Mail Tribune (Medford, OR) articles from December 2002

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR) archives from December 2002

Medford, Ore.-Area Entrepreneur Starts Out with Pet-Food Franchise.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Greg Stiles Dec. 3--Steve Jensen admits that he squirreled away every cent he could for years. Now the recent Southern Oregon University graduate has invested his savings and more into a franchise he hopes will feed his family...

Medford, Ore., Executive to Sit on Board at Federal Reserve's Portland Branch.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Greg Stiles Dec. 4--Bill Thorndike Jr. recalls paging through economic textbooks as a student at Lewis and Clark College, examining Federal Reserve System flow charts. On Jan. 1, the 48-year-old president of Medford Fabrication...

Phoenix, Ore., Shop Specializes in Needs of Women with Mastectomies.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Tony Boom Dec. 4--PHOENIX, Ore.--Ashland customers have boosted sales at a business that left Medford 18 months ago for this town's business district. Cynthia's for Women, 142 S. Main St., specializes in prosthetics for women...

Medford, Ore., Retailers Report Strong Season So Far.
December 5, 2002... Byline: Greg Stiles Dec. 5--Auto and foot traffic have been up and so have sales at the Rogue Valley Mall this Christmas shopping season. Jill Ditty, Rogue Valley Mall's senior marketing manager, said 16,832 cars came in the retail...

Medford, Ore., Expects Continuous Airline Coverage during United Turnover.
December 6, 2002

Washington Mutual Claims Almost a Quarter of Jackson County, Ore., Deposits.
December 7, 2002... Byline: Greg Stiles Dec. 7--This year's Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation report is sure to warm the hearts of Washington Mutual managers and investors alike. The financial institution, which first showed up in Southern Oregon in...

Olive Garden Opening in Medford, Ore., Planned for February.
December 10, 2002

Oregon's Governor-Elect Discusses Economy, State Budget.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Damian Mann Dec. 11--Like anyone starting a new job, Oregon Governor-elect Ted Kulongoski found himself making a few mistakes on his first day on an assembly line boxing Royal Riviera pears. Kulongoski decided to try out a...

Canyonville, Ore., Tribe Casino Spreads Two-Dollar Bills through Community.
December 11, 2002

Medford, Ore., Developer Holds High Hopes for State's Next Governor.
December 11, 2002

Home Sales Down, Prices Up in Jackson County, Ore.
December 13, 2002... Byline: Greg Stiles Dec. 13--Sales of existing Jackson County single-family homes slowed in November, but average prices continued to climb. The 166 urban units that turned over last month were the fewest in a November since 1998 when...

Southern Oregon Technology Council Helps Maintain Competitive Access.
December 15, 2002... Byline: Greg Stiles Dec. 15--The Southern Oregon Telecommunications and Technology Council is something of a mixed breed. It's part booster, part techy, part advocacy, part agency, part research and it has a distinct pedagogical bent....

Southern Oregon University Plans Tuition Boost, Layoffs.
December 17, 2002... Byline: Damian Mann Dec. 17--Southern Oregon University plans layoffs and another tuition increase in the spring quarter to combat the latest $460,000 budget cutback resulting from a worsening state economy. Tuition could increase an...

Ashland, Ore., Veteran Sells Copies of Historic Documents.
December 18, 2002... Byline: Greg Stiles Dec. 18--Bill Reichard grew up in Allentown, Pa., in the 1950s. Like many elementary school students from that part of the country, he took a field trip to Philadelphia to witness first-hand the birthplace of the...

Medford, Ore., Christmas-Tree Lots, Suppliers Are in Business.
December 18, 2002

Oregon Credit Union Gets New Name, Larger Membership Area.
December 20, 2002... Byline: Scott T. Smith Dec. 20--Wood Products Credit Union has a new name, Northwest Community Credit Union, and the potential for a much larger membership after receiving state approval of a community-based charter. The change allows...

Joblessness in Jackson County, Ore., Edges Up to 5.4 Percent.
December 20, 2002... Byline: Scott T. Smith Dec. 20--Jackson County's unemployment rate nudged up slightly to 5.4 percent in November, but remained below last November's 5.8 percent figure. October's 5.2 percent figure was the best in calendar 2002. ...

Medford, Ore.-Area Companies Offer a Variety of Christmas Bonuses.
December 22, 2002... Byline: Greg Stiles Dec. 22--Each December, Keith Smith goes to his bank and makes a cash withdrawal in anticipation of Christmas. The owner of KAS and Associates, a Medford engineering firm with 10 employees, then passes out $350 to...

Passenger Traffic Increases at Medford, Ore., Airport.
December 24, 2002... Byline: Damian Mann Dec. 24--Reflecting greater confidence in air travel, passenger traffic has rebounded at Medford's airport following a post-Sept. 11 slump. Airport officials report an 11 percent increase in November passenger...

Oregon Freeway Project Is First of Many.
December 29, 2002... Byline: Damian Mann Dec. 29--For years, Southern Oregon drivers have grumbled they were getting cut off when it came to state transportation projects. Those grumblings should end, however, when the Oregon Department of Transportation...

Interstate 5 Viaduct Work Will Disrupt Medford, Ore., Traffic.
December 29, 2002... Byline: Meg Landers Dec. 29--In eight days the $8 million Interstate 5 viaduct project begins, and those affected won't just be freeway travelers. Medford Public Works Department is advising area drivers, even those not using I-5, to...

Commercial Building Booms in Talent, Ore.
December 30, 2002... Byline: Tony Boom Dec. 30--TALENT, Ore.--Commercial development will resume next year to accompany the growing number of houses that have sprung up after a five-year building moratorium ended last January. Five medical-professional...

Residents Join Suit over Jobs at Medford, Ore., Airport.
December 31, 2002... Byline: Damian Mann Dec. 31--Three former Medford airport screeners have joined a class action lawsuit that claims they were discriminated against when they tried to become federal employees. Congress required all airport screeners...