On Wednesday morning, Republican state treasurer candidate Allen Alley challenged Democratic nominee Ben Westlund to a series of five debates. On Wednesday afternoon, Westlund called Alley's bet and raised him by five.
It's not clear what the legal effect of Crook County's overwhelming vote against destination resorts will be, but it might make public officials all over Central Oregon want to hesitate before throwing open the gates for more of them.
Republican business executive Allen Alley threw down the gauntlet to Ben Westlund today, challenging his rival for the state treasurer's job to a series of debates.
Hatchet marks serve as historical reminders.The march of time has erased most of the Huntington Wagon Road. The shifting desert sand has long since filled in the wagon ruts. The few artifacts left behind by travelers on this early north-south route through Oregon are now encased behind museum glass at the Des Chutes Historical Center. But the land betrays a few signs of its former life.
The gnarled trunks of several junipers bear the scars of their function as road markers, hacked into by the hatchets of primitive road builders to mark the route for those that would follow. The hatchet marks, known as "blazes" are etched into several trees along the roughly mile-long stretch of Huntington Road, one of the few clues to the road’s role as a critical supply route during the last Indian uprising in Oregon and Northern California, The Modoc War.
Thanks to the work of local historians, the significance of this particular stretch is well documented; bullet shells, ox shoes and metal shirt buttons are just some of the Civil War-era items recovered from the site.
Barack Obama's decisive 16-percentage-point victory in the Oregon primary gave him a majority of the pledged delegates at the upcoming Democratic convention, but its big significance might have been in showing that he can appeal to white working-class voters.
There's a bombshell of a story in this morning's Oregonian describing the spectacular crash-and-burn of one of the Central Oregon real estate boom's high rollers who the paper reports is now under investigation by the FBI and the IRS.
The prolonged contest for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination has brought hundreds of thousands of new voters into the party's ranks. That could be bad news for Republicans seeking re-election in November - including, maybe, one Republican in Bend.
It's 9am and the local press is anxious. It's been 40 years since the last presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy, visited Central Oregon and Barack Obama will be here any minute. Gulping organic coffee and checking lenses, "Change We Can Believe In" badges pinned to our chests, the bran muffins go ignored.
Across the lot, PV Powered employees huddle together, a brisk wind keeping jackets zipped, overtime conversation close. They're the first for Secret Service, electronic devices aside as the magic wand swipes over bodies. They enter, but we aren't allowed: "Thank you, now stand over there - Again."
And then the bus arrives - not Barack's black world-tour barge but the traveling press. Reuters and NBC, bloggers, months into this morass and better equipped, CNN and ABC bring small stepladders, wear laminated badges reading "Fired Up! Ready to go!" and "Camp Pain 2008." They sprint for the caffeine. The bran muffins still go untouched.
To my right is Jessica Slider, staring off at the three towers of the Old Mill, the Stars and Stripes swaying on high. Doing video stills and new media for the campaign since February 2007 and promoted to the plane only recently, "I feel good." she replies when asked. Grateful that she'll be home tomorrow, in Chicago for a well-deserved Mother's Day off, she then she looks about nervously - as if her personal welfare isn't approved for release. "I really shouldn't be on the record." she apologizes then disappears.
Moments later, I get the expected pat on the back, "Hi! Don't I know you?"
"No." Seeing the short, energetic man-child all too eager to know me. It's Nick Shapiro, Oregon communications director for the Obama campaign. Jessica did the requisite handoff; Nick wants to be on the record.
Steve Novick is seeing red over a remark by a Jeff Merkley aide comparing Novick's Portland supporters to old-line Soviet Communists.
The Eye likes to check in on right-wing gasbag Lars Larson every so often to make sure he's performing at his usual level of idiocy. We took a peek at his latest entry on the Oregon Catalyst blog this morning, and his fans can rest easy - he's still at the top of his game.
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