Michael Lee Adkins, 43, killed Jeisy Moses the night of Aug. 4 under the Steel Bridge on the Eastbank Esplanade. Aimee Green, The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/agreen/index.html

Detectives with Skamania County Sheriff’s Office joined the effort to follow up on tips, including a report from another female hiker who said she encountered a man who flashed her on the trail last Thursday. The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/oregonian/index.html

SALEM -- Tuesday's filing deadline brought few surprises. Many who crowded the House chambers for the filing day ritual agreed the real action took place earlier in the day when Gov. Ted Kulongoski chose Multnomah County Commission Chair Ted Wheeler... Michelle Cole, The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/mcole/index.html

Portland Public Schools staff has 45 days to bring a detailed plan for the high school redesign to the board and community. It will likely include recommendations for neighborhood school closures and new magnet programs. Kimberly Melton, The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/kmelton/index.html

None of the well-qualified contenders who surfaced were interested in the race until Wheeler was out. Nikole Hannah-Jones, The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/nhannahj/index.html

With almost no time before class this evening, I can't possibly formulate anything substantive to write about on the topic of food security that hasn't already been written by Delia Christina, within the comment thread to her post, or, at least, linked from her post.

So, with full awareness of my lack of originality, here is what I think, in brief: This post and the comments raise some important points specifically on the topic of public health and food security, while also providing another example of how important it is to get outside of one's own bubble if one wants to understand an issue and work on solutions.

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No surprises on filing day at Portland City Hall: Dan Saltzman still faces a boatload of opponents. Janie Har, The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/jhar/index.html

This Saturday, dozens of sites will accept old or extra prescription drugs and then will dispose of them properly. Andy Dworkin, The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/adworkin/index.html

While no one is using the “D” word yet, officials at the state, federal and local levels are bracing for what could be the worst drought ever in the Klamath Basin.

Governor Kulongoski was in the region this morning for a meeting with area officials about what needs to be done now to prepare.

Senators Wyden and Merkley added to the urgency with a letter to federal officials warning of a “crisis of historic magnitude”, and asking the feds to take immediate action.

Numbers released today the Oregon Water Resources Department paint a bleak picture.

• Snowpack in the Basin is at 71% of average
• The elevation of Upper Klamath Lake is 4,140 feet, the lowest level in 33-years of record keeping. The amount of water stored in the lake is 62% of normal for this time of year – with no relief in sight. The Natural Resources Conservation Service predicts the inflow of water into the Upper Klamath will be about one-third shy of normal from April through September.
• The city of Klamath Falls is already nearly an inch and-a-half short on rainfall, and the year has just barely begun.

In 2002, tens of thousands of salmon died in the Klamath River after the Bush Administration decided to give farmers priority over fish and wildlife. Photo from WaterWatch.

The region is faced with the very real possibility that there simply isn’t enough water in the system for endangered salmon, sucker fish, wildlife refuges, and the farmers who use it for irrigation.

The Wyden-Merkley letter notes that Upper Klamath Lake is already two feet below the minimum required for endangered fish. The letter goes on to say, “There is very little chance Klamath irrigators will receive needed irrigation either on time, or at all.”  Kulongoski is asking the feds to be as flexible as possible with the water supply, without placing endangered species in jeopardy.

What Happens Now?

At the state level, the Water Resources Department is getting ready to issue emergency drought permits that allow irrigators to start using groundwater sources such as wells. But drought wells only cover about 20% of farmland in the basin. The permits also allow for emergency transfers of water from one parcel of land to another. The state Agriculture Department is preparing to give farmers and ranchers technical advice.

If a drought is declared, it would have to start with a request from Klamath County officials.

At the federal level, Wyden and Merkley outlined several actions in the letter they say might provide some relief. They are asking the departments of Agriculture, Interior and Commerce to take the following steps, at a minimum.

• Provide money to buy upstream water rights from willing sellers.
• Adjusting surface water management within parameters of the law and sound science.
• Releasing emergency funds for land idling through water banks or other programs.
• Activating emergency drought wells or other means of accessing groundwater.
• Establishing drought assistance for all farmers regardless of crop type.

This year may serve as the first test for the just signed Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement. While the agreement still needs to be ratified by Congress, environmental groups are watching to see if officials live up to their promises of making sure there’s enough water for salmon and sucker fish.

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For the first time in a year, systemwide ridership on TriMet showed an uptick -- albeit a modest one -- in February. Last month, there were 7.9 million trips taken on buses, MAX trains and WES, up 1.4 percent from February 2009, TriMet said today. Joseph Rose, The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/jrose/index.html

Some highlights of what's happening this week in Portland schools. Tuesday: School superintendents will discuss equity in public education The League of Women Voters of Portland will host a panel discussion on equity in public education. The event is open to the public. Panelists include Carole Smith, Portland Public Schools Superintendent; Barbara Rommel, David Douglas Superintendent; Karen Fischer Gray, Parkrose Superintendent; and Dan Ryan, Director of the Portland Public Schools Foundation. Susan Green, The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/sgreen/index.html

Bullets are fired inside the store, but no one it hurt. Stuart Tomlinson, The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/stomlins/index.html

Tire Rack Street Survival, a nationally recognized nonprofit teen defensive driving program, is coming to Portland International Raceway on Sunday. Susan Green, The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/sgreen/index.html

Steve Novick, a former Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, has decided not to run for the Multnomah County chairman seat vacated by Ted Wheeler, who was named state treasurer this morning. Novick is endorsing District 2 Commissioner Jeff Cogen, who... Nikole Hannah-Jones, The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/nhannahj/index.html

Attorney General hopes new site will reduce consumer complaints.

Jesse Todd Thompson, 34, of Lubbock, Texas, grew enraged when a flight attendant refused to honor his drink vouchers on flight last September from Kansas City to Portland. Bryan Denson, The Oregonian http://connect.oregonlive.com/user/bdenson/index.html

BusinessWeek.com ranks Portland as the No. 1 unhappiest city in the nation.

The Rocky Mountain Goat was first spotted in the Dry Canyon area east of Bend. Photo from ODFW.

In just a few months, a lone Rocky Mountain Goat has become one of the most popular celebrities in Central Oregon.

Often spotted along Hwy 20 east of Bend, the male goat was first seen last December. As far as anyone knows, he’s the only one of his kind in the area.

That’s enough for him to earn some special attention from Oregon Fish and Wildlife. Last week, ODFW captured and collared the goat so they can keep better tabs on him.

ODFW estimates there are about 800 rocky mountain goats in Oregon, mostly in Northeast Oregon. The largest population is in the Elkhorn Mountains.

So where ever this guy game from, he’s wandered far from home.

“This male is dispersing, and that is what Rocky Mountain goats do, looking for new habitat and for other goats,” says Steve George, ODFW Deschutes district wildlife biologist. “Goats tend to stay put in the winter, but we expect this one to continue moving once it gets warmer.”

He’s not the first. ODFW says other wandering goats have made it as far as The Dalles and the Deschutes River.

The goat was captured, collared and released on March 3. Photo from ODFW.

The department captured and put a radio-collar on him so they can keep track of his movements. It says he was in good condition and released back into the Dry Canyon area. DNA samples were taken which will allow ODFW to determine which herd he came from.

“ODFW staff saw the goat again yesterday,” says George, ” and it is doing fine and in the same general location where it was collared.”

It’s believed the rocky mountain goat was wiped out in Oregon more than a century ago by Native American hunters and European fur traders.

ODFW began a reintroduction program in the 1950s. Most of the goats were brought in from Washington and Alaska, but in recent years ODFW has been able to transplant goats from one area of the state to another.

Oregon's attorney general launches website to help you avoid scams.

Oregon's attorney general launches website to help you avoid scams.