Lookout PM: 57 new units of housing for vulnerable residents

Good evening,

Advocates and dignitaries got out the extra-big scissors and cut the ribbon on a new 57-unit apartment project. It will offer long-term housing for people who have been living in shelters or on the street, especially those with chronic health problems or disabilities.
Former Springfield City Council member Victoria Doyle has been charged with pointing a gun at another car in a road-rage incident that began in a Walmart parking lot.
As Oregon lawmakers prepare to convene a special session Aug. 29 to address transportation funding, Oregon Journalism Project reports that Oregon’s transportation spending is in the same range as other Western states, despite ODOT’s assertions that it has too little money.
And in a companion story on the special session, Oregon Journalism Project interviews an economist and critic of ODOT who says the agency’s budget problems are actually rooted in overspending on massive projects, like the Columbia River I-5 bridge.
A former payroll specialist at Homes for Good has pleaded guilty in an embezzlement case involving more than $300,000.

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DAILY DIGEST

Long-term housing project for vulnerable residents opens in Eugene

By Ben Botkin

The new 57-unit project, operated by Homes for Good, will provide apartments for people transitioning out of homelessness who may also be managing chronic medical problems or disabilities.

Ex-Springfield councilor faces weapons charges after parking lot dispute

By Jaime Adame

A driving dispute in a Walmart parking lot on Aug. 16 resulted in an allegation that Victoria Doyle pointed a gun at a vehicle. Doyle resigned from the Springfield City Council on Aug. 7.

Oregon transportation spending typical of Western states, analysis finds

By James Neff / Oregon Journalism Project

With a special legislative session coming up in about a week to deal with transportation funding, an analysis shows that Oregon falls roughly in the middle of seven Western states in transportation spending, although ODOT had been suggesting Oregon was far below the others.