Oregon Chief Operating Officer choice praised - snow cancels some schools - bridge work to delay traffic -

Chief Operating Officer appointment praised…

Oregon’s new Chief Operating Officer has a history with coastal lawmaker Joanne Verger. Michael Jordan, the current head of Metro, elected regional government in the Portland Area, was named this week by Governor John Kitzhaber to fill a newly created position to oversee reorganization of state government agencies. Verger, a State Senator from Coos Bay, is a former mayor of that city and served as the president of the League of Oregon Cities. Jordan was on the board of that organization at that time.
215 – “He was a bright star on the board of the league, did a wonderful job. Very bright man, very organized, articulate, and above all has a wonderful manner in dealing and working with other people.”

Jordan’s appointment must be confirmed by the legislature. He’s expected to begin work next Monday. He’ll report directly to the Governor and will be responsible for leadership and oversight of the day-to-day operations of the state and will direct the Department of Administrative Services.

A planned meeting in Florence intended to gather local input on the update to the City’s transportation plan will be delayed for a variety of reasons. Community Development Director Sandra Belson said the weather forecast played a role in the cancellation. But, she said, the main reason is that contractual arrangements with the consultant handling the process haven’t been finalized. The process is expected to get a fresh start as soon as the details are worked out.

Speaking of transportation… traffic over the Siuslaw River Bridge on Highway 101 will be facing up to 20-minute delays overnight tonight because of work on replacing the lock pin and sockets on the draw-span. Work is expected to begin at 11 tonight and continue through five Friday morning. Flaggers will stop traffic in both directions while the spans are raised to work on the locks.

Snow closed schools in much of western Oregon today… no classes were held in Reedsport, nor in Mapleton… but classes proceeded in Florence. That’s because the Florence and Dunes City area was spared much of the early morning snow that covered the rest of the state. The National Weather Service has posted a winter storm warning for most of the state this afternoon and through late tonight for snow showers and winter driving conditions.

Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Pressure is growing on an Oregon congressman
whose staff tried to persuade him to seek mental health treatment.
The state Republican chair and one of Oregon's largest newspapers
say Democrat David Wu should resign. State GOP Chair Allen Alley
says Wu should step down because he needs to focus on his health
and family, and his constituents deserve his attention.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Portland City Council has postponed
until March 10 consideration of whether to rejoin a
counterterrorism program established to root out homegrown threats.
The council had been expected to reconsider participation in the
Joint Terrorism Task Force today. KPTV says the hearing was put off
so city staffers could finalize a draft proposal; possible snow was
also a concern.

OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) - The Blue Heron Paper Co. plans to close
its mill in Oregon City, laying off 175 workers. The Oregonian
reported the company, owned entirely by its employees, tried to
reorganize after filing for bankruptcy on Dec. 31, 2009. The mill
sits on Oregon's oldest industrial site.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Roughly 150 protesters opposed to Libyan
leader Moammar Gadhafi's rule have rallied in Portland to support
those fighting his regime. The group marched in Pioneer Courthouse
Square yesterday, holding signs and shouting such slogans as "Down
with the Dictator."

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The leader of the search for Kyron Horman
will provide an update this morning. Kyron disappeared from his
school on June 4, and a massive investigation has not turned up any
sightings or led to any suspects. Multnomah County Sheriff Dan
Staton will update county commissioners on the status of the
search.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A federal judge in Portland says U.S.
Attorney General Eric Holder's comments in the case of a teen
accused of trying to detonate a bomb at a holiday tree-lighting
violated government policy guidelines. But Judge Garr King denied a
motion by Mohamed Mohamud's defense lawyers to order Holder to stop
talking about the case.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Although the population of metro Portland
grew by percentages in the double digits in the past decade, the
blistering growth rates were in Central and Southern Oregon. Census
data just released show that Bend's population grew by 47 percent.
Bend's smaller neighbor Redmond grew by 95 percent while Grants
Pass grew by 50 percent. Overall Oregon's population grew by 12
percent.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - The percentage of biodiesel going into diesel
fuel sold in Oregon is rising from 2 percent to 5 percent. State
agriculture officials say it's because overall production of
biodiesel in Oregon has reached 15 million gallons, which triggers
the increase.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

They’ve won six of their last eight games and have two at home this week. The Oregon Ducks, tied for fourth place in the Pac-10 will host Cal tonight at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene. Airtime on Coast Radio Sports is set for 5:30 with the tipoff at six. Also at six this evening, Oregon State will tip off against Stanford in Corvallis. The Beavers have lost ten of their last 12 and are in 9th place. The pregame show on KCFM begins at 5:30.

Saturday’s prep basketball playoff between Siuslaw’s Lady Vikings and the Hidden Valley Mustangs will tip off at Five pm… the game had initially been planned for six, but travel considerations prompted game time to be moved up. It will air on Coast Radio Sports immediately following the Oregon – Stanford men’s basketball game Saturday.