CHEERS for the five remarkable women who joined us on Tuesday to discuss the childcare desert that is the state, county, and [unfortunately] Corvallis. These five people knew more about what’s happening in childcare than our publisher – and, in younger days, he was a single dad running a parenting magazine. Not gonna lie, kids, it’s grim out there if you’re looking for a spot for little Johnny Jr. to learn and be safe while you work, but rather than go into it all here, why not let y’all listen to our experts. [If you’re not into watching video panels, you can read the highlights here]
FISTS IN THE AIR for the Linn Benton NAACP. Last weekend, the LB-NAACP walked from Franklin Square Park to the Corvallis Fred Meyer to demand the store chain treat Black shoppers and workers as equals. The dozens who marched chanted “all dollars don’t matter until Black dollars matter” and “no justice, no peace, no profit” and their LB-NAACP president Jason J. Dorsette said that Freddies has the responsibility to hit a “hard reset.” The good news was that Dorsette received an email from the store asking to meet.
EEK for the Eugene man who was caught trying to illegally import/export scorpions [yes, you read that right, we said scorpions]. Darren Dennis Drake paid hundreds of Euros [BTW 100 Euros equals $110.33 American] to illegally ship the “predatory arachnids” from Drake’s former home in Talent to Germany after failing to obtain a license to legally do this. Drake put the creepy crawlies in a box marked “chocolates” and sent them on their merry U.S. Postal Service way where the U.S. Customs and Border Protection folks intercepted them. [Our issue here goes beyond the degradation of the word chocolate by labeling scorpions with it and thumps directly into the two words that nobody wants to hear put together– predatory arachnids!]
CHARMING CHEEKY CHEERS for Jay Hall. The newest position in the Oregon Department of Justice has Hall prosecuting people who illegally kill wildlife. Yep, he’s the new Poaching Police Pro… the Dead Deer Defender… the Wandering Wolf Whisperer [okay, probably not that last one, but we ran out of alliterative ideas]. Anyway, in 2010 the Oregon State Police found a poaching ring that was responsible for the deaths of more than 300 deer and elk, and Hall prosecuted them, so the state thought they’d lure him out of Lane County and have him go after poachers from all across the state. [Here at The Advocate, we love critters of all kinds, and we’re very excited that the state is going all out to catch poachers. Best of luck, Mr. Hall!]
We’re tipping our heads and saying HMMMMM over an article in the Willamette Week. Seems they think a Republican stands a good chance at winning the governor’s race in November. In a “prayer service” held at a Salem strip-mall-church which encouraged anti-masking in defiance of Gov. Brown, the candidates hoping for that Grand-Old-Party nomination come May were each able to talk to the people. It led the WW to publish the line, “This year is their best shot, perhaps in four decades, to win the state’s highest office.” [We keep on tellin’ ya that it’s gonna get interestin’]
And now this…
CHEERS for Ammon Bundy. He is, truly, the gift that keeps on giving. What now, you might ask? Well, Bundy’s newest hit is “These Boots are Made for Walking Where I’m Not Supposed to be.” You see, this candidate to be Idaho’s next governor has been arrested [again] for trespassing in the hospital room of a severely malnourished infant near Boise. Bundy and his “followers” were in the room to support the parents… who are charged with letting their 10-month-old basically starve.
Unfortunately for those of us looking forward to his Prison Blues phase, Bundy had to leave the jail cell to attend his trial for [you guessed it] trespassing – although that was for going into the Idaho Capitol building… you know, that place where he wants to work. He was found guilty and given probation.
[You’ll remember Bundy from such past oldies-but-goldies as “Let’s Steal Away at the Malheur Refuge” and “These Arms are for Fighting for My Grazing Rights.”]
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