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It’s not over, but there was some positive news on Wall Street this morning.
First, the Federal Reserve decided to cut interest rates again (second time in a month) down to an even one percent.
Then came news that the economy’s contraction in the third quarter was only about half what experts predicted (down .3 percent and not .5 percent).
Stocks jumped 1.5% including the Dow Jones which went up 150 points. Experts say that we are finally transitioning from “Don’t Buy” to “Buying a Little.”
For those of us who had to find a change of shorts last night when Number One Draft Pick Greg Oden was hurt in the first quarter of the season opener versus LA (basketball for you non sportos out there . . . any bonus points for the Breakfast Club reference?) we can all relax. While Oden WILL be out for two to four weeks, it was just a sprain and he should be fine.
Although, given the center’s absence last season and the hype surrounding his return to Rip City, can you blame people for being concerned?
For the second year in a row, the tax rate assessed as part of the 2006, North Clackamas School Bond is lower than predicted. The district promised that home owners would not have to pay more than $1.10 per $1,000 in assessed home value and sure enough, it’s 98 cents for this year.
Homeowners can get an estimate of what THEIR payment will be. Just go to the Clackamas School District Website and use the Tax Calculator. Keep in mind; this is your assessed / taxable home value. NOT the appraised value or the recent sale value.
OHSU can now say they have a NINE FIGURE donor. Phil and Penny Knight have pledged a whopping $100 MILLION donation to the OHSU Cancer Institute. The first 2 million will go to name the Linda Conant Laboratory Suite in honor of a close friend of the Knights who died of Breast Cancer this year. The suite is a key component in OHSU’s new Biomedical Research Building. The extra 98 million is up for use however the university sees fit.
The astounding financial gift is the largest in OHSU history. As a thank you, the new facility will be named the OHSU Knight Cancer institute.
Guess what? You can ride the Earthquake House for about twenty bucks cheaper this year! OMSI is temporarily reducing the cost of the family/grandparent membership pass from $90 to $70, through December 31st. OMSI president, Nancy Stueber, says they want to provide families the opportunity for high quality entertainment during these tough economic times.
The annual pass comes with all kinds of bonuses like free admission to permanent exhibits, free admission to premiere exhibits like the CSI program coming in 2009. And, perhaps the best part, priority access . . . yep, your pass gives you cutsys in line!
In what can only be described as pure slapstick, a Lane County Inmate has been busted for trying to escape through a tunnel . . . that doesn’t GO anywhere.
Jennifer Cox apparently tried to squirm through a crawl space to freedom, only to discover the crawl space didn’t lead out of the jail (no word on whether Cox popped out of the crawl space in the middle of the warden’s office or a parole board hearing).
The jail campus was locked down for about a half an hour while deputies conducted a search, eventually recreating a classic scene from Alien by following Cox into the crawl space.
Got some old receipts laying around, cluttering up your office that you want to get rid of? Maybe stacks of papers you wrote back in college and are just now realizing you will never re-read? Perhaps a few photographs you’d rather not have your children stumble upon?
The Hillsboro Police Department is offering FREE document shredding this weekend (no questions asked) at their west precinct (250 SE 10th in Hillsboro). Beyond demolishing embarrassing mementos from your past, proper shredding can save your credit and your bank account. Destroying sensistive documents is the best way to prevent ID theft.
So grab a few cans of non-perishable food (they are taking donations at the event to benefit the Hillsboro Seventh Day Adventist Church) and any paper you want to cast out of your home and stop by.
Who knew strutting around in a tux could bring in so much cash? The annual Corvallis Clinic Coundation “Puttin’ on the Pink Fashion Show” brought in $130,000 for Project H.E.R. this weekend. Yeah. $130K. $130 GRAND. One night.
The gala event included fundraiser staples like a silent auction, nibbles and drinks. But the thing that separates Putting on the Pink is the fashion show. All the models are either cancer survivors or people who are currently undergoing treatment . . . and the pre-show pampering including makeup and hair is a treat much appreciated by the models.
Project H.E.R. helps pair newly diagnosed cancer patients with survivors and offers resources and support to those in need. For more info and a more in-depth recap of the event check out this article in the Gazette Times.
Here’s a piece from the East Coast, but the underlying theme can just as easily be applied to the pacific side of things.
Thanks to the struggling economy (when did you ever think you’d here THAT phrase?) public universities and colleges are seeing a jump in interest from prospective students. With prices for gas, food and clothing already headed upward and now the stock market downturn, students originally considering a four-year matriculation on a private campus, are expanding the search to less expensive (yet equally educative) public schools.
Willamette University is taking “responsibility” to an entirely new level. The campus recently released its own ”Sustainability Indicators Report” for the first time. It’s basically a report card tracking progress on 18 categories including the Universities’ carbon footprint, efforts to buy local food products and diversity of staff.
While lot’s of campuses are going green, Willamette is adding an additional check and balance to their equation. The school is also considering how the green efforts impact the University work environment. Basically, they want to be environmentally friendly without forcing staff members to work longer hours for less pay.
You can read more here in an article from the Statesman Journal.
