SALEM- A new joint agreement to save the northern spotted owl population was announced on Friday, amid some frustrations.

The Safe Harbor Agreement is a voluntary program designed to provide incentives for landowners and promote conservation efforts, as agreed upon by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Ever wondered the who, what, and how much of Oregon Government contracts? TheOregonPolitico.com has just launched a Oregon contract database for their GovDoc website.

PORTLAND- A room full of impassioned arguments and frustrated people was the scene at Tuesday night’s town hall at the St. John’s Community Center.

Focusing on the foreclosure crisis, the town hall was hosted by State Representative Tina Kotek, D-North Portland, and included a guest appearance by Congressman Earl Blumenauer, D-Portland.

SALEM- A Tuesday morning meeting at the Oregon State Library postponed to a future date a decision on expanding which gases can be included in the Oregon Carbon Dioxide Standard.

This meeting, the first to be held by the newly formed Energy Facility Siting Council’s Advisory Committee on Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Offsets, convened to address adding greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide to the Oregon Carbon Dioxide Standard.

SALEM- Timber harvests on private lands have hit their lowest harvest since the Great Depression while harvests on public lands are on the rise, according to a recent report issued by the Department of Forestry.

The report found that timber harvests in 2009 declined twenty percent from the already depressed 2008 harvest. In 2009, 2.748 billion board feet were harvested, which is the lowest harvest since 2.622 billion board feet were harvested during the Great Depression.

MEDFORD- The list of political action committees hoping to influence Oregon politics can add two new tax-focused groups to its ranks.

The new political action committees, although officially unrelated, were both created to promote lower taxes and fees.

PORTLAND- During a Friday conference call held by Republican Congressional hopefuls Scott Bruun of West Linn and Rob Cornilles of Tualatin to address rural Oregon, the two candidates discussed the fact that rural Oregon’s high unemployment rate exceeds that of most suburban and urban counties.

“There’s no question there’s an economic opportunity divide between, if you will, the west side and some of the rural parts of the east side,” said Bruun. “Bad macroeconomic conditions and policies affect every area, but if you’re already in an area that’s slightly oppressed, it’s even worse.”

PORTLAND- This mini documentary is part of a series on gun rights in Oregon. The Oregon Politico interviewed experts on both sides of the issue to get a complete understanding of the story.

CLICK TO SEE THE VIDEO

PORTLAND- During the past few weeks, complaints and accusations have been flooding in from both political parties on the improper use of phone calls to constituents in Senate Districts 19 and 20.

The two districts, which straddle the Interstate 5 corridor, stretch from Tualatin and Tigard on the west side to Oregon City and West Linn off Interstate 205.

SALEM- With just over a week to go before the August 26 revenue forecast, the State Economist and Governor Ted Kulongoski let slip that the $577 budget shortfall projected back in May likely will be adding an additional $200 to $500 million to its numbers.

“Given the information available, we estimate that the general fund revenue forecast will be down between $200 and $500 million,” wrote State Economist Tom Potiowsky in a memo sent to Gov. Kulongoski on August 11. “We stress this is a likely outcome and the final numbers could be outside the range.”