Derelict Dock Or A Piece Of History

I got an e-mail this morning from Rebecca Marshall.  It was titled "Lucky Jim".  Before opening I thought to myself, "COOL!!  What did I win?", but in the back of my mind I was thinking, "Great!  What did I screw up now?"  Turns out Lucky Jim meant it was my turn to grace the pages of KXL.com with a blog entry.  

Immediately I started thinking, what can I blog about?  What matters to our listeners?  Can I make it through the blog without a spelling mistake?  All good questions, now for the answers.

All four local TV news stations made a run for the Oregon Coast last week when a giant dock landed on the beach just north of Newport.  We now know it's a piece of history from the Japan Tsunami, but I get the feeling that it will not be treated as a piece of history.  Crews quickly descended on it and removed all the "invasive species" and then used blow torches to sanitize what was left on the dock.  A giant hole was dug in the sand above the tide line and all those "invasive species" were dumped in and buried.  Now the question is, what to do with the dock.  There have been a couple of ideas floated around.  Of course the typical take it out to see and sink it idea came up.  But what about the "invasive species" that are on the bottom of the dock?  I am pretty sure they were not able to remove them as it sat on the beach.  It also floated thousands of miles across the ocean, makes me wonder how it would be sent to the bottom of the ocean.  The other idea making the rounds, dismantle it right there on the beach.  When I heard that, for some strange reason it thought of The New Carissa.  Of course the dock, which is 66-feet long and 7-feet tall, is not nearly the size of that ship, but stranger things have happened.  Now I am not saying there is an impending disaster like The New Carissa but why sink it or destroy it?  Why not treat it like a piece of history?  Don't you think the whole thing or even pieces of it would make an interesting exhibit at the coastal museums up and down the Oregon coast?  After all this is the first major piece of history from the Japan Tsunami to make land fall in the United States.  The question remains, what do you do with a 66-foot long dock that traveled thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean? ~ Jim

It's Portland Beer Week!

Thursday is the start of Portland Beer Week.  Of course, a week is usually 7 days but when you're celebrating beer, it's 10 days! There are tons of events going on to celebrate Beervana, including an official beer, brewed by Deschutes and Hopworks.  There are several tastings and mini-festivals, even a progressive dinner where beer is the focus.  KXL Beer Goddess Lisa Morrison says Portland Beer Week is like a special date night for a married couple.  You know you still love your spouse but every once in awhile, you have to carve some time out for that person.  You can check out a list of all the events here.
Beer is a huge part of the Portland economy.  According to the Oregon Brewers Guild, Oregon has 107 brewing companies.  48 of those breweries are located in Portland, more than any other city in the world.  So get out there and have fun (responsibly!) and support your local businesses!
--Lacey

Seat Buddy

Another airline is trying to customize your traveling experience.  Latvia's national airline is launching the SEAT BUDDY system offering passengers three FLIGHT MOODS to choose from.  The first one is "work" for those who want to get something done; the second is "business talk" for those who want to network; and the third is "relax" for those who don't want to deal with a chatty neighbor. Hobbies and interests will also be taken into account.   A spokesman for the airline tells news.com.au that they are the first airline to do this.   He also mentioned that passengers would not be allowed to ban people from sitting with them.  The first "SeatBuddy" test flights will take off later this month.  Where would YOU like to sit?

~Rebecca

Kyron Horman Two Years Later

June 4th has become a day we all remember in the KXL newsroom.  That is the day we all learned that a young boy named Kyron Horman was missing....he was last seen with his step mom at a science fair at Skyline School.  For months, his face was pasted all over the media and on billboards as police desperately searched for him.  His step mom, Teri Horman, became the focus of the investigation but charges were never filed.   Kyron's body has never been found.  His birth mom Desiree Young is now suing Teri Horman for custodial interference meaning that she has kept Kyron from her for an extended period of time.  Kyron's father, Kaine Horman, continues to believe his son is alive and asks us all to keep looking.   Lacey Evans sat down with Kaine and talked to him and you can hear that interview on Portland's Morning News and Afternoon News on Monday.  We will be thinking about Kyron this June 4th and for many June 4th's to come.   Our hearts go out to the family.

~Rebecca Marshall
KXL Anchor and News Director

44 Cents Can Save a Child's Life

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Are you traveling for Memorial Day?

Memorial Day is fast approaching which means many Americans are packing bags and planning a road trip.  According to AAA, 11% of Americans will take a trip this weekend.  That is up from last year, but AAA notes that a lot of people are cutting back in other ways.  For example, the distance people are driving is down drastically, 150 miles less than last year.  Also, the majority of travelers over the holiday weekend are visiting family and friends, possibly saving money on lodging.
What are you doing this weekend?  Are you flying somewhere?  Driving?  This is a big camping weekend...maybe you're headed into the woods.  Leave your comments below and tell me where you're going.  Was it easy to find a camping spot?  Are gas prices holding you back?  Personally, I'm headed to Central Oregon for the holiday weekend, but I will be back in plenty of time for a holiday edition of Portland's Afternoon News!
-Lacey