Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About North Douglas herald. (Drain Or) 2023-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2023)
City Desk Drain Demograhic Data Population in 2021: 1,186 (0% urban, 100% rural) Population change since 2000: +16.2% Males: 575 (48.5%) Females: 611 (51.5%) Median resident age: 50.7 years Oregon median age: 40.1 years Zip codes: 97435. Estimated median household income in 2021: $52,294 (it was $27,833 in 2000) Drain: $52,294 OR: $71,562 Estimated per capita income in 2021: $24,996 (it was $13,810 in 2000) Drain city income, earnings, and wages data Estimated median house or condo value in 2021: $232,000 (it was $91,300 in 2000) Drain: $232,000 OR: $422,700 Mean prices in 2021: all housing units: $225,913; detached houses: $273,890; mobile homes: $94,735 Median gross rent in 2021: $845. March 2022 cost of living index in Drain: 88.5 (less than average, U.S. average is 100) Drain, OR residents, houses, and apartments details Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2021: 16.2% (16.8% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 18.8% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 100.0% for American Indian residents, 17.6% for two or more races residents) 51 residents are foreign born (2.2% North America, 2.1% Asia). This city: 4.3% Oregon: 9.8% Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2021: $1,580 (0.7%) Nearest city with pop. 50,000+: Eugene, OR (29.2 miles , pop. 137,893). Nearest city with pop. 200,000+: Northwest Clackamas, OR (124.8 miles , pop. 224,220). Nearest city with pop. 1,000,000+: Los Angeles, CA (713.4 miles , pop. 3,694,820). Nearest cities: Yoncalla, OR (8 miles), Elkton, OR (14 miles), Oakland, OR (19 miles), Cottage Grove, OR (21 miles), Sutherlin, OR (23 miles), Roseburg, OR (34 miles), Springfield, OR (37 miles), Latitude: 43.66 N, Longitude: 123.31 W “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be lim- ited without being lost.” -Thomas Jefferson to Dr. James Currie, January 28, 1786 Oregon joins FTC lawsuit to break up Amazon Antitrust lawsuit alleges that Amazon maintains a monopoly at the expense of small businesses Story by Scooter Brown October 16, 2023 Oregon and 16 other states have joined the Federal Trade Commission in its lawsuit to break up the online retail giant Amazon. Amazon is charged with illegally maintaining a monopoly, according to the antitrust suit the FTC has brought against the behemouth. The FTC and 17 state attorneys general allege that the online retail and technology company is a monopolist that uses a set of interlocking anticompetitive and unfair strategies to illegally maintain its monopoly power. The FTC and its state partners say Amazon’s actions allow it to stop rivals and sellers from lowering prices, degrade quality for shoppers, overcharge sellers, stifle innovation, and prevent rivals from fairly competing against Amazon. The complaint claims Amazon violates the law not because it is big, but because it engages in a course of exclusionary conduct that prevents current competitors from growing and new competitors from emerging. By stifling competition on price, product selection, quality, and by preventing its current or future rivals from attracting a critical mass of shoppers and sellers, Amazon ensures that no current or future rival can threaten its dominance. Amazon’s far-reaching schemes impact hundreds of billions of dollars in retail sales every year, touch hundreds of thousands of products sold by businesses big and small and affect over a hundred million shoppers. The FTC and states allege Amazon’s anticompetitive conduct occurs in two markets—the online superstore market that serves shoppers and the market for online marketplace services purchased by sellers. These tactics include: 1. Anti-discounting measures that punish sellers and deter other online retailers from offering prices lower than Amazon, keeping prices higher for products across the internet. For example, if Amazon discovers that a seller is offering lower-priced goods elsewhere, Amazon can bury those discounting sellers so far down in Amazon’s search results that they become effectively invisible. 2. Conditioning sellers’ ability to obtain “Prime” eligibility for their products—a virtual necessity for doing business on Amazon—on sellers using Amazon’s costly fulfillment service, which has made it substantially more expensive for sellers on Amazon to also offer their products on other platforms. This unlawful coercion has in turn limited competitors’ ability to effectively compete against Amazon. 3. Amazon’s illegal, exclusionary conduct makes it impossible for competitors to gain a foothold. With its amassed power across both the online superstore market and online marketplace services market, Amazon extracts enormous monopoly rents from everyone within its reach. This includes: 4. Degrading the customer experience by replacing relevant, organic search results with paid advertisements—and deliberately increasing junk ads that worsen search quality and frustrate both shoppers seeking products and sellers who are promised a return on their advertising purchase. 5. Biasing Amazon’s search results to preference Amazon’s own products over ones that Amazon knows are of better quality. 6. Charging costly fees on the hundreds of thousands of sellers Continued on page 6 Local TOPS Chapter Celebrates 60 Years Thanks to Kathy Finley TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is an international organization that is celebrating 75 years. It was started by a woman looking for support in weight loss by encouraging gathering with likeminded people. Her name was Esther Manz. She believed that encouragement and accountability were the keys to success. The organization is all about supporting those folks interested in getting and staying healthy by making smart changes in their eating habits. While it doesn’t promote specific weight loss plans it does encourage plans that provide a nutritious and balanced eating plan. Chapter 0181 was started by Arlene Ammons of Elkton. Yes, THAT Arlene, that had the restaurant! She was famous for her pies and used to joke that she would “fatten em up” downstairs then send them upstairs to join TOPS. Arlene had heard about the TOPS organization and wanted to provide one locally. The group began on November 4, 1963, and when it outgrew Arlene’s place in Elkton, the chapter moved to Drain where it has been ever since. This is a very successful Chapter that boasts KOPS (Keep Off Pounds Sensibly) members that have met their weight goals and kept them from as little as one year and one member for 30 plus years and everything in between. The Chapter merged with the Yoncalla group some years ago and continues to serve all of North County. An open house to mark the occasion is scheduled for Monday November 20th from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the Church of Christ Annex in Drain. Light refreshments will be served. Government Know who your local Representatives are! Drain Mayor: Erin Sparhawk Council Position #1: Grant Vaughan Council Position #2: Kevin VanPelt Council Position #3: Katie Decker Council Position #4: Aaron Lymath City Council Meetings: 11/13/2023 - 6:00pm 12/11/2023 - 6:00pm City Administrator: Jeni Stevens Yoncalla Mayor: Kathleen Wertz Councilors: Dan Wagoner Gene Vroman Harold Gilpin Bryce Wertz Council Meetings: 2nd Tuesday / month 6pm City Hall City Administrator: Jennifer Bragg Elkton Mayor: Daniel Burke Council President: Joan Smith Council Members: Kim Moore Dan Shepherd Sandra Galli Council Meetings: 2nd Thursday, 8:30am Next Council Meeting: September 14, 2023, 8:30 a.m. Public Works Supervisor: Gary Trout State & Federal Oregon House Representative: District 02: Virgle Osborne Oregon State Senator: District 1: David Brock Smith U.S. Senate Oregon: Jeff Merkley Ron Wyden U.S House of Representatives: District 4: Val Hoyle Secretary of State:: LaVonne Griffin-Valade Attorney General: Ellen Rosenblum Governor: Tina Kotek It is important to know your repre- sentation in your State, Districts and Municipalities. REMEMBER it is vital to your freedoms to vote. If you would like to have your own towns municipal officers listed please send title & names only to citydesk@ndherald.com
