TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalCan Gov. Kate Brown Sell Oregonians On Her Vision For The State?
When Gov. Kate Brown was first swept into office by scandal, she benefited from comparisons to the man she was replacing, Gov. John Kitzhaber.
Reporters often characterized Kitzhaber as a lone wolf, a policy wonk, private.
Brown was different.
Shortly after Brown succeeded Kitzhaber, the New York Times wrote a glowing profile, noting her verve set her apart from her predecessor. She breezed through the Capitol hallways offering unsolicited “hellos” to people — greeting them by their first names. She hosted BBQs at Mahonia Hall, the governor’s mansion. When a member of the press corps had his first baby, the governor wrote a handwritten congratulatory note.
In other words, Brown was friendly, personable, accessible.
Read more: https://www.opb.org/news/article/kate-brown-oregon-governor-2018-race-democrat/
Environmental groups push to ban 'cyanide bombs' in Oregon
Nearly 100 private citizens and environmental groups in Oregon and beyond are pushing back against the use of cyanide capsules as a means of predator control.
In a letter sent in September to the state and federal agencies that use M-44 devices, which fire a burst of sodium cyanide poison when triggered, the groups called for a ban in Oregon. Other states in the West have already done that. The groups criticized the practice as being ineffective, undermanaged and dangerous to humans, pets and other animals.
“This is a no-brainer, and I still find it hard to believe that this is still going on,” said Brooks Fahy, executive director of the Oregon conservation nonprofit Predator Defense, one of the groups leading the effort.
M-44 devices — sometimes derogatorily called “cyanide bombs” — are small, spring-loaded devices designed to control populations of coyotes, foxes and wild dogs, according to material from Wildlife Services, a federal program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Read more: https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/6558653-151/environmental-groups-push-to-ban-cyanide-bombs-in
Oregon Capitol's famous cherry trees may get the ax
SALEM — The famous flowering cherry trees that bloom each spring in front of Oregon’s Capitol may get the ax.
State officials say the trees’ roots might be causing damage to the roof of the underground parking structure below and if so, the trees will need to be removed, The Statesman Journal reported.
The state Department of Administrative Services has hired a consultant to find out for sure and officials hope to have an answer by February, the newspaper said.
The double row of cherry trees has lined the mall since 1991, when the strip was excavated for the 1,200-space underground parking structure.
Read more: https://www.registerguard.com/news/20180930/oregon-capitols-famous-cherry-trees-may-get-ax
Barack Obama Endorses Oregon Gov. Kate Brown For Re-Election
Former President Barack Obama today endorsed Oregon Gov. Kate Brown in her increasingly narrow bid for reelection.
The boost comes as part of a national round of endorsements from Obama, who remains perhaps the most unifying figure in Democratic Party politics.
Brown finds herself in an unexpectedly close race against GOP opponent Rep. Knute Buehler (R-Bend). The race is considered a tossup by national pollsters.
In his endorsement, Obama praises Brown's response to the Umpqua Community College school shooting three years ago. A week after the shooting, Obama and Brown traveled to Roseburg to meet privately with bereaved families.
Read more: https://www.wweek.com/news/2018/10/01/barack-obama-endorses-oregon-gov-kate-brown-for-re-election/
Real Clear Politics Says the Oregon Governor's Race Now a "Tossup"
The race between incumbent Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, and her main challenger, state Rep. Knute Buehler (R-Bend) is tightening, according to the website Real Clear Politics.
Real Clear Politics aggregates polling data from around the country but also relies on a team of reporters and columnists for its content.
As is customary, neither Brown nor Buehler's campaigns is releasing polling at this point. Two recently released polls done independent of the campaigns yielded pretty different results..
A Hoffman Research poll done by Portlander Tim Nashif two weeks ago put Brown ahead by 10 points. A poll released this week by Leona Consulting, which works with GOP candidates, put Brown ahead by just one point, with a margin of error of 3.8 percent. That poll was done by Clout, an Ohio firm that gets low scores for accuracy.
Read more: https://www.wweek.com/news/2018/09/27/real-clear-politics-says-the-oregon-governors-race-now-a-tossup/
Knute Buehler Slams Kate Brown for Cover Oregon--But That Fiasco Ended Before She Became Governor
On the eve of the first debate between the two leading candidates for governor, the GOP challenger, Knute Buehler, is trying to make up a significant fundraising gap between himself and incumbent Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat.
A fundraising letter Buehler's campaign sent out recently included a line that caught the eye of alert recipients.
The letter listed a "long series of disappointments from Kate Brown." The last of the disappointments listed is "failed Cover Oregon websites."
Cover Oregon was the online health insurance portal the state of Oregon built to sign up new Medicaid patients following the passage of the Affordable Care Act, also know as Obamacare. From 2011, when lawmakers approved building Cover Oregon, until March 2015, when newly sworn-in Gov. Brown signed a bill officially abolishing it, the program failed spectacularly, at a cost of more than $300 million.
Read more: https://www.wweek.com/news/2018/09/29/knute-beuhler-hits-kate-brown-for-cover-oregon-but-that-fiasco-ended-before-she-became-governor/
Texas voter rolls grow to 15.6M ahead of midterm election
HOUSTON—Texas has set a new voter registration record of 15.6 million people ahead of the highly anticipated Senate race between Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke.
Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos told the Houston Chronicle that the state's voter rolls have grown by 1.6 million since the last midterm election in 2014.
Election records show that Texas has seen a 400,000-voter increase since March. The state on average added just over 100,000 voters a year between 2002 and 2014.
"Recently, we have heard from a number of county election officials who tell us they are witnessing voter registration rates and voter enthusiasm in a midterm year that we usually see before presidential-year elections, which is phenomenal," Pablos said. "On the whole, we are seeing Texans become more engaged, which is very healthy for the future of our state."
Read more: http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/texas/story/2018/sep/29/texas-voter-rolls-grow-156m-ahead-midterm-election/745524/
CDC testing for 'brain-eating amoeba' at BSR Surf Resort near Waco
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is testing at BSR Cable Park’s Surf Resort for Naegleria fowleri, which is commonly referred to as a “brain-eating amoeba,” officials said.
Kelly Craine, Waco-McLennan County Public Health District spokesperson, said the park voluntarily closed Friday pending the investigation. One person from out of state has been infected by the amoeba, and officials are investigating the source, Craine said.
Only four people out of 143 infected in the United States between 1962 and 2017 have survived, according to the CDC.
BSR Cable Park owner Stuart E. Parsons Jr. said BSR Surf Resort values its guests’ safety and will continue to comply with requests from the CDC and local health department in the investigation of the death of Fabrizio “Fab” Stabile.
Read more: https://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/cdc-testing-for-brain-eating-amoeba-at-bsr-surf-resort/article_bbdf0718-5c64-5566-b240-4c78b785cbc1.html
Rare bee discovered at National Butterfly Center
Two nature surveyors this month discovered a red-legged Toluca Leafcutter Bee at the National Butterfly Center in Mission. It’s the first time the bee species has been spotted in the U.S.
The Toluca Leafcutter Bee had been documented in Tamaulipas, Mexico, but American Museum of Natural History bee experts John Ascher and Jack Neff identified it in South Texas through photographs taken by surveyors Paula Sharp and Ross Eatman.
The bee was temporarily captured and released back to its home at the National Butterfly Center.
The male bee, which was found to use Texas snout bean as its food source, has not been documented anywhere else in the U.S. Leafcutter bees carry pieces of leaves to their egg chambers, according to Sharp and Eastman’s website.
Read more and see photo: https://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_8f2edd76-c516-11e8-a133-d335f1557075.html
(McAllen Monitor)
Holguin reissues debate challenge to Cloud in District 27 congressional race
CORPUS CHRISTI -- Democratic congressional candidate Eric Holguin has called out his Republican opponent, again challenging him to debate.
Rep. Michael Cloud's camp says they already sparred several times ahead of the special election, but the newly elected congressman is open to another in the weeks before the Nov. 6 election.
Cloud who won the June 30 special election for Texas' 27th Congressional District, has been busy working for the district, a spokesman said.
"...While he is currently focused on doing the job he was elected to do, he plans to do another debate when it gets closer to the election," spokesman Brian Cruickshanks said, referring to the challenge as a "desperate attempt to close the gap" between votes.
Read more: https://www.caller.com/story/news/politics/2018/09/28/holguin-reissues-debate-challenge-cloud-district-27-race/1456478002/
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
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