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WINNERS 1. Christmas will come in April for 400 local low-income families. The New York-based Children's Scholarship Fund will give each of the families $5,000 to pay for private schooling for their kids over the next four years. Winners will be chosen by lottery. Half of the gift will come from the New York group; half will be raised locally through the Cascade Policy Institute. Parents can call (800) 805-KIDS for more details. 2. Oregonian reporter Alex Pulaski's series on Oregon's farmworkers caught the attention of state Democratic senators. Thanks to the articles, the Dems held an informal hearing and grilled state regulators about horrible housing conditions and child labor in Oregon's fields. 3. For the second year in a row, a group of heating, air-conditioning and ventilation contractors got together last Saturday and fixed furnaces for senior citizens, many of whom would otherwise have been cold this winter. Tim Hodgson of Larry & Chuck's Heating Service organized the day-long effort. All parts and labor were donated for the 40 homes serviced.
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LOSERS 1. Robert Liberty and 1000 Friends of Oregon, one of Oregon's most influential environmental groups, came out against Ballot Measure 64, which would ban clear-cutting. In a press release issued last week, 1000 Friends said the measure's "excessive" restrictions might prompt timber owners to sell their land to developers. 2. Oregon's residential electricity customers lost out
in a recent Bonneville Power Administration proposal. According to the
Oregon Public Utility Commission, the BPA plans to weaken its commitment
to residential customers--customers it is obligated to serve--by diverting
some cheap, available electricity to large industrial customers like
aluminum companies in Vancouver. 3. An FDA warning alleging 10 quality control violations at Beaverton-based Epitope--the company that manufactures the HIV test OraSure--made its way onto the Internet last week. Epitope's shares dropped 25 cents.
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originally published September 30, 1998