Christian Wihtol
The Register-Guard
Eugene, OR, United States
Contact Christian
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Christian:
Railroad company names Coos Bay rail line locomotive after Rep. DeFazio
It doesn’t carry the same ring as “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” but a locomotive that plies the rail line between the Coos Bay area and Eugene has been named “The Peter DeFazio.” The naming honors Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield, who has worked over the years to secure federal money to keep the freight line operating. The line is publicly owned by the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay. → Read More
Cool weekend weather may help firefighting efforts
Western Oregon’s two big forest fires — the Crater Lake blaze and the Blue Top Fire — were both behaving in a subdued manner heading into the weekend, with the possibility of cooling temperatures hindering the flames and fire growth. Authorities on Friday reported the Crater Lake fire at 1,125 acres. The growth in the fire was mainly from firefighters setting areas around the perimeter on fire… → Read More
Fire near McKenzie River now estimated at 40 percent contained
The Blue Top Fire off Highway 126 near the McKenzie River is now 40 percent contained, fire authorities estimated Thursday morning. The fire is estimated at 30 acres. It has been growing slowly since it was discovered July 27. → Read More
Sanipac cleaning up partially burned garbage it dumped near Pleasant Hill
PLEASANT HILL — Sanipac is cleaning up a load of partially burned garbage that a Sanipac gargage truck driver dumped near the Middle Fork of the Willamette River on Wednesday morning after noticing his load was smoldering. The driver dumped the smoking trash on a cleared area next to Parkway and Edenvale roads, about 400 feet west of the west bank of the Middle Fork. The site is about two miles… → Read More
Brief hot spell to hit south Willamette Valley on Thursday, Friday
If you’re looking to feel the burn, the weather Thursday and Friday will be to your taste. A brief heat wave — the summer’s second — is forecast to arrive, with a high of 95 on Thursday and 93 on Friday in Eugene. Highs will drop back into the seasonable low- to mid-80s for the weekend and beyond as cooler air pushes down from the Gulf of Alaska and British Columbia to reverse the heating trend,… → Read More
Cottage Grove City Council to mull gas tax increase
COTTAGE GROVE — The Cottage Grove City Council on Monday will talk about whether the city should raise the three-cents-per-gallon tax it currently tacks onto gas sold in the city limits. If the council wants to put a gas tax increase on the November ballot, staff would prepare the materials needed for a council vote, City Manager Richard Meyers said in a memo to the council. The three percent… → Read More
Early summer 2016 is reminder of what a normal summer feels like in Western Oregon
For Lane County residents who still remember the brutal summer heat waves of 2014 and 2015, the weather so far this summer might seem mild. But in truth, this summer’s temperature and rainfall are more like the historical norm in Western Oregon. “It’s been right on par with our typical summer,” said Will Ahue, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Portland office. → Read More
Veneta sewage treatment plant giving off stink; illegally dumped chemicals are to blame, city says
VENETA — Illegal dumping of gasoline or another similar substance into Veneta’s sanitary sewer system is causing a stink. The illegal chemicals have disrupted the biological process at the city’s sewage treatment plant, causing the plant to give off “unusual odors,” the city said in a news release Friday. The odors are being detected on the western edge of the city, near the plant. → Read More
Trillium’s revenues and profits soared in 2014-15 as owners worked on sale
From 2013 to 2015, private, for-profit Agate Resources became an increasingly attractive aquisition target for Centene Corp., as Agate’s Trillium Health Plan subsidiary ballooned in revenues and profits, Agate documents show. By the time Centene moved ahead with buying Agate/Trillium last year for $109 million, Trillium was on track to post a hefty cash reserve of $41.3 million, Trillium’s… → Read More
Small number of Agate shareholders accumulated large holdings of shares, giving them big payouts on sale to Centene
Here’s a rundown of who received how much in last year’s sale of Agate Resources, the Eugene-based private parent of Trillium Community Health Plan, to Centene, a publicly traded company based in Missouri. Figures are based on individual shareholder information in Agate’s official June 29, 2015 sales plan document, which was obtained by The Register-Guard. The document lists a sale price range… → Read More
Seneca wood-burning power plant wins additional $1 million taxpayer subsidy
Company wins lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Energy → Read More
Rural backyard burn season in Lane County ends today
Today’s the last day many Lane County rural residents can set fire to their burn piles. The spring backyard burning season ends today, and the fall burning season won’t start until October, the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency said. Backyard burning is banned for most Lane County residents during the summer due to fire danger. → Read More
Dispute over value, property tax bill of Seneca’s Eugene energy plant drags on for years
Rising 100 feet tall, burning truck-load after truck-load of wood waste, and, in cold weather, belching plumes of white steam high into the air, the Seneca Sustainable Energy LLC power plant north of Eugene cuts an eye-catching profile. But how much is the innovative 38-acre facility worth? Seneca and government tax authorities have fought quietly in Oregon Tax Court over that question ever… → Read More
Looming heat wave may be brief, but intense, in Willamette Valley
How bad will it get and how long will it last? The looming heat wave is forecast to hit 99 at the Eugene Airport weather station on Saturday afternoon, then dip to a high of 92 on Sunday and a high in the 80s by Monday. But the forecast keeps changing as the National Weather Service draws a bead on the high-pressure ridge forming over the Pacific Northwest that will keep cool ocean air at bay in… → Read More
Unseasonably warm weather expected through weekend
A much warmer than normal spring looks to be leading into an early heat wave for the southern Willamette Valley. Highs in the low 90s are expected for Saturday and Sunday in Eugene-Springfield, capping a gradual heat build-up during the week, the National Weather Service forecast. But forecasts are unreliable, especially this early in the summer, as the forecast for Tuesday showed. → Read More
Test restriping on south Willamette in Eugene to begin Monday
Let the long-delayed restriping of south Willamette Street begin. If the good weather holds, a contractor for the city of Eugene next week will begin restriping sections of south Willamette, setting up a year-long test to help determine whether the city should permanently reconfigure the lanes. Crews next week will restripe Willamette from 24th to 32nd avenues, the city said. → Read More
Oregon manufacturing company considers buying empty Cottage Grove factory, city says
COTTAGE GROVE — An unnamed Oregon manufacturing company is looking into buying a long-empty Cottage Grove factory and opening an operation that would employ about 100, a Cottage Grove official said. The company has sought detailed information about the 86,000-square-foot bank-owned factory on Davidson Avenue on the east side of Cottage Grove and may decide within several weeks whether to… → Read More
Barely one out of every two Lane County voters filled out their ballots
Unaffiliated voters largely tossed their ballots, the data show → Read More
Lane County voter turnout at 36.4 percent with Monday, Tuesday to go
As of Monday morning, 36.4 percent of Lane County registered voters had cast their ballots in the Tuesday primary. The deadline for turning in ballots is 8 p.m. Tuesday. → Read More
Task force on Oregon’s public records law will convene Monday at UO
Group wants to hear from residents who have used the law → Read More