Date: 09/10/2012 10:41 AM
OR–3rd NewsMinute/251
Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. (AP) – About two-thirds of the workers hired by the state of Oregon since the 2008 recession have been temporary. State figures show that about 25,000 of the 40,000 jobs were seasonal workers or temporary jobs of limited duration for a special purpose or project. The Statesman Journal reports of the 15,000 permanent hires in recent years, most have been offset by the reductions in the state workforce for a net total of about 400.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Triple-A reports the average price of a gallon of gasoline in Oregon is $4.04. That’s up 2 cents in a week and 21 cents in a month. It’s also 21 cents higher than the national average. Some metro prices — Portland $4.01, Salem $4.02, Eugene-Springfield $4.07, and Medford-Ashland $4.10.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Multnomah County is expected to conduct its own review of the potential health hazards of coal trains headed to Northwest terminals. The Oregonian reports County Chairman Jeff Cogen, who is also the chair of the county’s board of health, is asking the health department to focus on diesel emissions and dust from uncovered coal cars.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Dockworkers and grain terminal operators have begun contract negotiations with far higher stakes than in the disputes that caused chaos at the Port of Portland this summer. The grain talks involve Puget Sound terminals and operations on the Columbia River – the nation’s top wheat export outlet.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
