CHEERS for Corvallis’s own George Poinar Jr. He has found a legume in amber that has gone extinct. Why does that matter, you may ask? Because the legume in question was alive somewhere between 20 and 30 million years ago, proving that there was life fluttering and growing away on this here ball of dirt long before humans ever came to be. [Yay evolution… or extinction… maybe just yay for George again…]
PROUD APPLAUSE for Rep. Dan Rayfield. He was nominated by the Dems to be the next Speaker of the House, and since the Dems kinda sorta rule the roost in Salem right now [not that they’re better, just that they have the Supermajority thing happening still], he’ll probably win. So Corvallisites, let’s all just puff up with pride for a day or two, then go on with life.
MORE APPLAUSE for Congressman Peter DeFazio for keeping things moving in this last year of being our Rep. His newest thing is finding support for two acts that will offer better chances at higher education to all. Oh yeah, and to make sure those chances at education can actually be paid for by working on new financial aid rules that will ease the repayment process. They’re called the HIGHER ED (Helping Individuals Get a Higher Education while Reducing Education Debt) and AID (Achieving Independence through Degrees) Acts. DeFazio has also contributed to hundreds of scholarships as a way to give back, but that’s another story…
CHEERS to OSU Prez and Trustees for sitting down for a talk. We love a good chance to pick the brains of people in our community, and they are joining us next Tuesday night at 6:30 for just that picking. [BTW check out the link above if you wanna ask them something.]
FURROWED BROWS for two of our closest neighbors. Lane and Linn counties – plus four individuals – have filed lawsuits against Governor Kate Brown for releasing prisoners too soon. Nearly 1,000 inmates who had committed felony crimes as juveniles were released early or had their sentences shortened in an attempt to offer them a “meaningful opportunity to be released” to remedy what might be seen as too strict of sentencing laws. The counties feel that the victims in the cases were not given their right to be heard. [According to our records, these are the 1,000,201st and 1,00,202nd lawsuits filed against Brown this pandemic.]
CHEERS for Springfield’s McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center for finally coming up with a plan to keep their hospital workers covered by a contract. [For you math fanatics, finally = 2 strikes / 6 months + 1 contract.]
JEERS for people with guns shooting at concertgoers in Eugene. In case you had your head under heavily quilted covers like we wish ours were, one week ago someone shot six people during a Lil Bean + Zay Bang concert at the Woodmen of the World (WOW) Hall on W. 8th Ave. All six victims are in stable condition, although the shooter – described as a man in a hoodie – has not been found. If you have any information about this, call 541-682-5162.
DEEP SIGHS for the Oregon graduation rate in 2021. Only 80.6% of the seniors in state high schools graduated on time – 2% lower than in 2020. The Oregon Department of Education asks everyone to remember that this class bore the brunt of distance learning – they actually spent almost their entire senior year on a computer at home. [And for kids who didn’t manage to graduate, please keep going. That high school diploma is far more useful than you’ll ever know. Trust us on this one.]
SUPREME AND APPEALING CHEERS for new judges. On Wednesday, Gov. Kate Brown announced the appointments of four new state-level judges. Stepping up to the Oregon Supreme Court is Judge Roger J. DeHoog. And coming into the State Court of Appeals are judges Ramon A. Pagan, Kristina Hellman, and Anna M. Joyce. Congrats to all! May you preside in peaceful times. [Seriously! Peaceful!! We’re talking about “whether or not you can spit on sidewalks” times.]
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com