The Jefferson Exchange

California got there first, but Oregon is not far behind: declaring drought before winter is even over. 

Gov. Jerry Brown made the California declaration in mid-January.  Gov. Kitzhaber has only made declarations for four Oregon counties so far: Klamath, Lake, Harney and Malheur. 

We can't put off filing our income tax returns much longer. 

April 15th is less than two months away, and Uncle Sam takes a dim view of the “better late than never” attitude. 

The killing of tens of thousands of bees in the Portland area last year sparked widespread concern about the use of pesticides. 

And the concern translated to regulation, but so far, no legislation.  A bill to toughen up some pesticide laws just got watered down in the Oregon legislature.

Teachers are on strike in Medford, but should they be allowed to strike, anywhere?  And does universal pre-kindergarten confer all the benefits promised? 

Those are this week's VENTSday topics.

We often speak admiringly of people who can “work a room”... navigating a business or social gathering, impressing others as the move along. 

Somebody must have written a book about how to do that well.  In fact, somebody did.  Susan Roane even registered the trademark to the name How to Work A Room.

Oregon's short 2014 legislative session will end without new regulations on new cigarettes. 

Electronic or “E-cigarettes” came on the market fast enough to catch many regulators by surprise.

Yes, there is nicotine in the devices, but no actual tobacco.  Users do inhale burned nicotine and other substances, but in the form of vapor, not smoke. 

Oregon voted to enshrine marriage in the state constitution as a one man/one woman transaction nearly ten years ago. 

With the tide of public opinion changing, a campaign is mounting to reverse that earlier vote.  The Oregon United for Marriage Campaign wants to broaden the definition to include either two men or two women.

Maybe our predecessors could not imagine cell phones or cars, but they certainly spent some time thinking about life. 

And many of their thoughts about how to approach it are still valid. 

The Meals on Wheels program for seniors is popular in Klamath County. 

Maybe a little too popular for its own good.  The program that delivers meals to seniors has a waiting list... and not much money to make that list shorter. 

College-bound high school students can get a leg up on their post-secondary education by taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams and classes. 

But a recent national report shows many Oregon students do not take advantage of the AP offerings.