth it to implement a tax that will generate money, but at the same time potentially cost society just as much money in economic and environmental harm?
I don't have the answer to that question. But I chuckle when I read about people who say there should be a garbage dumping fee, because citizens should have to pay for waste they generate. Couldn't a person use the same logic to justify a fee at the library? After all, books and internet computers aren't free.
Is it fair for someone to drive up to Cooper Creek reservoir for free, without paying some kind of toll for the upkeep of the road and park facilities? There is no free lunch, whether it's dumping one's garbage, checking out a book at the library, or having a picnic along the sandy shore of Cooper Creek.
But when it comes time to think of new taxes, garbage dumping fees, not library or park fees, are often put forward as a good idea. I'm not sure why garbage dumping fees are seen as a justifiable tax, when other free county services are taken for granted. Those are the kinds of difficult decisions county leaders will have to wrestle with this coming year, as they decide how to cope with the loss of O & C money.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
UO Journalism Class Visits Oakland
Background: Originally published February 14, 2007.
I want to preface this column by stating that I have nothing but the highest regard for the University of Oregon School of Journalism. I am proud to be a 1989 graduate, when the UO had the seventh-highest ranking school of journalism in the country. I would never want to malign the school or tear apart any article someone else had written.
Having said that, I discovered enough interesting comments printed in a recent article, that I just had to share them with someone, and give my two cents worth. Keep in mind that's all its worth. I always welcome anyone to critique my columns or offer feedback on anything that I've written.
I first discovered the University of Oregon public affairs reporting class had visited Oakland weeks after the students had packed their backpacks and returned to Eugene. I didn't know whether I should feel embarrassed for being in the dark and not knowing that a class from my alma mater had visited my hometown....or if I should feel disappointed that the school hadn't done a better job of publicizing their project.
But no matter. If I had never learned about the project while making small-talk at Bart's Market, where I purchased my 44-ounce fountain drinks during the weekends, then I was happy that I could read about it after the fact in my alumni newspaper.
The first paragraph in the Flash article described Oakland as having "a very troubled government. The mayor and two city council members were removed in the past year." The sentence was written in passive voice, not active voice, but that's not what made me raise my eyebrows.
"Were removed"? What does that mean? Did citizens recall the council members? Were the elected leaders found guilty of some crime and carted off to jail during the middle of their terms? Did terrorists strike a blow to democracy and invade Oakland City Hall and abduct the town leaders? I could only imagine what some UO alumni in another state might think, if they were unfamiliar with Oakland's background. Replacing "removed" with "recalled" would have eliminated all confusion.
The second paragraph of the Flash article described the reasons as to why the UO class had chosen Oakland for a field study in public affairs reporting. "Occasionally, the Register-Guard will cover events and issues surrounding Oakland; however, town government has not been regularly reported and analyzed in any newspaper, daily or weekly--Oakland does not have one."
True, Oakland does not have its own newspaper, at least not an official one registered with the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. But I thought the statement was a little unfair to the Roseburg News-Review, which has done extensive reporting of Oakland elections and numerous recalls, as far back as I can remember. The Flash article gave the impression that the UO class was unaware of any other bona fide newspaper located south of the Eugene Register-Guard.
According to the Flash article, the UO class project enabled students to "learn how to use court records, public information requests for materials, and meeting minutes that are available to the press." (and to the general public, I might add.) Eleven graduate students in the master's degree program posted their articles on the SOJC new wiki site: jcomm.uoregon.edu/tr. Students reportedly made multiple trips to Oakland, researched the town history, and took photographs of the candidates.
Unfortunately, nearly half the population in the United States does not have internet access. And more than half the population of Oakland has historically been below the poverty level. The UO class decided to print a newspaper of their work, not just limit their findings to the internet. The newspapers were left at the Oakland library, city hall, and the Oakland Tavern.
My mind is baffled as to why those three distribution places were chosen, as opposed to Bart's Market, the Lamplighter Inn, Stearns Hardware, the Oakland post office, etc. Apparently, the UO class felt those would be the best places for their newspaper to reach Oakland's residents? Oakland's poverty level citizens were presumably always going to city hall asking for an extension to pay their water bills, or else they were at the Oakland Tavern drinking away their woes.
One master's student offered this observation in the Flash article: "The town needed help. I felt like it was more worthwhile." "Just talking to people in the bar and hearing their perspective," he added.
Despite the somewhat skewed outreach of the newspaper, I offer my congratulations to the UO master's degree students. They had a little more than two weeks to get to know the people, gather information, and finish their candidate profiles so they could be posted on the website before the election ballots were mailed October 20th.
And even though I was clueless about their presence in town, I apparently was the exception. The UO "Oakland" newspaper may have had an impact on voter turn-out: a record sixty-six percent of Oakland's voters cast their ballots during the election.
If a similar project is conducted in the future, and assuming the intent of the project is to increase public awareness, hopefully the UO journalism students will educate themselves about the local media (North County News, KPIC, KEZI in Roseburg, etc.), whom all would have probably publicized stories about the project had they known about it. Otherwise, I'll have to stop having my 44-ouncers at Bart's Market, and get them from the Oakland Tavern instead, if I want to learn more about what's going on in town.
If YOU would like to thank the class for their interest in Oakland, I'm sure they wouldn't mind a card as well.
Karen McCowan, adjunct professor
UO School of Journalism and Communications
1275 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-1275
----------------------------------------
ACADEMIC CHALLENGE
Oakland lost their recent NBC5 Academic Challenge match against Mazama High School from Klamath Falls. I was very surprised because Oakland lost by a bigger point spread to Mazama than their earlier match this season against top-ranked South Medford, 160-150.
It just goes to show that any team can dominate a match, regardless of past performance, and regardless of whom they've competed against in the past. The Oakland Oakers have definitely been sharper than several other teams in the 20-member southern Oregon league that appears on KOBI-TV's weekly program.
It's just a matter of time before Oakland is randomly chosen to square off against one, but now that Oakland has lost two of this year's matches, they won't be competing against other teams until next year's competition.
I want to preface this column by stating that I have nothing but the highest regard for the University of Oregon School of Journalism. I am proud to be a 1989 graduate, when the UO had the seventh-highest ranking school of journalism in the country. I would never want to malign the school or tear apart any article someone else had written.
Having said that, I discovered enough interesting comments printed in a recent article, that I just had to share them with someone, and give my two cents worth. Keep in mind that's all its worth. I always welcome anyone to critique my columns or offer feedback on anything that I've written.
I first discovered the University of Oregon public affairs reporting class had visited Oakland weeks after the students had packed their backpacks and returned to Eugene. I didn't know whether I should feel embarrassed for being in the dark and not knowing that a class from my alma mater had visited my hometown....or if I should feel disappointed that the school hadn't done a better job of publicizing their project.
But no matter. If I had never learned about the project while making small-talk at Bart's Market, where I purchased my 44-ounce fountain drinks during the weekends, then I was happy that I could read about it after the fact in my alumni newspaper.
The first paragraph in the Flash article described Oakland as having "a very troubled government. The mayor and two city council members were removed in the past year." The sentence was written in passive voice, not active voice, but that's not what made me raise my eyebrows.
"Were removed"? What does that mean? Did citizens recall the council members? Were the elected leaders found guilty of some crime and carted off to jail during the middle of their terms? Did terrorists strike a blow to democracy and invade Oakland City Hall and abduct the town leaders? I could only imagine what some UO alumni in another state might think, if they were unfamiliar with Oakland's background. Replacing "removed" with "recalled" would have eliminated all confusion.
The second paragraph of the Flash article described the reasons as to why the UO class had chosen Oakland for a field study in public affairs reporting. "Occasionally, the Register-Guard will cover events and issues surrounding Oakland; however, town government has not been regularly reported and analyzed in any newspaper, daily or weekly--Oakland does not have one."
True, Oakland does not have its own newspaper, at least not an official one registered with the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. But I thought the statement was a little unfair to the Roseburg News-Review, which has done extensive reporting of Oakland elections and numerous recalls, as far back as I can remember. The Flash article gave the impression that the UO class was unaware of any other bona fide newspaper located south of the Eugene Register-Guard.
According to the Flash article, the UO class project enabled students to "learn how to use court records, public information requests for materials, and meeting minutes that are available to the press." (and to the general public, I might add.) Eleven graduate students in the master's degree program posted their articles on the SOJC new wiki site: jcomm.uoregon.edu/tr. Students reportedly made multiple trips to Oakland, researched the town history, and took photographs of the candidates.
Unfortunately, nearly half the population in the United States does not have internet access. And more than half the population of Oakland has historically been below the poverty level. The UO class decided to print a newspaper of their work, not just limit their findings to the internet. The newspapers were left at the Oakland library, city hall, and the Oakland Tavern.
My mind is baffled as to why those three distribution places were chosen, as opposed to Bart's Market, the Lamplighter Inn, Stearns Hardware, the Oakland post office, etc. Apparently, the UO class felt those would be the best places for their newspaper to reach Oakland's residents? Oakland's poverty level citizens were presumably always going to city hall asking for an extension to pay their water bills, or else they were at the Oakland Tavern drinking away their woes.
One master's student offered this observation in the Flash article: "The town needed help. I felt like it was more worthwhile." "Just talking to people in the bar and hearing their perspective," he added.
Despite the somewhat skewed outreach of the newspaper, I offer my congratulations to the UO master's degree students. They had a little more than two weeks to get to know the people, gather information, and finish their candidate profiles so they could be posted on the website before the election ballots were mailed October 20th.
And even though I was clueless about their presence in town, I apparently was the exception. The UO "Oakland" newspaper may have had an impact on voter turn-out: a record sixty-six percent of Oakland's voters cast their ballots during the election.
If a similar project is conducted in the future, and assuming the intent of the project is to increase public awareness, hopefully the UO journalism students will educate themselves about the local media (North County News, KPIC, KEZI in Roseburg, etc.), whom all would have probably publicized stories about the project had they known about it. Otherwise, I'll have to stop having my 44-ouncers at Bart's Market, and get them from the Oakland Tavern instead, if I want to learn more about what's going on in town.
If YOU would like to thank the class for their interest in Oakland, I'm sure they wouldn't mind a card as well.
Karen McCowan, adjunct professor
UO School of Journalism and Communications
1275 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-1275
----------------------------------------
ACADEMIC CHALLENGE
Oakland lost their recent NBC5 Academic Challenge match against Mazama High School from Klamath Falls. I was very surprised because Oakland lost by a bigger point spread to Mazama than their earlier match this season against top-ranked South Medford, 160-150.
It just goes to show that any team can dominate a match, regardless of past performance, and regardless of whom they've competed against in the past. The Oakland Oakers have definitely been sharper than several other teams in the 20-member southern Oregon league that appears on KOBI-TV's weekly program.
It's just a matter of time before Oakland is randomly chosen to square off against one, but now that Oakland has lost two of this year's matches, they won't be competing against other teams until next year's competition.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Television Bomb Scare At Medford's KTVL-TV
Originally published February 14, 2007. This is another column that analyzes how different decisions are made by news organizations, when they're covering breaking stories. With all due respect to my hard-working colleagues in Eugene, I currently have more confidence in the news integrity of Medford television news than I do for the Eugene news stations.
There may not be any right or wrong answers when it comes to how a news story is covered, as this week's column will attest. Different television news operations have different policies they follow when determining how much air time to give an event.
A Cave Junction man threatened to kill himself and others on February 7th, during a five-hour standoff in Medford. Fifty-one year-old Mark Dickey drove a van into the parking lot between CBS-affiliate KTVL-TV and the Radio Medford broadcasting studios, forcing the evacuation of both those broadcasting facilities. Authorities also closed Rossanley Drive, which doubles as a portion of Highway 238 between Medford and Jacksonville. Police did not evacuate a nearby housing subdivision, but residents who left their homes were not allowed back inside the subdivision.
As I monitored the television screens inside the KOBI-TV newsroom, I noticed the stark contrast among Medford's three network affiliates that morning. At first glance, KTVL channel 10 appeared to be in normal programming, as Bob Barker conducted his morning ritual on The Price Is Right. But there was no mention of the bomb score, nor were they any local commercials or promos. With nobody inside the building to operate their master control, KTVL simply broadcast the network feed all morning, leaving a blank screen during the times when a local commercial would have been inserted.
At least KTVL was able to remain on the air. My mind recalled an incident years ago in Portland when a gunman entered the KOIN building downtown. Even though the gunman was nowhere near the KOIN-TV studios, channel 6 went off the air during the ordeal. Broadcasting facilities will go to black before they risk giving the airwaves to some fanatic with a cause.
Glancing over at Medford's ABC-affiliate KDRV-TV, the only thing I noticed on channel 12 all morning, February 7th, was a "crawler" at the bottom of the screen, advising viewers that Highway 238 was closed. There were no live reports from the field, nor were there any break-ins from their studio. I initially couldn't figure out if channel 12's lack of coverage was due to technical problems with their live microwave truck, or if it was an editorial decision to ignore the event.
Glancing over at my own station, channel 5 owned the story. With channel 10's news staff unable to access their equipment, and with channel 12 ignoring the drama, channel 5 was the only Medford station with live updates every half hour that morning, from both the studio and on scene at Rossanley Drive, about a quarter mile down the road from the channel 10 studios.
KOBI instantly microwaved [2014 note: This was before the days of satellite uplink dishes in small cities like Medford, and before video was streamed on the internet. Microwave dishes on broadcast towers atop mountains between Medford and Portland were the only way to instantly transmit quality pictures] its footage up to KGW-TV in Portland, who in turn put the footage on Northwest Cable News within minutes.
I later learned all the staff from channel 10 who were forced to retreat to their homes, had watched channel 5 that morning, and they praised our staff for letting the public (and them) know what was taking place.
The situation reminded me of several other situations in recent years. During a bomb scare at the Talent Wal-Mart, authorities evacuated the store and the parking lot. Channels 5 and 10 were on the scene advising the public about the closed facility. Channel 12 ignored the event. A channel 12 producer who was on scene, briefly chatted with me and he seemed aghast that we were giving air time to what might be nothing more than a hoax. A Medford Mail-Tribune reporter was also on scene at Wal-Mart gathering information.
However, the situation was reversed during a natural gas leak at Central Point. Because only a couple or so homes were affected, channel 5 opted to only mention the incident in passing during our evening news. Channel 12, meanwhile, was running crawls during the day about the gas leak in Central Point, despite the fact that authorities were not evacuating any homes, nor were any roads or public facilities impacted by the minor leak.
During emotionally-charged situations, I like to step back periodically and second-guess my approach. The last thing I want to do is to give free air time to someone who is doing something just to attract attention. The public often criticizes the news media of this when video is shown of environmentalists staging a protest outside some government building.
On the other hand, I have to ask myself, Is the public affected by the event? Is a crowded facility that's normally open (Wal-Mart) closed to the public, and why? Is a public road (Highway 238) closed to traffic? Are police officers from multiple agencies responding to the scene (KTVL parking lot)?
It no longer matters if the perpetrator is doing something to crave attention. The situation has escalated to the point the viewing audience will want to know what took place.
In journalism school at the UO in Eugene, former professor Jim Bernstein posed the question to the broadcasting class, "If someone calls you in the newsroom and says there is a bomb in the Hult Center, do you go on the air and report it?"
The obvious answer was no. The news media generally obtains confirmation from the police or a government agency, before reporting unsubstantiated claims. Just as it's (potentially) against the law to yell "fire" in a crowded theater, journalists have an obligation not to incite panic by giving free air time to every crackpot that craves attention.
Just because different news operations may handle a story differently, doesn't necessarily mean that one is right and one is wrong. But hopefully the viewing public will understand that decisions are not made in a vacuum. There's usually a reason as to why a viewer will see or will not see a particular story on the air.
There may not be any right or wrong answers when it comes to how a news story is covered, as this week's column will attest. Different television news operations have different policies they follow when determining how much air time to give an event.
A Cave Junction man threatened to kill himself and others on February 7th, during a five-hour standoff in Medford. Fifty-one year-old Mark Dickey drove a van into the parking lot between CBS-affiliate KTVL-TV and the Radio Medford broadcasting studios, forcing the evacuation of both those broadcasting facilities. Authorities also closed Rossanley Drive, which doubles as a portion of Highway 238 between Medford and Jacksonville. Police did not evacuate a nearby housing subdivision, but residents who left their homes were not allowed back inside the subdivision.
As I monitored the television screens inside the KOBI-TV newsroom, I noticed the stark contrast among Medford's three network affiliates that morning. At first glance, KTVL channel 10 appeared to be in normal programming, as Bob Barker conducted his morning ritual on The Price Is Right. But there was no mention of the bomb score, nor were they any local commercials or promos. With nobody inside the building to operate their master control, KTVL simply broadcast the network feed all morning, leaving a blank screen during the times when a local commercial would have been inserted.
At least KTVL was able to remain on the air. My mind recalled an incident years ago in Portland when a gunman entered the KOIN building downtown. Even though the gunman was nowhere near the KOIN-TV studios, channel 6 went off the air during the ordeal. Broadcasting facilities will go to black before they risk giving the airwaves to some fanatic with a cause.
Glancing over at Medford's ABC-affiliate KDRV-TV, the only thing I noticed on channel 12 all morning, February 7th, was a "crawler" at the bottom of the screen, advising viewers that Highway 238 was closed. There were no live reports from the field, nor were there any break-ins from their studio. I initially couldn't figure out if channel 12's lack of coverage was due to technical problems with their live microwave truck, or if it was an editorial decision to ignore the event.
Glancing over at my own station, channel 5 owned the story. With channel 10's news staff unable to access their equipment, and with channel 12 ignoring the drama, channel 5 was the only Medford station with live updates every half hour that morning, from both the studio and on scene at Rossanley Drive, about a quarter mile down the road from the channel 10 studios.
KOBI instantly microwaved [2014 note: This was before the days of satellite uplink dishes in small cities like Medford, and before video was streamed on the internet. Microwave dishes on broadcast towers atop mountains between Medford and Portland were the only way to instantly transmit quality pictures] its footage up to KGW-TV in Portland, who in turn put the footage on Northwest Cable News within minutes.
I later learned all the staff from channel 10 who were forced to retreat to their homes, had watched channel 5 that morning, and they praised our staff for letting the public (and them) know what was taking place.
The situation reminded me of several other situations in recent years. During a bomb scare at the Talent Wal-Mart, authorities evacuated the store and the parking lot. Channels 5 and 10 were on the scene advising the public about the closed facility. Channel 12 ignored the event. A channel 12 producer who was on scene, briefly chatted with me and he seemed aghast that we were giving air time to what might be nothing more than a hoax. A Medford Mail-Tribune reporter was also on scene at Wal-Mart gathering information.
However, the situation was reversed during a natural gas leak at Central Point. Because only a couple or so homes were affected, channel 5 opted to only mention the incident in passing during our evening news. Channel 12, meanwhile, was running crawls during the day about the gas leak in Central Point, despite the fact that authorities were not evacuating any homes, nor were any roads or public facilities impacted by the minor leak.
During emotionally-charged situations, I like to step back periodically and second-guess my approach. The last thing I want to do is to give free air time to someone who is doing something just to attract attention. The public often criticizes the news media of this when video is shown of environmentalists staging a protest outside some government building.
On the other hand, I have to ask myself, Is the public affected by the event? Is a crowded facility that's normally open (Wal-Mart) closed to the public, and why? Is a public road (Highway 238) closed to traffic? Are police officers from multiple agencies responding to the scene (KTVL parking lot)?
It no longer matters if the perpetrator is doing something to crave attention. The situation has escalated to the point the viewing audience will want to know what took place.
In journalism school at the UO in Eugene, former professor Jim Bernstein posed the question to the broadcasting class, "If someone calls you in the newsroom and says there is a bomb in the Hult Center, do you go on the air and report it?"
The obvious answer was no. The news media generally obtains confirmation from the police or a government agency, before reporting unsubstantiated claims. Just as it's (potentially) against the law to yell "fire" in a crowded theater, journalists have an obligation not to incite panic by giving free air time to every crackpot that craves attention.
Just because different news operations may handle a story differently, doesn't necessarily mean that one is right and one is wrong. But hopefully the viewing public will understand that decisions are not made in a vacuum. There's usually a reason as to why a viewer will see or will not see a particular story on the air.
Career Change From Broadcast To Print
Background: Originally published February 21, 2007. The premise of writing this column was to explain my career change in 2007. But more significant, this column explains how news operations have changed during the past 25 years, and why I'm frequently "dishing" today on local news operations and their lack of accuracy/integrity.
If Lou Grant can do it, so can I. Although, if you would have asked me one month ago about the prospects of giving up a television job in Medford to oversee a new weekly newspaper in Winston, I would have said not likely.
However, regardless of one's spiritual beliefs, I feel comfortable in saying that it was divine intervention that closed some doors for me and opened other doors for me....preparing me to launch the Winston Reporter, that community's first newspaper. [2014 note: My mother was needing more attention in the years to come, and in retrospect, I'm not sure how much longer I could have continued working in Medford during the week, and commuting up to Oakland on the weekends.]
My three-year contract at KOBI-TV ends March 8th. I enjoyed my job there immensely. And I don't rule out the possibility that I may one day return to broadcasting. However, some alarming changes in the broadcasting field this past decade have made me re-evaluate that industry. Some television news operations still place a high regard on ethics, and still religiously observe guidelines put forth by the SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) and the RTNDA (Radio-TV News Directors Association). Other television news operations do not.
Growing up in Oakland, I gained considerable respect for television journalists who broke stories and weren't afraid to ask the tough questions. Doug Barbur and Bob Zagorin worked at KEZI-TV, and Salem political correspondent Mark Haas worked at KVAL-TV. Those television news operations were my heroes.
KVAL wouldn't shy away from a legitimate controversial timber story, even if the station's co-owner Donald Tykeson was involved with one of the timber companies. And former KEZI-TV News Director Rebecca Force once told me the only "deal with the devil (station manager)" that she ever made, was that her news department would give management advance notice, if they were working on a potentially sensitive story involving one of their advertisers.
Graduating from the UO School of Journalism in 1989, I had a somewhat purist attitude toward news. When someone asked me to wear a ribbon on World AIDS Day, or wear a purple/silver ribbon on Domestic Violence Awareness Week, I politely declined. Of course, I didn't favor any of those social ills. But the anchor desk was a sacred institution. I didn't see Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, or Peter Jennings promoting the issue of the day. And I didn't think it was appropriate for me to do so either when I anchored the local news.
Times have changed. At least one local TV weatherman often wears a Rotary club button on his jacket lapel when giving the forecast. Another local TV weatherman does radio commercials promoting a local vision office. And even I have softened over the years. No longer the rigid, idealistic journalist from 15 years ago, I will now sometimes were the ribbon of the week for different social causes.
Unfortunately, once we begin down that slippery slope of compromising our autonomy and short-changing our integrity, it's difficult to know when (or how) to stop. When a new general manager at KOBI-TV three years ago announced a new promotion called "Extreme Makeover," there was a chorus of concern voiced by newsroom personnel. While the concept may make an appealing prime-time show, incorporating such a contest into the evening newscast raised some eyebrows.
Would such a promotion inserted into the newscast displace the number of minutes devoted to true news stories? And what kind of message would that send to our viewers? Would viewers subconsciously see it as a tacit political statement that having perfect teeth and perfect hair was the end-all for everyone, now subliminally endorsed by their local news operation?
The new general manager jokingly replied, "Gee, I have an idea to boost our ratings and all that's here is a room full of journalists." Forgive me, I thought to myself. I thought a room full of ethical journalists was the type of person one wanted to run a credible news operation?
Over the years, people with sales backgrounds have replaced people with journalism backgrounds. A bachelor's degree in journalism or communications used to be the prerequisite for a newsroom position. Now it's a secondary concern for some. Style has now replaced substance. There is no longer a chorus of healthy debate when an ethically-questionable idea is introduced. There are few, if any people left with journalism backgrounds, to raise the questions.
The straw that broke the camel's back for me this past month, was a full-length feature "package" story on an anti-drug campaign known as the Southern Oregon Meth Project. There's nothing wrong with community service campaigns. But when they begin to replace true hard news stories of the day, I have to ask myself if the tail is wagging the dog.
The story's introduction said the project leaders gathered to discuss the campaign's future. I intently listened to the story, expecting to hear some new development. Was there a new sponsor? Was the campaign being introduced into a new area? What specific new CHANGE had warranted an in-depth, follow-up story on the topic? But there wasn't any. The entire content of the story re-hashed information that had already been announced in countless previous stories.
In short, legitimate news of the day had been neglected, because management had deployed limited reporting resources to cover a self-promotional campaign.
I am happy to say that we still live in the United States of America where the First Amendment is considered a standard to live by. Nothing shall stand in the way of a free press. And if the news consumers do not feel they are obtaining objective news from one source, they are free to look to other sources.
The Winston Reporter will not be the only news source serving central Douglas County. But as long as I'm editor of the newspaper, it will be a voice of the people. My change of career may not be the same lateral move that Lou Grant made when he left the news director position at WJM-TV in Minneapolis to become city editor of the Los Angeles Tribune (all fictitious). But I look forward to retuning to Douglas County. I never really left.
If Lou Grant can do it, so can I. Although, if you would have asked me one month ago about the prospects of giving up a television job in Medford to oversee a new weekly newspaper in Winston, I would have said not likely.
However, regardless of one's spiritual beliefs, I feel comfortable in saying that it was divine intervention that closed some doors for me and opened other doors for me....preparing me to launch the Winston Reporter, that community's first newspaper. [2014 note: My mother was needing more attention in the years to come, and in retrospect, I'm not sure how much longer I could have continued working in Medford during the week, and commuting up to Oakland on the weekends.]
My three-year contract at KOBI-TV ends March 8th. I enjoyed my job there immensely. And I don't rule out the possibility that I may one day return to broadcasting. However, some alarming changes in the broadcasting field this past decade have made me re-evaluate that industry. Some television news operations still place a high regard on ethics, and still religiously observe guidelines put forth by the SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) and the RTNDA (Radio-TV News Directors Association). Other television news operations do not.
Growing up in Oakland, I gained considerable respect for television journalists who broke stories and weren't afraid to ask the tough questions. Doug Barbur and Bob Zagorin worked at KEZI-TV, and Salem political correspondent Mark Haas worked at KVAL-TV. Those television news operations were my heroes.
KVAL wouldn't shy away from a legitimate controversial timber story, even if the station's co-owner Donald Tykeson was involved with one of the timber companies. And former KEZI-TV News Director Rebecca Force once told me the only "deal with the devil (station manager)" that she ever made, was that her news department would give management advance notice, if they were working on a potentially sensitive story involving one of their advertisers.
Graduating from the UO School of Journalism in 1989, I had a somewhat purist attitude toward news. When someone asked me to wear a ribbon on World AIDS Day, or wear a purple/silver ribbon on Domestic Violence Awareness Week, I politely declined. Of course, I didn't favor any of those social ills. But the anchor desk was a sacred institution. I didn't see Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, or Peter Jennings promoting the issue of the day. And I didn't think it was appropriate for me to do so either when I anchored the local news.
Times have changed. At least one local TV weatherman often wears a Rotary club button on his jacket lapel when giving the forecast. Another local TV weatherman does radio commercials promoting a local vision office. And even I have softened over the years. No longer the rigid, idealistic journalist from 15 years ago, I will now sometimes were the ribbon of the week for different social causes.
Unfortunately, once we begin down that slippery slope of compromising our autonomy and short-changing our integrity, it's difficult to know when (or how) to stop. When a new general manager at KOBI-TV three years ago announced a new promotion called "Extreme Makeover," there was a chorus of concern voiced by newsroom personnel. While the concept may make an appealing prime-time show, incorporating such a contest into the evening newscast raised some eyebrows.
Would such a promotion inserted into the newscast displace the number of minutes devoted to true news stories? And what kind of message would that send to our viewers? Would viewers subconsciously see it as a tacit political statement that having perfect teeth and perfect hair was the end-all for everyone, now subliminally endorsed by their local news operation?
The new general manager jokingly replied, "Gee, I have an idea to boost our ratings and all that's here is a room full of journalists." Forgive me, I thought to myself. I thought a room full of ethical journalists was the type of person one wanted to run a credible news operation?
Over the years, people with sales backgrounds have replaced people with journalism backgrounds. A bachelor's degree in journalism or communications used to be the prerequisite for a newsroom position. Now it's a secondary concern for some. Style has now replaced substance. There is no longer a chorus of healthy debate when an ethically-questionable idea is introduced. There are few, if any people left with journalism backgrounds, to raise the questions.
The straw that broke the camel's back for me this past month, was a full-length feature "package" story on an anti-drug campaign known as the Southern Oregon Meth Project. There's nothing wrong with community service campaigns. But when they begin to replace true hard news stories of the day, I have to ask myself if the tail is wagging the dog.
The story's introduction said the project leaders gathered to discuss the campaign's future. I intently listened to the story, expecting to hear some new development. Was there a new sponsor? Was the campaign being introduced into a new area? What specific new CHANGE had warranted an in-depth, follow-up story on the topic? But there wasn't any. The entire content of the story re-hashed information that had already been announced in countless previous stories.
In short, legitimate news of the day had been neglected, because management had deployed limited reporting resources to cover a self-promotional campaign.
I am happy to say that we still live in the United States of America where the First Amendment is considered a standard to live by. Nothing shall stand in the way of a free press. And if the news consumers do not feel they are obtaining objective news from one source, they are free to look to other sources.
The Winston Reporter will not be the only news source serving central Douglas County. But as long as I'm editor of the newspaper, it will be a voice of the people. My change of career may not be the same lateral move that Lou Grant made when he left the news director position at WJM-TV in Minneapolis to become city editor of the Los Angeles Tribune (all fictitious). But I look forward to retuning to Douglas County. I never really left.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
My Career With Dell
Background: Originally published February 28, 2007. I wrote another column about DELL computers' Roseburg call center, titled "Of Gnomes And Dell Interns," which has already been posted on my blog site. This is a separate column focusing on the lawsuit that was initiated by some DELL employees. DELL closed its Roseburg call center in August, 2007.
A plastic green lizard sits on the upper corner of my computer screen. I've had the cheap trinket since 2002. That's when I was working for the DELL computer call center in the North Roseburg Plaza. During the third week of training, new employees spent their time inside the training "queue." Whenever an employee sold a bonus item (printer, camera, three-year warranty, etc.) with a computer, the new employee received a "reward." The employee could choose a dime-store plastic figure from inside a box full of cheap merchandise. I chose the green lizard, because it most closely resembled a real animal. Perhaps it was the GEICO iguana?
The nine months I worked at DELL was one of the most challenging and stressful times in my life. Normally, I would feel embarrassed to leave an employer after working for them less than one year. But I actually felt proud that I had remained as long as I had at DELL. That's because more than two-thirds of the employees who began at the same time I did had left the company long before I had.
Not everyone could endure the twelve-hour shifts on rotating days of the week. But those who could were often weeded out if they failed to meet the company's unrealistic sales quotas. DELL would give employees the option of resigning before they were terminated. Most of the recent high-school graduates chose to resign, not realizing they could be eligible for unemployment if they remained until they were terminated.
The news was announced this past month that a group of DELL employees and former DELL employees had filed a lawsuit against the Fortune 500 company, alleging the Roseburg call center violated state and federal wage laws. The workers allege they were required to conduct company business, such as checking e-mails and calling back customers, before they actually began their work day of accepting phone calls to sell computers.
They allege DELL's convoluted computerized time-keeping system known as "KRONOS" did not record the total number of hours actually worked. As a former DELL employee, I can vouch for those allegations. DELL supervisors told employees not to log in to KRONOS until they were ready to take calls. That's because of the competitive nature of different "teams" inside the DELL call center.
Each team was in competition with the other teams. The team with the most sales got to choose the shifts they worked. That's why employee work hours were constantly changing. As different sales teams moved into higher ranking for computer sales, they were allowed to displace the working hours of other teams.
Employees didn't dare log in to KRONOS early. For one, they risked the wrath of upset team supervisors who didn't want their sales ratings to go down. But just as important, every minute OFF of KRONOS meant the time was not computed into a team's sales figures. Put simply, each minute on the clock was supposed to be spent selling computers. If an employee was logged into KRONOS while checking e-mails or returning customer calls, that kept team members from selling new units.
That's why many DELL customers often found it difficult to reach a sales consultant whom they had talked with earlier. If a sales associate couldn't sell a computer system to an undecided customer during the customer's first phone call, the sales associate usually didn't want to risk wasting more previous time calling back the customer.
Confused yet? If you are, then you know how many DELL sales employees felt. Most never questioned working off the clock. That's because DELL sales employees (when I worked there) were on salary. From my perspective, there was no such thing as on or off the clock. However, I began to question the legality of the Roseburg call center when I calculated my paychecks. If I divided the number of hours worked by the amount of money earned, it fell below minimum wage. Even if I factored only the KRONOS hours, and NOT include hours spent off the clock, I was still pulling in less than minimum wage.
I remember once asking DELL Human Resources Director Chrissy Rohrbaugh about the discrepancy. Even though I was a salaried employee, I believed Oregon labor laws still required me to receive at least minimum wage for all hours worked.
Rohrbaugh firmly told me DELL complied with all state and federal wage laws. She told me in a tone to suggest that I was a trouble-maker for even asking the question. It didn't matter if I were older than Rohrbaugh. It didn't matter that I had a bachelor degree. It didn't matter that I had prior supervisory experience working in Oregon and dealing with local wage and hour laws. No, DELL's human resources person gave me the impression the company was entitled to ask employees to work as many hours per day as they wanted, as many days of the week as they wanted, and employees should always feel guilty for never reaching the 95 percent quota that the sales associates never achieved.
Attorneys representing the DELL employees who filed the lawsuit claim hundreds of former DELL employees at the Roseburg call center are eligible for back pay, if their lawsuit is successful in court.
The plastic green lizard continues to sit on my computer screen. It doesn't remind me of the prospect of receiving back pay from my former employer. No, the green lizard reminds me that no matter how difficult a day I may be having, no matter how many setbacks I may have in live, I'm much better off now than I was working in the stressful Roseburg call center.
I'm proud that I survived nine months, longer than most of my co-workers. And I never passed out (fainted) from the stress, unlike one of my co-workers did during the Christmas season.
A plastic green lizard sits on the upper corner of my computer screen. I've had the cheap trinket since 2002. That's when I was working for the DELL computer call center in the North Roseburg Plaza. During the third week of training, new employees spent their time inside the training "queue." Whenever an employee sold a bonus item (printer, camera, three-year warranty, etc.) with a computer, the new employee received a "reward." The employee could choose a dime-store plastic figure from inside a box full of cheap merchandise. I chose the green lizard, because it most closely resembled a real animal. Perhaps it was the GEICO iguana?
The nine months I worked at DELL was one of the most challenging and stressful times in my life. Normally, I would feel embarrassed to leave an employer after working for them less than one year. But I actually felt proud that I had remained as long as I had at DELL. That's because more than two-thirds of the employees who began at the same time I did had left the company long before I had.
Not everyone could endure the twelve-hour shifts on rotating days of the week. But those who could were often weeded out if they failed to meet the company's unrealistic sales quotas. DELL would give employees the option of resigning before they were terminated. Most of the recent high-school graduates chose to resign, not realizing they could be eligible for unemployment if they remained until they were terminated.
The news was announced this past month that a group of DELL employees and former DELL employees had filed a lawsuit against the Fortune 500 company, alleging the Roseburg call center violated state and federal wage laws. The workers allege they were required to conduct company business, such as checking e-mails and calling back customers, before they actually began their work day of accepting phone calls to sell computers.
They allege DELL's convoluted computerized time-keeping system known as "KRONOS" did not record the total number of hours actually worked. As a former DELL employee, I can vouch for those allegations. DELL supervisors told employees not to log in to KRONOS until they were ready to take calls. That's because of the competitive nature of different "teams" inside the DELL call center.
Each team was in competition with the other teams. The team with the most sales got to choose the shifts they worked. That's why employee work hours were constantly changing. As different sales teams moved into higher ranking for computer sales, they were allowed to displace the working hours of other teams.
Employees didn't dare log in to KRONOS early. For one, they risked the wrath of upset team supervisors who didn't want their sales ratings to go down. But just as important, every minute OFF of KRONOS meant the time was not computed into a team's sales figures. Put simply, each minute on the clock was supposed to be spent selling computers. If an employee was logged into KRONOS while checking e-mails or returning customer calls, that kept team members from selling new units.
That's why many DELL customers often found it difficult to reach a sales consultant whom they had talked with earlier. If a sales associate couldn't sell a computer system to an undecided customer during the customer's first phone call, the sales associate usually didn't want to risk wasting more previous time calling back the customer.
Confused yet? If you are, then you know how many DELL sales employees felt. Most never questioned working off the clock. That's because DELL sales employees (when I worked there) were on salary. From my perspective, there was no such thing as on or off the clock. However, I began to question the legality of the Roseburg call center when I calculated my paychecks. If I divided the number of hours worked by the amount of money earned, it fell below minimum wage. Even if I factored only the KRONOS hours, and NOT include hours spent off the clock, I was still pulling in less than minimum wage.
I remember once asking DELL Human Resources Director Chrissy Rohrbaugh about the discrepancy. Even though I was a salaried employee, I believed Oregon labor laws still required me to receive at least minimum wage for all hours worked.
Rohrbaugh firmly told me DELL complied with all state and federal wage laws. She told me in a tone to suggest that I was a trouble-maker for even asking the question. It didn't matter if I were older than Rohrbaugh. It didn't matter that I had a bachelor degree. It didn't matter that I had prior supervisory experience working in Oregon and dealing with local wage and hour laws. No, DELL's human resources person gave me the impression the company was entitled to ask employees to work as many hours per day as they wanted, as many days of the week as they wanted, and employees should always feel guilty for never reaching the 95 percent quota that the sales associates never achieved.
Attorneys representing the DELL employees who filed the lawsuit claim hundreds of former DELL employees at the Roseburg call center are eligible for back pay, if their lawsuit is successful in court.
The plastic green lizard continues to sit on my computer screen. It doesn't remind me of the prospect of receiving back pay from my former employer. No, the green lizard reminds me that no matter how difficult a day I may be having, no matter how many setbacks I may have in live, I'm much better off now than I was working in the stressful Roseburg call center.
I'm proud that I survived nine months, longer than most of my co-workers. And I never passed out (fainted) from the stress, unlike one of my co-workers did during the Christmas season.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Where Is The Media Going?
Background: Originally published June 14, 2006. This was one of the few times in my life that my employer paid for a business trip, and I was excited to write about what I had learned in Portland.
Seventy-five percent of the American public do not consider the mainstream media to be credible. Many people also believe the media is more concerned with stories that increase ratings or profit margins, instead of reporting the actual news of the day. Such statistics from scientific polls can be found at the Pew Center For Civic Journalism (www.pewcenter.org).
International journalist and author Mort Rosenblum peppered a recent speech of his with some of those sobering figures, during a presentation in Portland. The Society of Professional Journalists and the Asian American Journalists Association invited Rosenblum to give his perspective on "Ethics and the Future of Journalism" at Concordia University.
Rosenblum recently lost his job with Associated Press due to AP's downsizing its foreign staff. The New York Times recently cut 500 positions. The Philadelphia Inquirer axed 75 jobs. The Los Angeles Times eliminated 85 workers. The list goes on.
Rosenblum stressed that when journalists aren't "there" to report the news, then the public isn't there. In the day age in which we live, where global annihilation could occur in a matter of hours, Rosenblum chastised the current media conglomerates who are cutting jobs in order to give shareholders a few extra cents per share.
Not only is the quality of news deteriorating due to the dismantling of journalism, but the industry itself is changing. Rosenblum suggested the day will come when television news and newspaper news are one and the same, and hard to distinguish from each other. Television stations now offer streaming video and updated news on their internet websites. Likewise, newspapers are now offering video on their internet websites.
Diane Stevenson, photo editor for the Salem Statesman Journal, was another guest speaker at the SPJ seminar in Portland. Two weeks ago, her photo department was given two video cameras to use. Not only do newspaper photographers now concentrate on quality still photos to be placed in print, but they're now concerned with video clips to place on their website with the goal of obtaining as many hits as possible.
When I was assigned last year to operate a KOBI-TV news bureau inside the Grants Pass Daily Courier, I was puzzled at first. It seemed like mixing oil and water. But such partnerships are likely to increase in the future, as both print and broadcast news operations struggle to compete against the unreliable, unsubstantiated blogs on the internet.
Just reflect on the recent inaccurate rumors that surfaced over an alleged military recruiter spitting incident at Roseburg High School, when people were believing something reported on the internet.
Multi-tasking is the key to any future job in journalism, whether it's print or broadcast. Some audience members at the Portland SPJ seminar expressed concern over diluting the quality of the product: Was it reasonable to expect one person to do more than one job and effectively serve the public?
At the time, I chuckled to myself. That's what I'd been doing working as a "one-man-band" reporter in southern Oregon the past 16 years.
Rosenblum's response had its usual blunt wit: "It doesn't matter whether you're using video cameras, a still camera, or writing a braille message on stone....the important part is the message."
The bottom line: Journalists need to be prepared to do more jobs as the technology enables people to multi-task. The important thing is to maintain jobs in all areas, especially foreign countries. Journalists don[t lose when their positions are cut in far-away places. The American public loses because it no longer understands why things are as they are in the world.
Seventy-five percent of the American public do not consider the mainstream media to be credible. Many people also believe the media is more concerned with stories that increase ratings or profit margins, instead of reporting the actual news of the day. Such statistics from scientific polls can be found at the Pew Center For Civic Journalism (www.pewcenter.org).
International journalist and author Mort Rosenblum peppered a recent speech of his with some of those sobering figures, during a presentation in Portland. The Society of Professional Journalists and the Asian American Journalists Association invited Rosenblum to give his perspective on "Ethics and the Future of Journalism" at Concordia University.
Rosenblum recently lost his job with Associated Press due to AP's downsizing its foreign staff. The New York Times recently cut 500 positions. The Philadelphia Inquirer axed 75 jobs. The Los Angeles Times eliminated 85 workers. The list goes on.
Rosenblum stressed that when journalists aren't "there" to report the news, then the public isn't there. In the day age in which we live, where global annihilation could occur in a matter of hours, Rosenblum chastised the current media conglomerates who are cutting jobs in order to give shareholders a few extra cents per share.
Not only is the quality of news deteriorating due to the dismantling of journalism, but the industry itself is changing. Rosenblum suggested the day will come when television news and newspaper news are one and the same, and hard to distinguish from each other. Television stations now offer streaming video and updated news on their internet websites. Likewise, newspapers are now offering video on their internet websites.
Diane Stevenson, photo editor for the Salem Statesman Journal, was another guest speaker at the SPJ seminar in Portland. Two weeks ago, her photo department was given two video cameras to use. Not only do newspaper photographers now concentrate on quality still photos to be placed in print, but they're now concerned with video clips to place on their website with the goal of obtaining as many hits as possible.
When I was assigned last year to operate a KOBI-TV news bureau inside the Grants Pass Daily Courier, I was puzzled at first. It seemed like mixing oil and water. But such partnerships are likely to increase in the future, as both print and broadcast news operations struggle to compete against the unreliable, unsubstantiated blogs on the internet.
Just reflect on the recent inaccurate rumors that surfaced over an alleged military recruiter spitting incident at Roseburg High School, when people were believing something reported on the internet.
Multi-tasking is the key to any future job in journalism, whether it's print or broadcast. Some audience members at the Portland SPJ seminar expressed concern over diluting the quality of the product: Was it reasonable to expect one person to do more than one job and effectively serve the public?
At the time, I chuckled to myself. That's what I'd been doing working as a "one-man-band" reporter in southern Oregon the past 16 years.
Rosenblum's response had its usual blunt wit: "It doesn't matter whether you're using video cameras, a still camera, or writing a braille message on stone....the important part is the message."
The bottom line: Journalists need to be prepared to do more jobs as the technology enables people to multi-task. The important thing is to maintain jobs in all areas, especially foreign countries. Journalists don[t lose when their positions are cut in far-away places. The American public loses because it no longer understands why things are as they are in the world.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Coos Bay World Article On Douglas County Politics
The following article was published in the Coos Bay World newspaper. I'm posting this on my blog because the subject was never printed in our local Roseburg News-Review newspaper. That's the same reason that I posted yesterday's blog entry featuring the Oregonian editorial on "double-dipping."
This just shows that journalism is a craft, not a science. Different reporters and editors place different emphasis on the same subject. There aren't necessarily any "right" or "wrong" answers in deciding which story to cover.
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This just shows that journalism is a craft, not a science. Different reporters and editors place different emphasis on the same subject. There aren't necessarily any "right" or "wrong" answers in deciding which story to cover.
-----------------------------------------------------
October 08, 2013 10:21 am • Larry Campbell, The World
A state House member running for Douglas County commissioner is getting an early start on his campaign. But in the process, his campaign and its manager may have skirted state elections law.
State Rep. Tim Freeman, R-Roseburg, filed as a candidate for county commissioner Sept. 12. To note the event, Betsy Schultz, the state House member’s chief of staff, sent a press release to various media outlets.
In fact, between Sept. 10 and Oct. 1, Schultz sent at least four email messages promoting Freeman’s campaign, all from an email account belonging to his campaign. All emails were sent during normal working hours.
Schultz also made phone calls to various news representatives on behalf of the campaign, also during what would be considered normal working hours.
State elections law specifically forbids any state employee from participating in political campaigning unless they do so on their own time, Tony Green, communications director for Secretary of State Kate Brown said Monday.
Green added that the secretary has received no complaint concerning Freeman or Schultz and that no investigation is currently being conducted.
Freeman explained Monday that state legislative workers often find their time divided between state duties and campaigning during election seasons. But he has always tried to maintain a clear delineation between the two.
“We try to get it right,” he said. “If it’s not clear, I definitely want it to be clear.”
By telephone Monday, Schultz explained to The World that she has been splitting her time between her chief of staff duties and as campaign manager. She said that her part-time status with the state takes between 10 and 20 hours a week.
“I was working back and forth,” she said. “I can understand that might be confusing.”
Freeman said Schultz is being paid $2,000 a month for her campaign work and $850 a month for her state duties as chief of staff.
Both Freeman and Schultz said all emails were sent on her own time from her personal computer.
But as to the signature identifying her as chief of staff?
“It sounds like I’m going to have to go back and change what needs to be changed,” she said.
Freeman concurred.
“We’ll go back and take a look and make changes if necessary,” he said.
Freeman is completing a third term in the state House. The seat he’s running for is currently held by Commissioner Joe Laurance, who announced in March that he will not seek re-election.
The only other person who has filed for commission Seat 2 is Dale R. Rogers of Myrtle Creek, a former welder and heavy equipment operator and currently a municipal court bailiff. Rogers has no prior government experience.
As a representative, Freeman currently earns $21,936 a year. Douglas County commissioners earn $75,940 a year. But money isn’t the reason he won’t return to the House.
“I just decided I want more time with my wife and kids,” Freeman said. “My son’s 17 now and my daughter’s in college. I just miss them and want more time around here.”
Freeman said he will not run for state House again.
Freeman became known statewide for introducing some attention-grabbing issues into House discourse. In 2011, he got the House to adopt the “Code of the West,” a set of principles from the book, “Cowboy Ethics.” He also introduced a measure earlier this year to invalidate federal firearms restrictions in the state.
A state House member running for Douglas County commissioner is getting an early start on his campaign. But in the process, his campaign and its manager may have skirted state elections law.
State Rep. Tim Freeman, R-Roseburg, filed as a candidate for county commissioner Sept. 12. To note the event, Betsy Schultz, the state House member’s chief of staff, sent a press release to various media outlets.
In fact, between Sept. 10 and Oct. 1, Schultz sent at least four email messages promoting Freeman’s campaign, all from an email account belonging to his campaign. All emails were sent during normal working hours.
Schultz also made phone calls to various news representatives on behalf of the campaign, also during what would be considered normal working hours.
State elections law specifically forbids any state employee from participating in political campaigning unless they do so on their own time, Tony Green, communications director for Secretary of State Kate Brown said Monday.
Green added that the secretary has received no complaint concerning Freeman or Schultz and that no investigation is currently being conducted.
Freeman explained Monday that state legislative workers often find their time divided between state duties and campaigning during election seasons. But he has always tried to maintain a clear delineation between the two.
“We try to get it right,” he said. “If it’s not clear, I definitely want it to be clear.”
By telephone Monday, Schultz explained to The World that she has been splitting her time between her chief of staff duties and as campaign manager. She said that her part-time status with the state takes between 10 and 20 hours a week.
“I was working back and forth,” she said. “I can understand that might be confusing.”
Freeman said Schultz is being paid $2,000 a month for her campaign work and $850 a month for her state duties as chief of staff.
Both Freeman and Schultz said all emails were sent on her own time from her personal computer.
But as to the signature identifying her as chief of staff?
“It sounds like I’m going to have to go back and change what needs to be changed,” she said.
Freeman concurred.
“We’ll go back and take a look and make changes if necessary,” he said.
Freeman is completing a third term in the state House. The seat he’s running for is currently held by Commissioner Joe Laurance, who announced in March that he will not seek re-election.
The only other person who has filed for commission Seat 2 is Dale R. Rogers of Myrtle Creek, a former welder and heavy equipment operator and currently a municipal court bailiff. Rogers has no prior government experience.
As a representative, Freeman currently earns $21,936 a year. Douglas County commissioners earn $75,940 a year. But money isn’t the reason he won’t return to the House.
“I just decided I want more time with my wife and kids,” Freeman said. “My son’s 17 now and my daughter’s in college. I just miss them and want more time around here.”
Freeman said he will not run for state House again.
Freeman became known statewide for introducing some attention-grabbing issues into House discourse. In 2011, he got the House to adopt the “Code of the West,” a set of principles from the book, “Cowboy Ethics.” He also introduced a measure earlier this year to invalidate federal firearms restrictions in the state.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Planes, Trains, And Buses
Background: Originally published June 28, 2006.
PLANES
The first B17 that landed at the Roseburg airport was during the summer of 1992. I was happy to see a "flying fortress" touch down in Roseburg. But I was sad that it was too late for my father to see, who had passed away six months earlier. At least my dad, who had been a B17 tail gunner in World War II, had the chance to see a B17 several years earlier at Eugene's Mahlon Sweet Airport.
Since 1992, B17s from the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force ("Sentimental Journey") and from the Collings Foundation ("Nine-o-Nine") have flown into Roseburg several different years. Earlier this month, Nine-o-Nine and "Witchcraft," its sister B-24 "liberator" from the Collings Foudation, arrived in Medford for a two-day visit.
A Collings official told me it costs $4,000 per hour, per plane, to keep Nine-o-Nine and Witchcraft in the air. While both planes are impeccably cared for with spare parts to keep them running another 15 years, officials don't know how much longer they'll have enough money to keep their living history museums in the air.
The decision on which airports to visit is often based on public demand and support for the historical planes. People interested in learning more about the aircraft, or soliciting the organizations to return to southern Oregon, can contact the groups below:
B17 Sentimental Journey
Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force
2017 North Greenfield Road
Mesa, Arizona 85215 (480) 924-1940
B17 Nine-o-Nine and B24 Witchcraft
The Collings Foundation
P.O. Box 248
Stow, Massachusetts 01775 (978) 562-9182
TRAINS AND BUSES
The same day the vintage WWII aircraft were in Medford, an Amtrak motor coach rolled into town. Officials from the Medford Chamber of Commerce, Rogue Valley Transit District, and the California Department of Transportation held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate their new bus-to-rail service. Much to my chagrin, I discovered afterwards the "new" service had actually been up and running during the previous two months!
The new Amtrak motor coach is plush, at a cost of more than $400,000 per bus. The bus departs the downtown Medford RVTD terminal at 8:10a.m. After stops in Ashland, Yreka, Weed, and Dunsmuir, the bus pulls into the Sacramento Amtrak depot at 3:55p.m.
Initially, I was somewhat puzzled as to why someone would ride a bus for nearly eight hours in order to catch a train, especially when the Amtrak depot at Dunsmuir is much closer than Sacramento. My memory recalled Amtrak's Coast Starlight runs from Seattle to Los Angeles, making stops in Eugene, Klamath Falls, and Dunsmuir.
The Cal-Trans official explained to me the Coast Starlight passes through Dunsmuir in the middle of the night, making it unattractive for people to make bus connections. But the bus service leaves Medford early in the day, connecting with Sacramento's "San Joaquin" train with its great departure time of 4:25p.m.
So I asked what destination does the San Joaquin train serve out of Sacramento? Answer: The inland valley down through Fresno ending at Bakersfield.
So people will ride a bush nearly eight hours from Medford, simply to board a train that dead-ends in Bakersfield? What about people who want to travel all the way to Los Angeles? Answer: They can get of the train at Bakersfield and board ANOTHER Amtrak motor coach bush over the "grave vine" pass down into Los Angeles.
At this point, I had to ask the Amtrak official who was present, why didn't people simply board the Coast Starlight at Sacramento and ride it all the way along the coast via Oakland, Santa Monica, and into Los Angeles? Answer: To go from Sacramento to Los Angeles, the Amtrak motor coach bus option from Bakersfield was quicker than riding the Coast Starlight from Sacramento to Los Angeles.
I now have a greater appreciation as to why there is no passenger train service through Roseburg, Grants Pass, and Medford. Interestingly, the Cal-Trans official told me 70 percent of their train passengers in the San Joaquin valley utilize the Amtrak motor coach service, which connects to 200 communities around California (and now two communities in Oregon: Medford and Ashland). Time will tell if southern Oregon residents respond the same way as their California neighbors, and utilize the new Medford to Sacramento motor coach.
For those who don't, the Coast Starlight can still be boarded at Eugene, Klamath Falls, or Dunsmuir....as long as one doesn't mind boarding it in the middle of the night. But I don't see why people should mind that? I still have vivid memories of my parents waking me at 3:00 in the morning in Oakland, so that we could meet family members at the Portland airport arriving on an early morning flight.
PLANES
The first B17 that landed at the Roseburg airport was during the summer of 1992. I was happy to see a "flying fortress" touch down in Roseburg. But I was sad that it was too late for my father to see, who had passed away six months earlier. At least my dad, who had been a B17 tail gunner in World War II, had the chance to see a B17 several years earlier at Eugene's Mahlon Sweet Airport.
Since 1992, B17s from the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force ("Sentimental Journey") and from the Collings Foundation ("Nine-o-Nine") have flown into Roseburg several different years. Earlier this month, Nine-o-Nine and "Witchcraft," its sister B-24 "liberator" from the Collings Foudation, arrived in Medford for a two-day visit.
A Collings official told me it costs $4,000 per hour, per plane, to keep Nine-o-Nine and Witchcraft in the air. While both planes are impeccably cared for with spare parts to keep them running another 15 years, officials don't know how much longer they'll have enough money to keep their living history museums in the air.
The decision on which airports to visit is often based on public demand and support for the historical planes. People interested in learning more about the aircraft, or soliciting the organizations to return to southern Oregon, can contact the groups below:
B17 Sentimental Journey
Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force
2017 North Greenfield Road
Mesa, Arizona 85215 (480) 924-1940
B17 Nine-o-Nine and B24 Witchcraft
The Collings Foundation
P.O. Box 248
Stow, Massachusetts 01775 (978) 562-9182
TRAINS AND BUSES
The same day the vintage WWII aircraft were in Medford, an Amtrak motor coach rolled into town. Officials from the Medford Chamber of Commerce, Rogue Valley Transit District, and the California Department of Transportation held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate their new bus-to-rail service. Much to my chagrin, I discovered afterwards the "new" service had actually been up and running during the previous two months!
The new Amtrak motor coach is plush, at a cost of more than $400,000 per bus. The bus departs the downtown Medford RVTD terminal at 8:10a.m. After stops in Ashland, Yreka, Weed, and Dunsmuir, the bus pulls into the Sacramento Amtrak depot at 3:55p.m.
Initially, I was somewhat puzzled as to why someone would ride a bus for nearly eight hours in order to catch a train, especially when the Amtrak depot at Dunsmuir is much closer than Sacramento. My memory recalled Amtrak's Coast Starlight runs from Seattle to Los Angeles, making stops in Eugene, Klamath Falls, and Dunsmuir.
The Cal-Trans official explained to me the Coast Starlight passes through Dunsmuir in the middle of the night, making it unattractive for people to make bus connections. But the bus service leaves Medford early in the day, connecting with Sacramento's "San Joaquin" train with its great departure time of 4:25p.m.
So I asked what destination does the San Joaquin train serve out of Sacramento? Answer: The inland valley down through Fresno ending at Bakersfield.
So people will ride a bush nearly eight hours from Medford, simply to board a train that dead-ends in Bakersfield? What about people who want to travel all the way to Los Angeles? Answer: They can get of the train at Bakersfield and board ANOTHER Amtrak motor coach bush over the "grave vine" pass down into Los Angeles.
At this point, I had to ask the Amtrak official who was present, why didn't people simply board the Coast Starlight at Sacramento and ride it all the way along the coast via Oakland, Santa Monica, and into Los Angeles? Answer: To go from Sacramento to Los Angeles, the Amtrak motor coach bus option from Bakersfield was quicker than riding the Coast Starlight from Sacramento to Los Angeles.
I now have a greater appreciation as to why there is no passenger train service through Roseburg, Grants Pass, and Medford. Interestingly, the Cal-Trans official told me 70 percent of their train passengers in the San Joaquin valley utilize the Amtrak motor coach service, which connects to 200 communities around California (and now two communities in Oregon: Medford and Ashland). Time will tell if southern Oregon residents respond the same way as their California neighbors, and utilize the new Medford to Sacramento motor coach.
For those who don't, the Coast Starlight can still be boarded at Eugene, Klamath Falls, or Dunsmuir....as long as one doesn't mind boarding it in the middle of the night. But I don't see why people should mind that? I still have vivid memories of my parents waking me at 3:00 in the morning in Oakland, so that we could meet family members at the Portland airport arriving on an early morning flight.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Is Doug Robertson Double-Dipping His Retirement?
The following is an Oregonian newspaper editorial. It explains how recent legislation would increase the number of elected officials who can "double dip": collect income from both public-sector paychecks and PERS retirement benefits. Let's see if the Roseburg News-Review gets around to investigating this story, which apparently originates with Douglas County Commissioner Doug Robertson.
We’ve learned a few things since last month, when we wrote about a proposal that would expand the number of elected county officials who may collect both public-sector paychecks and PERS retirement benefits. The first thing we learned is that there is, in fact, something that state lawmakers of both parties will cross the aisle happily to support. The second, unfortunately, is that it’s rank cronyism.
The proposal is now a bill with four co-sponsors. In addition to Rep. Margaret Doherty, D-Tigard, who submitted it in the form of a legislative concept during last month’s legislative days, the following people have attached their names to House Bill 4001: Rep. Bill Kennemer, R-Oregon City, and Sens. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, and Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene.
What is it that can get a Portland-area Democrat to hold hands, legislatively speaking, with a Roseburg Republican? Helping other elected officials double dip, that’s what. HB4001 would expand an exception to a state law that prohibits people elected to full-time, salaried state and local offices from double-dipping. Currently, only such office-holders in counties with fewer than 75,000 may engage in the lucrative practice. The reason for the loophole, as Doherty explained indelicately last month, as that “it’s very difficult to get good public servants to run for office” in such lightly populated areas.
HB4001 would move the population cutoff to 110,000 residents, drawing half a dozen new counties into the double-dip fold. They are Benton, Josephine, Polk, Umatilla, Yamhill and, the biggest of the group, Douglas, where about 107,000 people live. Doherty told us last month that the double-dipping expansion was drawn up deliberately to include Douglas County, and that it was designed to help one person in particular. She claimed not to know the intended beneficiary, though, and said she would “prefer not to say” who pushed for the legal change.
Doherty isn’t the only sponsor with incomplete knowledge about the bill. Kennemer, whom we spoke to last month, was fuzzy on the details, as was Kruse, who said he signed on because Prozanski asked him to. Both Kruse and Prozanski represent parts of Douglas County.
When he finally returned our calls late last week, Prozanski identified the elected official on whose behalf he and his bipartisan rubber-stamp gang would like to change PERS law: Douglas County Commissioner Doug Robertson. He has “done a lot of good work down there,” said Prozanski last week of Robertson, who’s been employed as a commissioner in Douglas County since Jan. 5, 1981 and now earns about $75,000 per year. Robertson did not return calls for comment.
Prozanski points specifically to the work Robertson has done on land-management issues, to which end he serves as president of the Association of O&C Counties. “Basically, he has been one of the top people in the nation dealing with public lands and the impact at the local level,” Prozanski said. “For me, I didn’t see where this would hurt to have an individual such as him be able to stay in county government and be able to draw on PERS, where we already have a model for that to occur.” That model is the double-dipping loophole with the 75,000-resident cutoff.
Prozanski says the proposal that became HB4001 was brought to him by “a person who deals on a professional level” with Robertson. Who is it? Prozanski refused to say, but allowed that he (or she) told Prozanski that two or three other people might benefit as well. In fact, boosting the double-dip cutoff to 110,000 residents would benefit many people in future years who hold affected offices in half a dozen counties as long as the office-holders are in a position to collect PERS pension benefits.
The good news is that HB4001 appears to be going nowhere. Prozanski told us Thursday that he’d been told it was dead. The bad news is that Prozanski and his yes-gang seem to be completely out of touch with the people they serve – at least those who don’t hold elective county office. Lawmakers last year limited the growth of PERS payments for thousands of current and future retirees. Yet here come four lawmakers with a plan to turn the retirement system into a pre-retirement perk for a fellow elected official and, incidentally, similarly situated people in half a dozen counties. Did they really think Oregonians would consider this a great idea?
If so, we have a slightly damaged health exchange website they might want to buy.
We’ve learned a few things since last month, when we wrote about a proposal that would expand the number of elected county officials who may collect both public-sector paychecks and PERS retirement benefits. The first thing we learned is that there is, in fact, something that state lawmakers of both parties will cross the aisle happily to support. The second, unfortunately, is that it’s rank cronyism.
The proposal is now a bill with four co-sponsors. In addition to Rep. Margaret Doherty, D-Tigard, who submitted it in the form of a legislative concept during last month’s legislative days, the following people have attached their names to House Bill 4001: Rep. Bill Kennemer, R-Oregon City, and Sens. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, and Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene.
What is it that can get a Portland-area Democrat to hold hands, legislatively speaking, with a Roseburg Republican? Helping other elected officials double dip, that’s what. HB4001 would expand an exception to a state law that prohibits people elected to full-time, salaried state and local offices from double-dipping. Currently, only such office-holders in counties with fewer than 75,000 may engage in the lucrative practice. The reason for the loophole, as Doherty explained indelicately last month, as that “it’s very difficult to get good public servants to run for office” in such lightly populated areas.
HB4001 would move the population cutoff to 110,000 residents, drawing half a dozen new counties into the double-dip fold. They are Benton, Josephine, Polk, Umatilla, Yamhill and, the biggest of the group, Douglas, where about 107,000 people live. Doherty told us last month that the double-dipping expansion was drawn up deliberately to include Douglas County, and that it was designed to help one person in particular. She claimed not to know the intended beneficiary, though, and said she would “prefer not to say” who pushed for the legal change.
Doherty isn’t the only sponsor with incomplete knowledge about the bill. Kennemer, whom we spoke to last month, was fuzzy on the details, as was Kruse, who said he signed on because Prozanski asked him to. Both Kruse and Prozanski represent parts of Douglas County.
When he finally returned our calls late last week, Prozanski identified the elected official on whose behalf he and his bipartisan rubber-stamp gang would like to change PERS law: Douglas County Commissioner Doug Robertson. He has “done a lot of good work down there,” said Prozanski last week of Robertson, who’s been employed as a commissioner in Douglas County since Jan. 5, 1981 and now earns about $75,000 per year. Robertson did not return calls for comment.
Prozanski points specifically to the work Robertson has done on land-management issues, to which end he serves as president of the Association of O&C Counties. “Basically, he has been one of the top people in the nation dealing with public lands and the impact at the local level,” Prozanski said. “For me, I didn’t see where this would hurt to have an individual such as him be able to stay in county government and be able to draw on PERS, where we already have a model for that to occur.” That model is the double-dipping loophole with the 75,000-resident cutoff.
Prozanski says the proposal that became HB4001 was brought to him by “a person who deals on a professional level” with Robertson. Who is it? Prozanski refused to say, but allowed that he (or she) told Prozanski that two or three other people might benefit as well. In fact, boosting the double-dip cutoff to 110,000 residents would benefit many people in future years who hold affected offices in half a dozen counties as long as the office-holders are in a position to collect PERS pension benefits.
The good news is that HB4001 appears to be going nowhere. Prozanski told us Thursday that he’d been told it was dead. The bad news is that Prozanski and his yes-gang seem to be completely out of touch with the people they serve – at least those who don’t hold elective county office. Lawmakers last year limited the growth of PERS payments for thousands of current and future retirees. Yet here come four lawmakers with a plan to turn the retirement system into a pre-retirement perk for a fellow elected official and, incidentally, similarly situated people in half a dozen counties. Did they really think Oregonians would consider this a great idea?
If so, we have a slightly damaged health exchange website they might want to buy.
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