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ESOL News Oregon, by Timothy Krause

Text of article:

(SEPTEMBER 24, 2018) Many students come to Oregon to study. They find new and surprising things here. KVAL is a television station in Eugene. It made a list of seven things that new students need to know about life in their new state.

    People don't pump their own gas here. There are no regular "self-service" gas stations in the state. Oregon and New Jersey are the only states in the country with this law.
    There is no sales tax. Many states have a tax on things people buy. Oregon does not. Here, people pay for the government with property taxes (taxes on land and buildings) and income taxes (taxes on the money people earn).
    Marijuana is legal. Users must be at least 21 years old. However, they can't use it in public. Also, many colleges and universities do not permit it on campus.
    Oregon has a minimum wage (a wage is the money people receive for work). Now it is between $10.75 and $12.00 per hour. It depends where a person lives.
    People pay a deposit on beverage containers, such as soda cans. A deposit is money that you can get back. The deposit on beverage containers is 10 cents each.  
    People do not own the beaches. The state owns the beaches. Oregon passed a law in 1967 that says all beaches are public beaches.
    It is illegal to use a cell phone while driving a car. Illegal means it is not legal; it is against the law. The police can give a driver a ticket.  A person's first ticket can cost between $130 and $1,000.


Read by Eric Dodson. CC BY-NC-SA.

From ESOL News Oregon by Timothy Krause. 

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

https://sites.google.com/pcc.edu/esolnewsoregon

Music by Chris Zabriskie - Cylinder Six - http://www.chriszabriskie.com - Creative Commons BY License

Seven things to know about Oregon

ESOL News Oregon, by Timothy Krause

Text of article:Most Oregonians love the state's election system

(OCTOBER 26, 2018) A new survey by DHM Research says Oregon voters like the state's election system. This includes both the "vote by mail" and the Voters' Pamphlet.

The "vote by mail" system sends election ballots in the mail to registered voters. A "ballot" is the piece of paper used to mark choices in elections. Voters then have several weeks to complete their ballots at home. They send the ballots back to the government by mail, or they drop the ballots off at a collection site, such as a library. This system began in Oregon in 1987. 71% of voters prefer to vote by mail. 18% say they prefer to vote in person on election day, which they can do at county elections offices. Other states have different systems. 

The Voters' Pamphlet is a paper booklet with information about both candidates and ballot measures. The state has been printing these pamphlets for over 100 years. They come in the mail, and they are available at public locations, like libraries and schools. The Voters' Pamphlet is also available online from the state at https://sos.oregon.gov/voting/Pages/current-election.aspx. Spanish and audio versions are available.

DHM Research asked Oregon voters about these things. The results are interesting:

    63% of Oregon voters read about all the candidates and measures on their ballot
    32% of Oregon voters read about candidates and measure only if they are confused or uncertain
    5% say they don't usually read the pamphlet at all.

"Comments from voters show the pamphlet appears to not only be helpful but to have a cultural role in voting in Oregon," says Adam Davis of the research firm.

Read by Eric Dodson. CC BY-NC-SA.

From ESOL News Oregon by Timothy Krause. 

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

https://sites.google.com/pcc.edu/esolnewsoregon

Music by Chris Zabriskie - Cylinder Six - http://www.chriszabriskie.com - Creative Commons BY License

Most Oregonians Love The State's Election System

Short news stories carefully adapted for English learners in Oregon, and beyond.  Written by Timothy Krause, read by Eric Dodson. Find interactive exercises and more readings at https://sites.google.com/pcc.edu/esolnewsoregon/home

Music by Chris Zabriskie - Cylinder Six - www.chriszabriskie.com - Creative Commons BY License

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Most Oregonians Love The State's Election System

ESOL News Oregon

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