Election nights are always a little fun (at least, for those of us watching): An unveiling of what actually happens. And it happens, you might say (metaphorically), as elections officials unlock the ballot boxes. Tomorrow night will be something like that for Oregon’s Independent Party. Member of the party have been v

When it is jus talking trash, when is it a real threat? The difference isn’t small: One may be an annoyance, and the other a crime and possibly an alert to imminent harm. It’s a legal question with absolutely practical applications. The issue came up in Washington v. Glen Arthur Schaler, decided today by the [..

Bob Kustra We were wondering some weeks back when the celebration broke loose about Boise State University athletics joining the Mountain West conference whether all the social elements – and not just the financial elements – had been fully worked through. The nagging point was this: The conference shift probabl

Another transition: We’re seeing the phasing-out of fire lookouts. The Medford Mail Tribune had a piece out today about Ken and Colleen Struck, now in their 70s and nearing a quarter-century of summer work as upper-elevation forest fire lookouts. The Oregon Department of Forestry has only one other fire outlook left i

… to say the least. I’m certainly not trying to put a happy spin on it, nor am I gloom-n-dooming it - just trying to tell it like it is. We’re looking at what could possibly be one of our latest harvests ever this year, due to the non-stop cold and rain that dominated May [...]

/Payette National Forest Remember some months back when a big blowup occurred over University of Idaho studies of whether diseases and other problems associated with domestic sheep might harm wild bighorn sheep? Today, the upshot demonstrating why that was a blowup: A Payette National Forest record of decision restricting a

Thing is, massive construction projects tend to – customarily do run over estimated costs. That’s the way it usually goes. Small projects often, too, but this one – the Alaskan Way Viaduct reconstruction in Seattle – is enormous, and the size of possible overruns is a very big deal. Most specifically

IPNC 2010 is in the books, and once again we’ve lived to tell the tale. And what a tale - as it is every year at this magnificent event. This was the 10th straight IPNC I’ve participated in, and while each of them tend to blend together into one delicious memory, they all take on [...]

Most useful column of the weekend: Danny Westneat’s in the Seattle Times today, deconstructing the myth of the West as a place of “rugged individualism.” Not that a lot of people don’t buy into it; many do, and even more are the politicians who traffic in it. But none of that makes it any more [...]

In honor of Domaine J-J Confuron joining us here in Oregon and being a featured winery at IPNC (International Pinot Noir Celebration) this year, we are showcasing several of their wines over the weekend. The regular flight will feature the 2007 Chambolle Musigny and the 2007 Nuits-St Georges, les Fleurières alongside our

In honor of Domaine J-J Confuron joining us here in Oregon and being a featured winery at IPNC (International Pinot Noir Celebration) this year, we are showcasing several of their wines over the weekend. The regular flight will feature the 2007 Chambolle Musigny and the 2007 Nuits-St Georges, les Fleurières alongside our

Keith Allred at the Boise town hall/Randy Stapilus The setup was sweet for a candidate for governor. While there’s something of an embunkered feeling to the re-election campaign for Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter, his Democratic opponent Keith Allred holds – about three blocks from the Idaho State

We are thrilled to announce the details of this year’s Pre-IPNC dinner in the winery - which is shaping up to be the best yet! (IPNC is the annual International Pinot Noir Celebration - bringing together 50 of the top Pinot Noir producers from around the world and 500 Pinot lovers for a weekend of [...]

The question is, how long will this last – and from what direction will the killer blow come? Assuming the situation is reported accurately by the Coast Lake News, the city council of Lakeview, Oregon, has passed a “New ordinance [that] allows entry to private property at will and without prior complaint to sear

The public face of Initiative 1053, the latest measure aimed at requiring two-thirds votes in the legislature for any tax increase, is its tireless chief organizer, Tim Eyman of Mukilteo. But he is not alone. There are others, too, less interested in generating headlines. In the Seattle Post-Intelligencer today, Joel Connel

Greyhound at Ontario, Oregon/Randy Stapilus There’s this, to begin with: The Greyhound bus run scheduled to depart Portland at 11:50 p.m. left at 11:50. That is exactly what the big clock on Union Station north of downtown, and next door to the Greyhound station in PDX, said as the bus cleared the building. The bus [.

Yes, we are finally doing a tour of Burgundy, and we’ve locked in the dates - June 19-25, 2011. This will truly be the ultimate Insider’s tour of Burgundy, with private tours and tastings at our top estates, lunches in the vineyards, dinners at the top restaurants on the Côte, and comfy lodging at a [...]

Timothy Leavitt Timothy Leavitt would call it an adaptation to reality. Many of his former supporters would call it breaking his word. Wonder what the voters will think when he’s up for re-election, in 2013, as mayor of Vancouver? The change, however you define it, is dramatic. Last year Leavitt based his seemingly lo

Dirk Kempthorne Tomorrow former Interior Secretary (and former Idaho Governor) Dirk Kempthorne is scheduled to appear before the U.S. House Subcommittees on Oversight and Investigations and Energy and Environment, as one of several witnesses about the subject, “The Role of the Interior Department in the Deepwater Hori

weekly Digest Congressional campaign finance reports fell hard and heavy toward the end of last week, and they suggest the outlines of the campaign season about to unfold. That may be especially true in Washington, where the primary election is only a few weeks away. State budgeting (and revenues) remained a big concern dur

It’s the best week of the entire glorious Oregon summer - the 24th annual International Pinot Noir Celebration, commonly known simply as IPNC. 60 of the top Pinot producers from around the globe converge on Oregon wine country for four days of great tastings, seminars, dinners and general hedonistic delights. All told

Chris Dudley The problem is somewhat bigger than it first seemed, and it started as a problem. It has sort of unwrapped, getting more pungent. If you’re Chris Dudley, the Republican nominee for governor of Oregon, your biggest problem is this: You’re untested in public – governmental and elective – l

Two subjects here. One is the long-time Washington Senator Henry Jackson, one of the most impactful the region has ever had, and his work with one of his staffers, Forrest Gerard – and we should note here that a lot of the work credited to members of Congress actually gets done by staffers, so that’s [...]

craig.camp posted a photo: Pre-dawn flames light

The latest congressional campaign reports turned up late last week, and they suggest some contours for the races. Not as absolutes; contrary to widely-held belief, money isn’t all in political campaigns. Less-funded candidates win regularly, and we’ve seen significant cases of that happening in this Northwest th

Among the stories not happening in the Northwest . . . wildfires. There was a substantial fire this week, more than 100 acres and since put out, in the flat desert lands of the Idaho National Laboratory, west of Idaho Falls. But early indications are that it wasn’t natural, that it resulted from some human [...]

This is a must read. Blogger Jeremy Parzen ruminates on the career of Wine Spectator critic James Suckling, while teaching us how to cook bistecca alla fiorentina. There’s no two ways about it: during James Suckling’s tenure at the Wine Spectator, the scores he gave to modern-styl

The Ron Wyden Oregon Senate campaign in 2004 didn’t talk a lot about the opposition (which was slight), but it’s talking a little more this time. And it’s even made an accusation of the opposition, which on its face looks pretty sound. Jim Huffman is a stronger candidate, but yes, he seems – certainl

… for parties in the vineyards (and IPNC, lots of cold Champagne, and more parties…) With the sun finally shining on a regular basis and the grapes growing strong, we are now in full-on summer mode and enjoying it immensely. Our party deck is nearing completion at Azana Vineyard. We plan to test-drive it with t

Oh, the garden.  The GARDEN.  Have I mentioned how fruit I am for the little veggie plot I tend?  I’m separated from it for a week at a time, and occasionally two weeks.  The 9-year-old and I literally jump out of the car to see what has happened.  The potato plants have [...]

Well, from soup to popsicle weather…in 3 days.  On July 4th, we wore jackets. Three days later, the thermometer hit 100, and we needed relief.  With the lavender fest going on last weekend in the town of Yamhill, and the new shaved ice stand in the park in Carlton offering up herbal infusions alongside the standard