Wednesday, June 8, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Oregon’s economy
roaring at ‘full throttle’
By Kristena hansen
Associated Press
PORTLAND (AP) —
Oregon’s economy is barrel-
ing out of the Great Recession
gloom at “full throttle,” with
full employment now in
sight, wages on the upswing
and state revenue gaining at
some of the fastest rates in the
country, state economists said
Friday.
There were some bleak
spots — most notably the
ongoing erosion of afford-
able housing — and the rapid
pace some areas have been
improving aren’t sustainable
in the long term, especially
as the Baby Boom generation
continues aging. But overall,
Oregon’s economy wrapped
up the first half of the year in
sturdy shape.
“Progress is clearly being
made. Participation is in-
creasing as the job opportu-
nities remain plentiful and
wages are rising,” the Office
of Economic Analysis wrote
in its second-quarter report.
“Full employment in Oregon
is fast approaching.”
Oregon’s unemployment
rate (4.5 percent), job growth
(5,000 per month for the past
two years) and gains in wages
and personal income (8.5 per-
cent and 6.5 percent, respec-
tively, in the second quarter)
all fared better than national
averages, as well as the state’s
own performance in recent
years.
The state’s new minimum
wage law — under which the
first wage increases begin
July 1 — should help low-
income workers right away.
In the long term, or by 2025,
it could cost 40,000 jobs, but
state economists say it’s a
drop in the bucket compared
to the overall market and is
more so reflective of a slow-
er rate of job growth than
Welcome,
Rodeo!
10%
OFF d
Hats an
T-Shirts!
151 W. Main Ave., Sisters
541-549-FISH | Open 7 days a week
outright job losses.
But housing remains
a major problem, they
say, especially in metro
Portland, where new con-
struction and stronger low-
income assistance programs
are badly needed to slow
the area’s surging living
costs.
In a statement, Rep. Mike
McLane and Sen. Ted Ferrioli,
leaders of the Republican mi-
nority party in their respec-
tive chambers, took a stab
at Democrats by noting that,
despite revenue growth, “our
ending fund balance is ex-
pected to be $57.1 million
below previous projections,
largely due to overspending
by Democrats during the 2016
session.”
That projection-drop was
partly due to various financial
needs, some unexpected, that
came up at the Legislature
earlier this year, such as the
affordable housing pack-
age and air quality monitor-
ing amid Portland’s toxic air
crisis.
RODEO: Action begins
Wednesday with
Xtreme Bulls
Continued from page 1
at the 76th Sisters Rodeo.
Trevor Knowles, last
year’s all-around champion
at Sisters, will compete with
many top contenders and a
few rookies rated in the top
10 Rookie World Standings.
Terrebonne’s Russell
Cardoza is riding this sea-
son at second place in the
Professional Rodeo Cowboys
Association all-around stand-
ings. Cardoza competes in
tie-down roping, team rop-
ing (with header Dustin Bird)
and steer wrestling.
The young Central
Oregon competitor has been
rising steadily in the PRCA
since he began his career in
local rodeo training facili-
ties, which have put Central
Oregon on the rodeo map
nationwide.
Sisters will also see the
return of Taos Muncy, who
broke the arena record in
Saddle Bronc riding last
year with an 88-point ride.
Saddle Bronc brings riders
who are in the top 10 in 2016
standings, including Jake
Watson at No. 4 and Jake
Wright at No. 6.
Bareback Riding has
Clayton Biglow currently at
No. 1, Zack Brown at No.
4 and Cody Kiser at No. 7.
Brian Bain of Powell Butte
is also a rider to watch in this
event. Bain is a local favorite,
not just for rodeo, but also for
his striking bronze sculpture
of horses and riders galloping
through the field just south of
Sisters on Highway 20.
The Saddle Bronc compe-
tition is loaded with current
riders in the top of the PRCA
standings, including Jake
Watson at No. 4 and Jake
Wright at No. 6, vying for
numbers that can beat Taos
Muncy.
Shane Erickson of
Terrebonne is a tie-down
roper to watch as he tries to
get the short time in a total of
forty-two competitors in this
event over the weekend
There are 60 barrel rac-
ers competing, including
the legendary Brenda Mays
and her sister Vicki Mays
21
of Terrebonne. This crowd-
favorite event has 15 racers
per performance over the
weekend.
A dozen steer wrestlers
will tackle steers at each per-
formance. A total of 31 team
roping teams will throw their
ropes for fastest time over the
three days, and there will be a
pounding eighteen bull rides
per show.
Many of the timed-even
competitors will be riding for
their first go-round times on
Thursday during Slack com-
petition, beginning at about
8 a.m. The public is welcome
to watch Slack at no charge.
There are no bucking events
at Slack, which will run from
early morning until about 1
p.m.
The rodeo performanc-
es begin Friday at 7 p.m.,
Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.,
Saturday night at 7 p.m. and
Sunday at 1 p.m. The ticket
office in Sisters is closed
before noon on Friday, to re-
open one and one half hours
before each performance at
the rodeo grounds.