Jenny Smith

It's Monday.

Oregonian columnist David Sarasohn looks at the fallout of Oregon having the highest rate of childhood hunger in the country. OPB visits one program in Clackamas County that's helping struggling families with food and clothing.

Meanwhile, the Oregonian editorial board calls on the legislature to vigorously debate and examine the components of the Governor's Education Investment Board.

Trimet has launched a budget-balancing widget, if you want to take a crack at it.

Internationally, this weekend the last US troops left Iraq after nine years of war. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and former Czech President Vaclav Havel have both died.

It's Thursday! The recent improvement in Oregon unemployment levels isn't all good news, as some of the drop is due to people no longer looking for work. On the other hand, the Oregon Center for Public Policy has an analysis showing that Oregon has outpaced national economic recovery in key areas.

The GOP's bill to extend the middle-class payroll tax cut comes with a big provison: Cutting unemployment benefits to 3.3 million Americans, including 46,700 Oregonians.

When we heard NPR's report on their inability to find any millionaires opposed to a millionaires' surtax, it reminded us of how hard a time Oregon media has had finding businesses impacted by Measures 66 & 67. Read about it at the Sockeye blog.

It's Tuesday! The New York Times has an extensive front pager examining the failing track record of for-profit online charter schools, using K12 Inc. as an example. (K12 runs the Oregon Virtual Academy.) "[A] portrait emerges of a company that tries to squeeze profits from public school dollars by raising enrollment, increasing teacher workload and lowering standards." Just in case you have forgotten -- in the last legislative session, Oregon greatly expanded the reach of online charter schools without any accountability measures.

Last week, the Portland Business Alliance made headlines at the Oregonian with a report claiming that Portland-area wages had fallen faster and farther than the national average. Turns out, that's the opposite of true: "In fact, per capita incomes in metro Portland declined slightly more slowly than national incomes -- and rebounded somewhat faster." The Oregonian has a small correction.

Oregon unemployment is now at 9.1 percent, the lowest rate in three years.

It's Thursday! Oregon's efforts to help smokers quit get national attention, parking meters on the eastside are put on hold, and the first television ads for the Congressional District 1 special general election go up.