Planting Time |
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JEFF KORTGE seeds a winter wheat crop just outside The Dalles this week. Farmers across the Mid-Columbia area are hard at work on planting the crop that will be harvested in 2009. Contributed photo/John McManigal
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Cochran |
Cochran takes helm at CRB
Bank veteran replaces president, CEO
Columbia Bancorp announced Wednesday that Terry L. Cochran has been appointed president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Columbia River Bank and Columbia Bancorp.
The bank has seen a sharp drop in earnings over the past year, and responded by suspending director salaries and reducing its CEO’s salary in July, closing its mortgage division and selling its credit card portfolio.
The bancorp operates 22 banks in rural Oregon. The corporation’s stock prices have dropped sharply in the last year, from a high of $19.75 per share to a low of $3.05. This morning’s NASDAQ listed trading at $4.11. 
Wasco electric refutes member allegations
Storkson claims election illegalities
By KATHY GRAY
of The Chronicle
A The Dalles-area man has launched a media campaign accusing Wasco Electric Cooperative of violating its bylaws through election improprieties and saying that Oregon law does not require cooperatives to be accountable to their members.
This week, Wasco Electric took the unusual step of refuting Britt Storkson’s accusations with a letter to cooperative members.
Bailout: Not pretty, not popular, says Walden
By RODGER NICHOLS
of The Chronicle
Congressman Greg Walden shared his inside view on recent economic events, including the bailout bill, during a visit to The Dalles Monday.
“This was neither perfect nor pretty, and certainly not popular,” Walden said.
“It’s probably the most unpopular vote any of us has cast that voted for it,” he said.
But, he said, he was convinced it was necessary.
“When you have people like the chairman of the Federal Reserve saying not since World War II has the country faced this serious an economic problem, and you see the whole shutdown of the credit market, you realize there’s an economic tsunami that starts on Wall Street but is quickly racing toward Main Street. Our job is to try and prevent that from happening.
