04.04.13: Your Morning Buzz

Can you hear me now? Cellphone turns 40

The High Five

Libraries offer weird things to draw new borrowers – This spring, your next packet of garden seeds may come not from a hardware store or nursery, but from your local public library.

The Hunt Is On For A New FBI Director – Robert Mueller became FBI director just days before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Since then, he’s been the U.S. government’s indispensable man when it comes to national security.

Upstart Group Gains Force Pushing Harder Than N.R.A. – Although dwarfed by the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, a pro-gun lobbying group, has grown in influence since the debate over gun control has surged.

Here’s Why I’m Moving My Company From A State With Low Taxes To California – For about a decade now, people have been slamming California as being one of the least business-friendly states in the Union.

San Francisco’s Trash Inspectors Get Up Earlier Than You Do – Behind the scenes of the city’s aggressive campaign to monitor and educate people about exactly what should get thrown away.

4-1-1 on E-L-G-L

Newest ELGL Members: Sarah Isbitz, Portland State University and Carlos Soriano, State of Oregon, Business & Employment Specialist

Upcoming ELGL Forums: April 11: Greg Baker, Damascus City Manager and April 17: K.L. Wombacher, Hillsboro Hops General Manager

Weekly Reader – Top 5 Blog Posts of the Week

I’m Just a Bill

Bill would require paid sick leave in Oregon – Oregon would become the second state in the nation to require businesses to provide paid sick leave under a bill heard Wednesday.

PERS, taxes budget plan could hit snag – The only hitch: The House Democrats’ refusal to discuss cuts to the Public Employees Retirement System beyond the bill they’ve already introduced.

North Carolina’s Proposed State Religion Isn’t as Unprecedented as It Sounds – The history of established churches in the early United States shows why the Tar Heel State’s proposal treads on precarious ground.

State Senate’s transportation budget skips new funds for CRC – Co-chairs of the Senate Transportation Committee unveiled their transportation budget in a press conference this morning, explaining that their budget contains no major investments in transportation projects such as the Columbia River Crossing.

Fiscal Cliff

Lake Oswego residents will see another rise in water rates – The Lake Oswego City Council voted 6-1 on Tuesday to increase rates by nearly 13 percent to pay for it’s share of a larger and upgraded water system that will provide both Lake Oswego and Tigard with water.

County unveils scaled-back budget – Benton County budget officials are proposing a 2013-15 spending plan that is both leaner and has more cash reserves than the current budget, but it will take some job cuts, belt-tightening and a bump in local option levy collections to get there.

Obama to take sequester pay cut – President Obama will return 5 percent of his salary, retroactive to March 1, in a move intended to symbolize solidarity with federal workers being furloughed as part of the sequester, a White House official said Wednesday.

Wonkbook: This is what sequestration looks like – That’s how far the current level of employment is away from its level before the recession. At 200,000 per month, the U.S. will need 15 more months before it surpasses the old high — and that’s before considering growth in the labor force. More below.

East side squeaky wheel gets city’s funding grease – The squeaky wheel is getting more grease when it comes to city spending in East Portland. Neighborhoods east of 82nd Avenue and Interstate 205 are seeing more city dollars flow their direction, according to “budget maps” prepared by the city Office of Management and Finance.

Inside Portlandia

Portland police and firefighter technology project mostly overbudget, late: audit – Portland’s public safety technology project — which includes replacing the police and fire emergency dispatch system, upgrading aging police and fire radios and modernizing computer records — is overbudget and late, a new city audit says.

TriMets progress stuck in low gear – Budget, light rail, union issues on table, but big shift unlikely TriMet’s domination of news coverage during the past few weeks has focused on labor problems, budget issues, safety concerns.

Cities get a jump on climate change requirements – From pedestrian trails to charging stations, projects take shape Many communities in the region have already started projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as required by the state.

Council to consider changing comprehensive planning process – Education and other plan topics would be addressed elsewhere The city council is poised to change which topics are addressed in the updated version of the city’s comprehensive plan.

Outside Portlandia

Lebanon council plans to hire former Corvallis city manager – Barring unforeseen events, the Lebanon City Council plans to hire former Corvallis City Manager Jon Nelson on an interim basis, formalizing an agreement at their at their Wednesday, April 10, meeting.

Woodland city manager pleased with progress at one year anniversary – On the heels of his one-year anniversary, Woodland’s City Manager Paul Navazio weighed in on his year-in-review.

David Bragdon Takes Transit Job in New York City – The former Metro Council president has a new gig: executive director of Transit Center, Inc., a New York City nonprofit that promotes public transportation with tax breaks for commuters.

$1,500 fine to sleep on streets of Roseburg – A Roseburg City Ordinance makes it illegal for anyone to camp in public areas. The fine? $1500.

Bend opens door to taller riverfront buildings – Council OKs move in 4-3 vote; variance still required

Vancouver waterfront development will be shovel-ready soon, developer, investors say – From an old mill site, a 7-year-old dream is becoming a $1.5 billion development on the banks of the Columbia River in downtown Vancouver.

Career Center

Resume Book Deadline Extended to April 8, 2013 – To facilitate the networking and connections from “Link In Live,” ELGL has extended the deadline for the ELGL resume book until Monday, April 8, 2013 at noon. The Link In Live participants are encouraged to submit their resumes to [email protected] to ensure their continued outreach and networking.

3 Reasons 30-Somethings Are Accumulating Less Wealth Than Their Parents – It’s not just the recession.

Is the Secret to Success Really 10,000 Hours? Whether you’re writing computer code or hit songs, if you want to be as successful as Bill Gates or the Beatles, you might want to set aside 10,000 hours. At least that’s what Malcolm Gladwell suggested in his best-selling 2008 book, Outliers. The secret to success in any field is to practice a specific task for approximately 10,000 hours, he says.

Should You Take an Unpaid Internship? How to determine if a paycheck-free endeavor is worth it.

Social Network

Things I Carry: The Apps that Have Transformed my Work – There’s a few tools I use that turbocharge how I work. What’s amazing about them is that only a few years ago, none of them existed!

Will Facebook unveil a mobile phone with an Android operating system? Facebook has been muscling its way into the mobile market and is unveiling an Android product today.

As Search Goes Mobile, Google Faces Competition – Though Google is the undisputed king of search, other services are chipping into its share of the market.

Social Media: Not the Productivity Killer You Thought? A recent study suggests your most connected employees may be the most tech savvy–and productive–in the office.