News and Events

Oregon fishermen may get to catch more chinook salmon in 2010

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:35:28 +0000

For the first time in two years, Oregon's commercial fishermen will be allowed to catch chinook salmon all along the Oregon coast under three fishing options detailed Thursday by a federal panel.

The Associated Press Ocean salmon fisherman Dan Kleinman unloads a catch back in 2005. More chinook salmon are expected to the return the Sacramento River this year to spawn, a projection that may boost commercial fishing off Oregon and California's coast after two years of closures. For the first time in two years, Oregon's commercial fishermen will be allowed to catch chinook salmon all along the Oregon coast under three fishing options detailed Thursday by a federal panel.

The fishing from May to September will still be limited because of concerns about poor chinook returns to the Sacramento River in recent years. Sacramento fall chinook provide the bulk of Oregon's ocean catch.

And commercial fishing for coho salmon off central and southern Oregon, which return mainly to Oregon rivers, will not be allowed because of declining numbers.

But the Pacific Fishery Management Council's options are still an up note for a salmon industry that relies on chinook and saw its largest closures ever in 2008 and 2009.

Washington and the coast of Oregon north of Cape Falcon, near Seaside, will likely see strong commercial chinook seasons, largely because of favorable returns to the Columbia River.

Sport anglers will also have open seasons along the coasts of Oregon and Washington, though coho quotas are lower than in 2009.

The council, which regulates West Coast fishing, will set final limits at its meeting in Portland next month.

There remains a chance that California's salmon fishery could be closed altogether when the council issues its final decision during a meeting in Oregon next month. However, Council chairman David Ortmann called that possibility unlikely.

"Compared to the last two years, there's going to be more fishermen back on the water," Ortmann said after the vote.

Congress has allocated $170 million in disaster relief the last two years to help fishing communities in California, Oregon and Washington hurt by the losses.

The prospect for improved salmon seasons comes after federal biologists predicted more fall-run chinook will return to the Sacramento River and its tributaries this year. Estimates indicate 245,000 fall-run chinook could return, many more than the last three years and above federal conservation goals designed to protect the species.

Last year, just 39,500 returned, a record low.

The council, which has been meeting all week in Sacramento, faced criticism by California officials that its salmon predictions for the Sacramento River were too optimistic.

Last year, for example, the council predicted 122,000 chinook would return to the river, when only a third of that number actually did. That was one of the reasons the council agreed to weigh shutting the California season down this year, even though it appears a remote possibility.

"We have concerns about the way in which the projections have been based," said Harry Morse, a spokesman at the California Department of Fish and Game. "There's no historical precedence for a return from 39,000 to 245,000 fish in one year."

Despite the problems in the fishery, members of the 14-member fishery council do not blame the salmon's decline on overfishing, noting the closures of the last two years.

Fishermen and federal wildlife officials point to the massive state and federal pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that send water to Southern California, Bay area communities and Central Valley farms. Others cite changing ocean conditions, perhaps caused by global warming, as another possible factor.

--From staff and wire reports

Les Schwab settles EEOC suit for $2M

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:18:36 +0000

The agency had accused the Bend-based tire giant of denying tire bay jobs to women, and those positions were a prerequisite for moving into management.

The Oregonian Les Schwab is based in Prineville. Les Schwab Tire Centers are known for their hustling workers, who literally come running when customers roll up for new tires, brake jobs or other work.

Trouble is, the workers manning the air wrenches and vehicle lifts were just that -- men. The Oregon-based company's service bays and sales ranks were no place for women, a federal lawsuit alleged, because the company persistently engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. As a result, women were denied Les Schwab management jobs because sales and service experience was a prerequisite for promotion.

On Thursday, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Seattle announced Les Schwab Tire Centers will pay a $2 million penalty and train the managers and employees of its 420 stores on the finer points of gender equity. The negotiated settlement ended a six-year legal fight that involved Les Schwab operations in seven western states.

The company admitted no wrong. In a prepared statement, human resources Vice President Jodie Hueske said the company was pleased to resolve litigation that "recognizes Les Schwab's continued commitment to equal opportunity practices in the workplace."

The EEOC put a different spin on the outcome.

William Tamayo, regional attorney for the EEOC in Seattle, said the commission determined that more than 200 women should have been hired between 2004 and 2007, the period of investigation. They included a woman who had worked at a Wal-Mart tire center and another who had been an Army helicopter mechanic, Tamayo said.

"Some women never got interviewed, while in other cases, men with no relevant experience were hired," he said.

The case began in 2004 when two women who had worked at Les Schwab outlets in Washington state filed a class-action lawsuit alleging discrimination and retaliation. The EEOC picked it up from there, pursuing evidence of "failure to hire" cases as the original plaintiffs settled their individual claims, Tamayo said.

A settlement decree filed in the case orders Les Schwab to pay a $2 million penalty, some of which will be used for back pay owed to women who were discriminated against. In addition, the company must provide a list of all women who applied for sales and service jobs after Dec. 1, 2007, plus a list of all men hired from that date.

The decree also says all employees must be provided training on equal employment opportunity issues, including sex discrimination in hiring and promotion. The company also was ordered to continue recruiting female applicants for sales and service positions, in part by contacting technical schools and community colleges and participating in job fairs.

Company founder Les Schwab was one of Oregon's best-known business owners. He founded the tire company in 1952 in Prineville, and built it into an enterprise that produces $1.6 billion in annual sales. He died in 2007 at age 89.

Schwab, by all accounts, was a product of his time, and clearly believed his store managers should be men. In a 2006 interview, an EEOC official said a sexist attitude "permeates" the company culture.

The settlement decree orders the company to include a disclaimer when it distributes copies of Schwab's autobiography, "Pride in Performance: Keep on Going!"

The disclaimer distinguishes between Schwab's life story and the company's current personnel policies. It concludes, ".. Our goal is to maintain a work environment that is open and welcoming to everyone regardless of background or gender."

Eric Mortenson; 503-294-7636, ericmortenson@news.oregonian.com

South Waterfont’s John Ross condo tower to hit auction block

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:07:34 +0000

FRONT PORCH BLOG: The minimum bids are about 50 percent off the current list prices for the units and about 70 percent off the highest list prices.

The OregonianThe John Ross

Years behind their sales goals, the lenders who control the John Ross tower have decided to auction off 50 of their remaining 80 units.

The minimum bids are about 50 percent off the current list prices for the units and about 70 percent off the highest list prices. Kennedy Wilson Auction Group will handle the sale.

The sale off will come just months after units at the neighboring Atwater Place went up for auction, setting a new floor for condo prices downtown.

The John Ross auction brochure includes all the unit numbers, current list price, minimum bid and the terms and conditions. Be sure to read the terms and conditions very carefully.

Check back later for more on the auction.

State agencies warn Oregon businesses about tax scam

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:07:00 +0000

State warns businesses to avoid scam selling unnecessary tax certificates.

The Oregon departments of Revenue and Justice warned business owners today of an official-looking Web site attempting a tax scam.

The site claims to sell tax codes and certificates, which the state says aren’t necessary in Oregon or are offered free by the Internal Revenue Service.
-- Laura Gunderson, The Oregonian; 503-221-8378.

Export growth likely to remain bright spot for US

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:02:00 +0000

U.S. exports dipped in January, the government said today, but economists weren't fazed. They predict export growth will be a bright spot for American manufacturers through the rest of 2010.

Imported cars are seen stored in a lot after being offloaded from a ship at Port Hueneme, Calif. The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly shrank in January reflecting a big drop in imports of oil and foreign cars. WASHINGTON -- U.S. exports dipped in January, the government said today, but economists weren't fazed. They predict export growth will be a bright spot for American manufacturers through the rest of 2010.

President Barack Obama is banking on further improvement to help meet his ambitious goal of doubling exports within five years and creating 2 million U.S. jobs.

Economists question whether Obama's goals are achievable. But many think exports will keep expanding. A rebounding global economy and a resumption in the dollar's slide would help spark demand for U.S. goods.

This is expected to occur even though the dollar has risen against the euro over worries about Europe's debt crisis. A higher dollar makes U.S. goods more expensive for foreigners.

Obama laid out his export-promotion program in a speech today. He called the effort key to repairing damage from a recession that's eliminated 8.4 million jobs.

"In a time when millions of Americans are out of work, boosting our exports is a short-term imperative," Obama said.

Before Obama spoke, the Commerce Department said the U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly shrank in January to $37.3 billion. That marked a 6.6 percent drop from December's $39.9 billion trade gap, the biggest in a year.

U.S. exports dipped a slight 0.3 percent. That reflected weaker sales of civilian aircraft and U.S.-made autos and auto parts. But imports dropped a larger 1.7 percent.

Imports of oil fell sharply, along with cars from Europe and Japan. Analysts viewed the drop in auto imports as a sign of sluggish demand for big-ticket items, not a sudden drop in demand tied to Toyota's vehicle recalls.

The small drop in exports marked the first decline after eight straight increases. Analysts said they think the decline was just a blip in a continued upward trend.

"We believe U.S. export growth will continue," said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight. "This month's drop in trade volumes doesn't mean that the trade recovery is over."

But Gault and others expect imports to grow, too, reflecting stronger U.S. consumer demand. Overall, they expect the trade deficit to rise from last year's level of $378.6 billion. That was the smallest trade gap in eight years.

At the same time, they say the strength in exports will help sustain support for U.S. manufacturers, fueling economic growth this year. That's true even though the dollar has risen since early December against the euro, the common currency of 16 European countries. Investors have dumped euros over fears about the debt crisis in Greece.

Economists say they think the dollar's rise will be fleeting, given record-high U.S. budget deficits.

"At the margin, the euro's slide will make a difference by trimming our exports, but the damage will be fairly limited," said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Global Insight.

At the start of December, it took $1.51 to buy one euro. On Wednesday it took only $1.37. That represented an increase in the dollar's strength of 9 percent.

The rise in the dollar's value against the euro will make U.S. products costlier in Europe. But the dollar's value hasn't changed in recent weeks against China's currency. That's the country with the biggest trade surplus with the United States.

China has held the yuan steady against the dollar to help Chinese exporters withstand the global economic crisis. The United States and other countries have pressed China to let its currency rise. American manufacturers contend that the yuan is undervalued by up to 40 percent. That's given Chinese companies a significant price edge.

So far, the Chinese have made no such moves. But private analysts say such an action could happen this year, given that China's economy survived the global recession better than other nations and its exports have been surging. China said Wednesday its exports rose 45.7 percent in February compared with a year earlier.

The U.S. trade report today showed that the U.S. deficit with China edged up by 0.9 percent in January to $18.3 billion. That occurred even though imports from China fell to their lowest point since June.

The deficit with the European Union dropped 56.3 percent in January to $2.8 billion. The deficit with Japan fell 27.3 percent to $3.3 billion.

The 0.3 percent drop in exports of goods and services left the total at $142.7 billion; imports fell 1.7 percent to $180 billion.

One reason analysts don't expect the dollar's decline against the euro to persist is the soaring U.S. budget deficit. The deficit is being financed in large part by foreign investors.

The Congressional Budget Office last week projected that the debt held by investors would rise from $7.5 trillion at the end of last year to $20.3 trillion in 2020. It said the increase would boost interest payments more than fourfold, to $916 billion by the decade's end.

A debt load of this magnitude is expected to keep downward pressure on the dollar. Yet economists view a weaker dollar as a benefit in the longer run. They note it would help make U.S. exports more competitive and help narrow the trade deficit.

Forecasters at the National Association for Business Economics project that the trade gap will widen this year by 25 percent to $471.5 billion and to $490 billion in 2011. Those gains will reflect a jump in imports as the U.S. economy recovers. U.S. consumers will be buying more foreign goods, even as U.S. exports also rise.

Many economists say the European debt crisis' main threat to the U.S. economy isn't a temporary rise in the dollar's value. The biggest long-term risk, they say, is that a build-up in debt around the world will spook investors.

Worried foreign investors could start dumping U.S. Treasury securities and other dollar-denominated assets. That would cause U.S. interest rates to jump and stock prices to plunge.

Obama has vowed to address the deficit problem once unemployment is significantly lower. But skeptics doubt Washington politicians will take the painful steps needed to put the government's finances on a better footing. Those worries have been underscored by the crisis in Europe.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com, expressed concern about a loss of confidence in America by foreign investors

The Greek crisis "highlights the threats posed by the U.S. budget deficit to our own economic recovery and long-term growth prospects," Zandi said.

-- The Associated Press

McCormick & Schmick exec Jeffrey Skeele will “cease to be employed” by the Portland chain

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:39:00 +0000

Another executive is out at McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants Inc.

In the latest in a series of high-level departures, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants Inc. filed federal documents Thursday stating that Jeffrey H. Skeele,</cq> its senior vice president of operations, will “cease to be employed” with the Portland-based company.

Skeele will help with the transition following his termination, the Securities and Exchange Commission filing said, receiving benefits for as many as five months and pay equal to his salary for as many as 23 weeks.

McCormick & Schmick’s made a rather similar announcement last May about its chief financial officer and soon after, its marketing director left the company.
-- Laura Gunderson, The Oregonian; 503-221-8378.

Judge orders Port of Astoria to renew Oregon LNG lease

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:34:00 +0000

Oregon LNG says the lease fight has stalled its project, which can now move forward with other permitting agencies and industry partners.

A federal judge has ordered the Port of Astoria to renew a controversial 30-year lease with the state on a spit of land in Warrenton. The decision could boost efforts to build a proposed LNG import terminal there and a pipeline connecting it to customers in the Willamette Valley and beyond.

The Port leased 92 acres from the Oregon Department of State Lands for $38,400 annually in 2004 and subleased it to the developer of the terminal project, Oregon LNG, for the same amount. That price was based on an appraisal that assumed the land would be used for a golf course instead of a $1 billion LNG plant. Critics have long argued that the deal was too generous, and it became part of an investigation by the state attorney general into misconduct by the former port director.

When Oregon LNG went to renew its sublease on the land last year for a term of 30 years, the Port decided to extend its master lease with the state for only two years, with the option for subsequent 30-year extensions. Oregon LNG filed suit for breach of contract.

The decision by the U.S. District Court judge confirmed a November recommendation by a magistrate judge that Astoria's Port should extend both Oregon LNG's sublease and its lease with the Department of State Lands for three decades, despite the Port's concerns about getting locked into a 30-year deal if the terminal isn't built.The Port can appeal the decision to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court.

Oregon LNG is still seeking federal, state and local permits for the terminal, but it is celebrating the decision because the land issue has put its project in limbo with other regulators and industry partners, said Peter Hansen, the chief executive of Oregon LNG.

- Ted Sickinger

Salmonella-related recall grows in products containing seasoning HVP

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:57:55 +0000

Seven companies, including Kroger Co., which owns Fred Meyer, recalled two dozens items, including dips, soup, seasoning and gravy mix. All of them contain hydrolyzed vegetable protein from Basic Food Flavors in Las Vegas.

The Food and Drug Administration released a flurry of recalls today over salmonella fears associated with a savory seasoning that is added to a slew of food.

Seven companies, including Kroger Co., which owns Fred Meyer, recalled two dozens items, including dips, soup, seasoning and gravy mix. All of them contain hydrolyzed vegetable protein from Basic Food Flavors in Las Vegas.

One lot of the company's HVP tested positive for salmonella sparking an inspection of the company's plant, which turned up more of the bacterium.

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is used in place of MSG by manufacturers and adds a savory kick to food.

The FDA has set up a database for the HVP-related recall, adding new products every day. About 150 products have been pulled so far.

No illnesses have been reported.

-- Lynne Terry

RealtyTrac: Oregon foreclosure filings drop 8% in February from 2009

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:19:32 +0000

FRONT PORCH BLOG: Oregon reported one foreclosure filings for every 492 housing units, the 13th highest rate in the country.

Oregon had 3,300 foreclosure filings in February, down 8.2 percent from the same month a year ago, according to real estate firm RealtyTrac.

Oregon reported one foreclosure filings for every 492 housing units, the 13th highest rate in the country. The filings account for a filing at each stage of a foreclosure. Washington state reported one filing for every 1,050 housing units, 33rd highest in the country, according to RealtyTrac's rankings.

Nationally, foreclosure filings rose 6 percent compared to February 2009, the smallest year-over-year increase since January 2006 when the firm began calculating such changes.

James J. Saccacio, RealtyTrac's CEO, said: "This leveling of the foreclosure trend is not necessarily evidence that fewer homeowners are in distress and at risk for foreclosure, but rather that foreclosure prevention programs, legislation and other processing delays are in effect capping monthly foreclosure activity -- albeit at a historically high level that will likely continue for an extended period. ... In addition, severe winter weather appears to have temporarily slowed the processing of foreclosure records in some Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states."

Six states accounted for 61 percent of all foreclosure filings in February: Nevada, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Arizona and Texas. Nevada led the nation for the 38th straight month.

Wall Street: Stocks climb for third day as financial shares rise

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:13:55 +0000

Stocks have traded in a narrow range since the Labor Department said on Friday that employers cut fewer jobs in February than analysts expected. The market is looking for more signs of progress.

NEW YORK -- A rally in financial stocks today helped the market extend its grind higher to a third day.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index cleared an important hurdle watched by traders when it closed just above its January peak to set a new 17-month high. That could bring some hesitant buyers into the market.

Financial shares rose after Citigroup Inc. CEO Vikram Pandit said the bank was on a path toward "sustained profitability" as it sells off risky assets. The bank has been the hardest hit by the financial crisis so the upbeat assessment helped boost expectations about the economy. The stock rose 5.6 percent.

The climb by financials helped offset concern about a spike in inflation in China. The country said its inflation rate rose to 2.7 percent in February from 1.5 percent in January. A steep rise in prices could force China to raise interest rates. That, in turn, could slow one of the world's fastest-growing economies and put a damper on a global recovery.

Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investments at PNC Wealth Management, said he expects that China will be able to contain prices for now.

"We'll see hints of inflation here and there but I don't think we'll see that problem for a while," he said.

In the U.S., the Labor Department said workers filing for jobless benefits for the first time fell by 6,000 to 462,000 last week. Economists were predicting a slightly bigger drop, according to Thomson Reuters.

The report showed some easing in the labor market, but it didn't point to the increase in hiring that investors want to see. Stocks have traded in a narrow range since the Labor Department said on Friday that employers cut fewer jobs in February than analysts expected. The market is looking for more signs of progress.

The week's quiet trading comes as investors look for more signs about the direction of the economy.

According to preliminary calculations, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 44.51, or 0.4 percent, to 10,611.84. It is down 1.1 percent from its recent high in Jan. 19.

The S&P 500 index advanced 4.63, or 0.4 percent, to 1,150.24, above its Jan. 19 close of 1,150.23. The index now stands at its highest level since Oct. 1, 2008.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 9.51, or 0.4 percent, to 2,368.46 for its sixth straight advance.

Bond prices were little changed. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, was flat at 3.73 percent.

The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices rose.

Crude oil rose 2 cents to settle at $82.11 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

David Joy, chief market strategist at RiverSource Investments, said he was impressed that traders shrugged off the increase in China's inflation in a week with few economic reports. Investors often become uneasy when there is little new news. That can lead them to sell stocks.

"The concept of an economic recovery is garnering a little more credibility," he said. "We've arrived at a place where stocks are fairly valued."

The close above the January high by the S&P 500 index could give some of the investors sitting out of the market new incentive to pump money into stocks. The market slipped Monday and inched higher Tuesday and Wednesday. Volume has been light, a sign that traders have limited faith in the market's recent gains.

Corporate dealmaking continued. Oil company BP will pay $7 billion to acquire exploration rights from Devon Energy Corp. BP will acquire rights to explore in Brazil, the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Caspian Sea.

Increased mergers and acquisitions in recent weeks has been a welcome sign that corporate leaders believe the economy is getting stronger.

Citigroup rose 22 cents, or 5.6 percent, to $4.18. It was a year ago this week, on March 10, 2009, that the Dow and the S&P 500 index began to pull off of 1-year lows after Citigroup said it had been making money.

Two stocks rose for every three that fell on the New York Stock Exchange, where trading volume came to 975.6 million shares, compared with 1.1 billion Wednesday.

The Russell 2000 rose 2.29, or 0.3 percent, to 677.22.

Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.4 percent, Germany's DAX index slipped 0.1 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 0.4 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 1 percent.

-- The Associated Press