BY MAIL TRIBUNE EDITORIAL BOARD October 17, 2018
The race for Oregon House District 6 pits Medford City Councilor Kim Wallan against Michelle Blum Atkinson, a former small-business owner and community volunteer.
District 6 encompasses most of the city of Medford. The seat is open because Rep. Sal Esquivel is retiring. The district has a Republican registration advantage of more than 2,000, although non-affiliated voters outnumber both Democrats and Republicans.
Fire is becoming the major focus for this coming summer. Last year, millions of dollars in economic loss seemed to be the main concern to the valley, but we now know that smoke and its severe health implications is of much greater importance.
Forest fire smoke is extremely serious and it’s deadly. Just remember back to last summer when we endured seven continuous weeks of smoke. That has been compared to the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for 50 or more days. Quite an experience for all the elderly, health challenged and children living in southwest Oregon. It’s a fact that many children and elderly ended up at their doctors or the ER.
By Mary Williams Walsh
April 14, 2018
A public university president in Oregon gives new meaning to the idea of a pensioner.
Joseph Robertson, an eye surgeon who retired as head of the Oregon Health & Science University last fall, receives the state’s largest government pension.
It is $76,111.
Per month.
That is considerably more than the average Oregon family earns in a year.