And now a wind farm in the scenic hills near the small town of Union, southeast of La Grande, is up for approvals. ...It's late in the day. We need to get a handle now on how wind power adds up -- not just in megawatts but in how much it will change Oregon's views. Otherwise, in this state where we once insisted things look different, we just might not like the way things look.

The Oregon Trail is in the way of a gold rush that will demolish part of our history and leave us poorer. The Oregon Economic and Community Development Department, now operating under the new moniker Oregon Business, was commanded by statute to promote the Oregon Trail as a major tourist attraction consistent with maintaining the historical integrity of the Oregon Trail. ...The gold rush that threatens the Oregon Trail is "free" and "green" energy from the wind. If only it were so.

The final of three meetings on the highly-controversial issue of wind turbines in the foothills of the Blue Mountains takes place Thursday before the Umatilla County Planning Commission. We've said it before and we'll say it again: The commission should recognize there is a "significant resource" in our Blue Mountains and its foothills. Frankly, we don't see how the commission members could decide otherwise.

The Oregon Trail is in the way of a gold rush that promises to demolish part of our history and leave us poorer. The Oregon Economic and Community Development Department is commanded by statute to promote the Oregon Trail as a major tourist attraction consistent with maintaining the historical integrity of the Oregon Trail; I wish that were the gold rush I write about. The gold rush that threatens the Oregon Trail is "free" and "green" energy from wind power.