Conference realignment continues to turn college football into a nightmarish hell-scape that would make even Cormac McCarthy hide under his bed, drooling and begging for the end of days. Is there room under there for me, Mr. McCarthy? I realize this toothpaste is not going back in the tube. The time for sanity and careful planning is long, long past. Chaos is a foregone conclusion. Up is down. Black is white. Good is bad. Bad is worse. Read full article > >

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Conference realignment: Who, really, is better off?

Complaining of abdominal discomfort and chronic bronchitis, 22-year-old Toshia Johnson, an unemployed mother on Medicaid, went to a hospital emergency room in Bend, Ore., more than two dozen times in the year that ended in June 2010. She was never admitted to the hospital and used the ER for routine care because, she says, it’s near her home and the care was free. But in the first six months of this year, after entering a state-funded program designed to reduce unnecessary ER use by Medicaid patients in central Oregon, Johnson has gone to the ER just once, after breaking her tailbone. In the first half of this this year, ER visits by the 400 patients in this program have declined by more than half from the same period last year, saving Medicaid $1 million, officials say. Read full article > >

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Hospitals seek more ER patients even as Medicaid tries to lessen demand

SODAVILLE, Ore. — A small city in Oregon has kicked out its mayor for not showing up to work. The Albany Democrat-Herald reports (http://bit.ly/q6i2V5) that Sodaville replaced 35-year-old Brady Harrington with the city council’s president. The newspaper says Harrington missed council meetings in June and July, along with skipping three budget meetings. Read full article > >

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Small Oregon city dumps 2nd-term mayor for not showing up for work

When Mark Emmert was named NCAA president in April 2010, the natural question to ask was this: Who will he choose to emulate in his new role? We now know the answer. He is Don Vito Corleone. Earlier this month, Emmert called for a meeting of the five families — also known as the 50 university presidents — to discuss the seemingly out-of-control cheating going on in college football. With both schools from last season’s championship football game (Auburn and Oregon) joining Ohio State, USC and North Carolina in running afoul of NCAA rules, it was time to put an end to this war. Read full article > >

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Fixing college sports requires less talk, more action

This is the latest in a regular Fix series that focuses on the decennial redistricting process in key states. We call it “Mapping the Future.” The series aims to look forward to how the maps in these states could be drawn and what the best and worst outcomes for each party might be. Today we take on Arizona. (And make sure to check out the previous installments: Texas , Indiana , Georgia , Illinois , Massachusetts , Ohio , California , Nevada , Virginia , Pennsylvania , Florida , Utah , North Carolina , Wisconsin , Maryland , Michigan , Louisiana , New Jersey , Colorado , Minnesota , South Carolina , Oregon , Tennessee and New York .) Read full article > >

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California-size overhaul not likely with Arizona redistricting commission

A man who urinated in a reservoir, leading to the flushing of eight million gallons (32 million litres) of Portland, Oregon, drinking water, has said he felt “guilty” after committing the act.

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VIDEO: Reservoir emptied after ‘leak’ incident

Sherman County, Ore., has always had plenty of wind. Now it is making money off it.

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Money Blows in to a Patch of Oregon Known for Its Unrelenting Winds

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has had an uneven crop of guest conductors over the past several seasons, some distinctly second-rate. But Saturday at the Music Center at Strathmore, Carlos Kalmar, an Uruguayan who leads the Oregon Symphony and Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival, pushed and challenged the orchestra to some of the best playing I’ve heard from it. His vehicle was the rarely heard Symphony No. 1 by William Walton, a virtuoso work that few American ensembles know well; certainly the BSO players were pushed to the brink, the weaker ones falling by the wayside in spots. But Kalmar had the piece thoroughly in hand, and despite the undersize string section the BSO is fielding these days and the orchestra’s lack of familiarity with the piece, he crafted an impressive performance overall. Other conductors might have more expressive batons, but Kalmar’s rhythm comes from his whole body, imparting confidence to the musicians. Aside from a few bobbled wind and brass entrances, the orchestra played with remarkable accuracy and power. Read full article > >

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Baltimore Symphony gives first-rate performance under Carlos Kalmar

SALEM, Ore. — Oregon senators voted Monday to impose a crackdown on companies that sell so-called “suicide kits,” which contain hoods or other items intended to help a person end their life. They unanimously passed a bill proposed in response to the death of a 29-year-old Eugene man, Nick Klonoski, who killed himself using a suicide kit he ordered through the mail from a California company. Kits like the one Klonoski used cost $60 and contain a plastic bag that fits over the head, along with plastic tubing that can be attached to a tank of helium gas. They can be purchased by anyone at any time, without the consultation of a doctor. Read full article > >

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Ore. Senate approves bill targeting ‘suicide kits’

With the U.S. economic recovery starting to show cracks, Friday’s monthly unemployment report will be a key test of whether the slowed growth is causing companies to pull back on hiring — a sign that it could be time to hit the panic button. The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment insurance benefits spiked to 474,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, the highest total since August and up from 431,000 the previous week. The Labor Department has attributed the rise to temporary factors, such as layoffs in New York state tied to spring break, a new benefit program in Oregon, and temporary shutdowns at auto plants. Read full article > >

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Unemployment report for April will be key to gauging status of economic recovery

The body of a 25-year-old northern California man swept out to sea while trying to photograph the tsunami’s arrival from Japan last month has washed ashore about 380 miles away, in Oregon, officials there said Tuesday.

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CA tsunami victim washes up in Oregon

A body that washed up on the beach in Astoria, Oregon on April 2 has been identified as belonging to Dustin Douglas Weber, a man swept away on March 11 in a tsunami generated by the Japan earthquake. Weber was walking near the mouth of the Klamath…

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Tsunami Victim Found in Oregon

A plan hatched by tree enthusiasts hopes to clone and mass-produce colossal redwoods, the tallest living things on earth.

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From Ancient Giants, Finding New Life to Help the Planet

The Pacific Northwest chapter of the Roman Catholic Church’s Jesuit order has agreed to pay $166.1 million to settle 524 abuse claims in a five-state area, attorneys said on Friday. The payout was made by the Society of Jesus, Oregon Province-part of…

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Jesuit Chapter to Pay $166M in Settlement

Three thrill-supplying destinations and the sporting gear to go with them Even as our hemisphere finally begins to thaw, we at Cool Hunting think that everyone who’s suffered countless blizzards, waist-high slush and bone-chilling cold deserves a break. For sun-worshippers, powder junkies or anyone in between, we put together our latest favorite getaways and the accoutrements—classic products with exceptional design—that complement the locales we’ve found and make these destinations truly next-level. Surf Costa Rica’s secret break with handmade wooden boards Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica: Salsa Brava Break Puerto Viejo, a village on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast (about three hours from the country’s capital, San Jose), attracts diehard surfers who are looking for a more relaxed vibe than that of the often-crowded spots on the Pacific. Salsa Brava, a break that has been called Costa Rica’s heaviest and best, provides the main draw to the area while still remaining relatively untouched. Surfers can expect swells that are head-high to triple overhead (swell is biggest from December through March) at Salsa Brava, a name that loosely translates to “fierce sauce.” 42 Surfboards If you’re going to surf an epic break, then it’s essential to have a board worthy of such a storied wave. Hand-shaped in Oregon, the products crafted by 42 Surfboards more than stand up to the challenge. Shaper Lars Bergstr