Morning Lookout: Bethel schools win grant after all

Good morning, Lookout Eugene-Springfield,

Lilly St. Angelo reports good news for the Bethel School District as funding for its summer learning program has been restored.

Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Val Hoyle were in Springfield on Thursday to meet with area wildfire experts and discuss expectations and preparations, after a warm, dry winter and Lillian Schrock-Clevenger was there.

The University of Oregon baseball team is deep into its run toward another NCAA postseason and redshirt freshman Naulivou Lauaki Jr. is set to be a big part of getting there. Tyson Alger has the story of the current designated hitter who’s big enough to be mistaken for a football player but who hopes to also get back on the pitcher’s mound.

Efforts to boost broadband access in rural Oregon are getting a major shot in the arm as the state has won a $689 million federal grant. Our friends at the Oregon Journalism Project look at which parts of the state are set to see the biggest impact.

You down with OPB? Yeah, you know me.

For those of you who are not, you might want to tune in to “Think Out Loud” today at noon as our own Ashli Blow joins the program to discuss her coverage of PeaceHealth’s emergency department controversy. It can be streamed online or heard locally on KLCC at 89.7 FM.

Confession, I’ve wanted to use that OPB line for a really long time. I still think it was a missed opportunity in the early 1990s not to make it a part of a Gen-X marketing plan.

Stories you might have missed Thursday …

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After initial disappointment, Bethel schools receive summer learning grant after all

By Lilly St. Angelo

Superintendent Kraig Sproles contacted the governor’s office and the Oregon Department of Education after his district narrowly missed the cutoff for the grant awards. And the state later awarded grants to four more districts, including Bethel, at Gov. Tina Kotek’s urging.