Gov.
Kate Brown declared an emergency in two Oregon counties due to drought conditions, she announced in a press release.
Douglas County is the first county west of the Cascades to be declared an emergency.
"That means we must continue our urgent work to build communities that are ready for the challenges of climate change.
I have directed state agencies stand ready to help and work with local communities to provide assistance."
Citing the effects on animals and the environment from millions of tons of plastic waste, the Portland City Council is poised to pass a resolution Wednesday restricting use of plastic straws and other single-use plastics.
Plastic straws are one of the most common forms of waste, it said, and cannot be recycled.
An outright straw-ban is not mentioned in the resolution.
If the Portland City Council adopts the resolution, the city will join Seattle, San Francisco, Berkeley, Boulder and Vancouver, British Columbia as other big — and liberal-leaning — cities to move away from use of plastic straws.
— Gordon R. Friedman 503-221-8209