Oregon House taking up minimum wage debate
Governor Kate Brown’s proposal to significantly increase the minimum wage in Oregon by 2022 narrowly passed the Oregon Senate last week and now it’s headed to the House for consideration.
The Senate approved a three-level wage split based on geographic boundaries with the lowest minimum applied to rural counties. More populous counties like Lane and Marion would have a higher minimum wage and the highest would be in Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah Counties.
Coos Bay Democrat Representative Caddy McKeown (muh-KYOO-en) called the division by county lines arbitrary; she would have preferred to regulate minimum wages based on industry.
Brown’s plan, with the county line provision, passed the Senate last week. It is being debated on the House floor today.
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A reception honoring the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director will be held this evening from 5:00 to seven PM at Banner Bank.
Cal Applebee is retiring after five years at the helm of the business and community organization. During that time he’s organized and operated numerous community events, including the Rhododendron Festival; Oktoberfest; the community Fourth of July celebration and much more.
He’s also been the chief administrator for a business and tourism promotion group that has a more than six-decade long history in Florence. Sherri Bollinger has been “shadowing” Applebee for the past two weeks and will serve as interim director until a permanent replacement is found.
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North Fork Siuslaw Road between McLeod Creek and Brickerville at Highway 36 is closed once again because of an unstable slide.
Lane County Spokesperson Devon Ashbridge says the forest road will remain that way until further notice.
It had closed in December and it was several weeks before the ground stabilized enough for crews to clear the roadway. A second slide came down in the same immediate area over the weekend.
Big Creek Road, in e same vicinity, was also closed for the second time over the weekend due to a slide. Crews were able to clear that Tuesday and reopen the road to traffic between Upper North Fork and Highway 101 15-miles north of Florence.
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The average cash price for a gallon of regular gas in Florence held steady this week at $1.62. Meanwhile the average price across the state, as measured by Triple-A, fell four cents a gallon to $1.91. Marie Dodds with Triple-A said the national average price also dipped by three cents in the past week. It’s at $1.70.
Dodds suggested retail prices may be ready to make an increase as many refineries have cut production because of abundant supplies and low prices. Many refineries are also preparing for seasonal maintenance in advance of the summer driving season when demand typically rises… driving prices up with it.
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