http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/index.php Portland and surrounding area community news and information http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=121011118999883600 I was looking forward to the opening of Chuck Nakvasil’s new, state-of-the-art movie theater last week. I’m a big movie buff, and like many people in Scappoose am excited about the prospect of watching movies in a brand spanking new theater complex with all the latest bells and ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=119498876356259700 . Re: Letters to the editor Well, it must be election time, as the attack dogs are in full force. Re: Letters to the editor Much accusation and finger-pointing. It’s all about the he said, she said you know the rest. Not one puts their name to their pen. Re: May is National ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=121011157666740800 . Out of control When I moved to Columbia County 10 years ago, places like Scappoose and St. Helens were being touted as the new “bedroom communities” of Portland. Little did I know that due to the lack of dog, nuisance and zoning ordinances in this county, these areas were also ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=121011095323156100 If they can’t agree on anything else, Keith Meeuwsen and Craig Melton agree on this – they’re glad the investigations into the St. Helens Mat Club are over. The continuing saga of whether funds from bake sales and car washes and donated to the high school wrestling program were ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120950612616937200 What does Earth Day mean beyond the cleanups and events? How do you bring this celebration of protecting the earth home to your community? While I encourage folks to go out and pick up trash, plant trees, and pull weeds, I think this day is also a good opportunity to look around and appreciate ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120950451359975800 There are all kinds of reasons we might choose to celebrate the month that begins next week. In this part of the country, May is the month it might stop raining all the time. I say “might” because it might also keep raining until mid-July. You just never know. When I was little, the ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120950392656537400 One of the decisions that Democrats will have to make in the upcoming primary election is who to nominate for Position 1 on the Columbia County Board of Commissioners. That ought to be an easy task. Clearly, Earl Fisher is the better of the two candidates. There are a lot of reasons to choose ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120890515579664400 My neighbor reads our local newspaper from one end to the other. He retains what he reads, and as a result considers himself to be very well informed about local events. “Hey Eagle,” said my neighbor (let’s call him Mike). “What do you think about all that stuff that they ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120890491920300200 We had a party at my office last week. We celebrated something that, when I thought about it, I’d never experienced before. One of my co-workers was granted U.S. citizenship. She’d had a green card for 25 years, entering the country as a French citizen when she was a child. But she ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120890427665693100 This week marks the 38th anniversary of Earth Day, which began in 1970 as a series of rallies aimed at focusing national attention on environmental degradation. An estimated 20 million people, mostly students, participated in Earth Day festivities that year by participating in tree-plantings, beach ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120890402580929500 One of the most important things that employers do is hire the very best people possible. Volumes have been written about the top predictors of employee success, but essentially they boil down to the following – intelligence, education, attitude, experience, skill, personality and ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120830143158676000 One of the great benefits of living in Oregon is access to a limitless array of world-class waterways. The Oregon Coast, all 300 miles of it, is one of the most dramatic, unspoiled stretches of oceanfront property anywhere, with its characteristic rocky shorelines, open beaches, hidden coves, and ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120830131115582700 Mayors, city managers, city councilors, planning commissioners and hundreds of volunteers involved in public service from one end of the state to the other have been doing some soul searching this week to decide to what extent they are willing to open their lives to public scrutiny. That’s ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120770261712205000 I’ll probably be one of those people who raise their hand when Rick Olson, keynote speaker at the upcoming South Columbia County Chamber of Commerce workshop, asks who has taken their business from one company to another one because of poor customer service or apathy on the part of its ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120770243998592000 It’s encouraging, finally, to see all the major candidates for president beginning to address what may well be the most important issue of our time — global warming. Every report, it seems, shows that global warming is taking place faster and with more draconian consequences than the ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120708137610127900 By Jeff Rogers A father kidnaps his child and takes him out of the country in an attempt to thwart a custody decision and hide him from the court’s jurisdiction. The child is recovered, but the man continues to act obsessively, stalking his ex-wife and other women and forcing them to obtain ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120707364436885400 The unavoidable question that lingers in the minds of many Columbia County residents in the wake of Lonny Friberg’s fatal automobile accident is how many more people must die before somebody does something to make Cornelius Pass Road safe. That’s not only a fair question in light of ... http://www.spotlightnews.net/opinion/story.php?story_id=120707992507452700 March was Problem Gambling Awareness Month, and addiction counselors across the country have been pulling out the stops to make people aware of the dangers of games of chance. I’ve never been much of a gambler, not because I wouldn’t like to bring home the winning Powerball ticket, ...