BY SARAH ROSS PRINEVILLE- The social networking giant, Facebook, announced on Thursday that it soon will be breaking ground on a new data center in Prineville, just north of Bend. The facility, expected to create more than 200 jobs during its yearlong construction phase, will bring an additional 35 full time, high tech jobs once [...]

BY SARAH ROSS SALEM- The state’s unemployment situation remains bleak with 11 percent of Oregon workers out of jobs, the state reported this week. The report showed some gains in the private sector and the manufacturing sector but listed a total of 209,576 Oregonians unemployed in December, up from 173,121 unemployed in December 2008. Gov.Ted [...]

BY SARAH ROSS SALEM- During Friday’s State of the Courts address at the Mission Mill Museum in Salem, Chief Justice Paul De Muniz addressed the extreme budgetary crisis his court system has endured and will continue to endure in the coming year. De Muniz pointed out that even though the judicial branch comprises less than [...]

BY SARAH ROSS OREGON CITY- Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) drew major criticism and little praise from constituents Thursday night at the Willamette Falls Medical Center for his health care vote last summer. During the ninety-minute town hall gathering, almost every question Schrader fielded was about the subject of health care. While there were a few [...]

BY SARAH ROSS MOLALLA- Despite the passage of health care legislation in the Senate over a week ago, controversy on the matter took center stage at Sen. Ron Wyden’s (D-OR) town hall in Molalla on Tuesday. Numerous questions about the bill were presented to the Senator, including how the legislation would affect Veteran’s benefits, how [...]

These maps from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the rise in Oregon’s unemployment rates since 2007. BY SARAH ROSS

By SARAH ROSS SALEM- Governor Ted Kulongoski announced on Thursday that he and Attorney General John Kroger intend to oppose the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s authorization of the Jordan Cove Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility and pipeline near Coos Bay. The facility would deliver up to 1 billion cubic feet of gas to consumers throughout [...]

BY SARAH ROSS   VANCOUVER- One of Oregon’s transportation officials, Gail Achterman, told citizens tonight that without a toll, the Columbia River Crossing project will not be a reality. During the final meeting of the Columbia River Crossing’s Tolling Study committee, the Washington State Department of Transportation presented their findings on various tolling options for [...]

BY SARAH ROSS   SALEM- Greater restrictions on Oregon’s virtual schools will now be presented to the Legislature in February. In the final meeting of Oregon’s Online Learning Task Force, the Task Force voted to approve its Legislative Concept 15, which will be introduced before the House Education Committee in February’s Interim Session. Despite concerns [...]

BY SARAH ROSS EUGENE- What could bring over 100 people to the Eugene Water and Electricity Board Building on a Tuesday evening? That would be Eugene’s Climate and Energy Action Plan public forum. This “feel-good” event, focused primarily on land use and transportation, is one in a series of forums designed to gain public input [...]