Salem-News.com Salem articles Page 53

Occupy Salem Forum: Bhutan`s Gross National Happiness - Slated for March 7

Occupy Salem is the local manifestation of the international Occupy Movement.

(SALEM) - Gross National Happiness, rather than Gross National Product (GNP), is the national goal of the small Himalayan country of Bhutan.

Occupy Salem member Laurie Dougherty recently visited Bhutan and will present what she learned about this remarkable concept in an exclusive presentation on March 7 at 7 p.m. in the Oregon PeaceWorks office.

Raging Fire Destroys Salem Rural Property

"Ash Wednesday, and I've got a pile of ashes right now" - property owner, Dennis Boettcher

(SALEM) - This photo essay by Jerry Freeman tells the story of a rural, multiple alarm fire that fortunately, resulted in no injuries.

The property owner, Dennis Boettcher, is a disabled Vietnam Veteran. He was kind enough to talk about the loss from a fire that developed when he was picking his wife Joyce up at the Portland airport.

Senate Approves Help for Struggling Senior Homeowners

HB 4039 modifies Senior and Disabled Property Tax Deferral Program.

(SALEM) - Lawmakers in Oregon have approved legislation providing some vulnerable seniors and disabled homeowners more time to remain on the Senior and Disabled Property Tax Deferral program.

In order to protect the solvency of the program, changes were made in 2011 that reduced the number of qualified participants by half, but left many disqualified homeowners with sudden tax bills that they were unprepared to pay.

Prompt Pay Bill Will Help Small Businesses Cover Bottom Line

HB 4034 will improve conditions for sub-contractors to get paid.

(SALEM) - A bill that makes several revisions to the public construction law that oversees requirements between a contractor and a first-tier subcontractor received unanimous support in the Senate this week.

House Bill 4034 ensures that contractors can’t use paper work changes as a reason not to pay subcontractors in a timely fashion.

Turkish American Legislative Dialogue and Friendship Dinner

The West American Turkic Council is an umbrella organization committed to the advancement of interactions between American and Turkish, Turkic and Eurasian people.

(SALEM, Ore.) - On Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012, Rosegarden Turkish American Cultural Center in cooperation with The West American Turkic Council, will be hosting the 2nd Annual Turkish-American Legislative Dialogue and Friendship Dinner.

The dinner will be held at the Montag Den Hall of the Willamette University and co-hosted by Representative Jules Bailey and Representative Tim Freeman.

Deputies & Dogs Search for Missing Silverton Man

An additional search & rescue group is being organized for tomorrow if he isn’t located before dark.

(SALEM) - Marion County deputies are using tracking dogs and 4-wheel drive Jeeps in an effort to locate a Silverton man who has been missing since yesterday afternoon.

On Wednesday evening, a hiker spotted a 1992 Toyota Camry sedan stuck in the mud on Crooked Finger Road, about 12 miles east of Scotts Mills. He called 911 and deputies were dispatched to check out the car.

Foreclosure Legislation Approved by Senate

Two bills will help Oregonians struggling to keep their homes.

(SALEM) - With the foreclosure crisis continuing to hit Oregon’s middle class families hard, the Senate took action this morning on two priority bills that will help homeowners who are facing foreclosure.

The bills, Senate Bills SB 1552 and SB 1564, received bipartisan support and now head to the House for consideration.

BLM Sells Timber in Yamhill and Clackamas Counties

There were no bidders on the 1,052 MBF Cruiser Fly Timber Sale in Tillamook County and on the 279 MBF Rockhouse Timber Sale in Polk County.

(SALEM) - Approximately 7,623 thousand board feet (MBF) of timber was offered for sale at oral auction by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Salem District on Wednesday, February 15. Two of the four timber sales offered were sold for a total of $2,006,108.

The Wilkenson Timber Sale of 3,276 MBF, located in Yamhill County, was purchased by Banks Timber-LLC for $1,031,940.

Bill Clarifying Tax Assessment Gives Certainty to Data Centers

“Facebook bill” will give Oregon another tool to attract business to state.

( SALEM) - The Oregon Senate approved legislation this morning that quickly responds to concerns of some large data centers located in enterprise zones.

SB 1532 clarifies that Facebook’s Central Oregon data center is not subject to central assessment. The group brought the billion dollar company and over 55 permanent jobs to central Oregon.

Nearly 80 Oregon Prison Inmates Died Between 2010-2011- Most `Unreported` Says AP

AP reports: "Most Oregon prison deaths unreported to public; 79 inmates died in custody on 2010-2011".

(SALEM) - A new story about Oregon prison deaths by The AP; Most Oregon prison deaths unreported to public; 79 inmates died in custody on 2010-2011 confirms many things we have reported.

All manner of Oregon prison deaths have not been reported to the public and they won't be in the future, Oregon officials say.