In the peripheral news today

First, the news that didn’t even make the news, at least that I’ve seen. Have you been eating the NW-grown Bing Cherries this year? Oh. My. Goodness. The best I can remember. Sweet, juicy but firm, few bad ones. And they’re good for you! Note, though, that the Federal Drug Administration has ruled cherries “have not been recognized as safe and effective when used as labeled.” I don’t care, they taste terrific.

The links I clicked on at the Oregonian‘s web site today:

“County Nurses considering strike”:

From Joe Rojas-Burke:

“About 350 registered nurses employed by Multnomah County are preparing for a possible strike this fall.

A majority of the Oregon Nurses Association bargaining unit voted this week to reject the county’s contract offer and endorsed the use of a strike if negotiations reach an impasse. As public employees, the nurses must complete two rounds of mediation and go through a 30-day cooling-off period before they can authorize a strike, and then they must give 10 days notice.

The county nurses provide care at public health clinics, schools and county jails. They also work on disease prevention efforts, such as responding to infectious outbreaks. The nurses said they are seeking pay raises and a contract that prevents the county from replacing their jobs with private contractors.”

These nurses have negotiated with the County, and accepted contracts with raises less than inflation, for years. It’s a shame their work isn’t more respected and properly protected and compensated.

The other link I followed:

“Oregon State baseball Mahalic opts to turn pro”. I’m not a big baseball fan, but our family was at the Keizer stadium when Joey Mahalic and the rest of the Wilson High School team won the state championship last year. The contract he signed with Cleveland gives him “a signing bonus and college fund worth “well over $200,000,” said Drew Mahalic, Joey’s father.”

That’s nice, on many levels. Local boy makes good, for one. And according to this Op-Ed in the Tribune, “Drew Mahalic is chief executive officer of the Oregon Sports Authority and lives in Southwest Portland. He played football for five years in the NFL and is the only NFL player to graduate from Harvard Law School.” I’m guessing Drew gave Joey some thoughtful advice about the relative merits of college-now, college-later.