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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Mt. Ashland gets $28,000 gift Grants available to help Jackson County property owners reduce fire risk 10 things to know for Thursday Emergency Services Cougar sighting spooks Grants Pass homeowner Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Grants available to help Jackson County property owners reduce fire risk Emergency Services Three daylight burglaries reported in apparent east Medford spree Grand jury hands up indictments on Talent assault suspects Emergency services Politics and Elections Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Education Medford bulks up student support for math, reading Ashland schools to implement chickenpox precautions Traveling artist sets the stage for Ruch School amphitheater Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Environment OR-7 now officially the leader of his pack Ashland trails up for changes Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock State News Suit targets 'auto-hold' video poker strategy 'Portlandia' takes a different path in season 5 Daughter of psychic pleads guilty in elaborate con Oregon may see hemp crop this spring under new rules Forest Service scraps $10 million PR campaign Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Jean Elenor Bowers Death Notices Edgar Frutchey III Shirley M. Lindstrom Walter (Jim) Dave Schraub Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? Sports Latest Stories Panthers down Sheldon in SWC opener Panthers hold on for SWC win North, South sweep wrestling duals Rogues hire Church as new GM Ducks, Buckeyes offenses are branches in same 'spread' tree Varsity 541 College Sports Ducks, Buckeyes offenses are branches in same 'spread' tree A ‘miracle’ needed for injured Allen to play A late addition gives Ducks some depth The Lowe down Tinkle wants more inside-out balance Pro Sports Rogues hire Church as new GM Sharapova breezes in opener; Serena loses Pistons rally in final seconds to beat Spurs Golf begins with four events to follow Baseball welcomes four into Hall Community Sports Business Latest Stories Blog: One Frenchman's perspective on Feb. 7 attack Medford airport traffic flies to new heights After seven decades in Medford, Larson's will be emptied Saturday Patchwork of talents Irrigation system upgrade gets a forum Real Estate News Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate People In Business Transportation Medford airport traffic flies to new heights Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Charlie Hebdo tribute Letters to the Editor, Jan. 8 Dana Milbank: John Boehner swarmed by pests George Will: Climate change's instructive past Granlund cartoon: Terrorists vs. cartoonists Editorials Our View: Falls has work to do to restore trust Our View: WISE project offers many benefits Our View: Waiting a little longer for the bus Other Views: Oregon's GMO battle is far from over Our View: Meeting in the middle keeps a mill open Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Jan. 8 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 7 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 6 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 5 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 4 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: East is east and west is west Guest Opinion: Get the best deal on pipeline Guest Opinion: Say yes to clean energy jobs, no to the LNG project Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Lifestyle Latest stories Community blog: Happy New Beer Year! 5 Things to Do This Weekend (Jan. 9-11) Lost in Suburbia: The bug stops here 11 reasons why we love wrought iron fencing Dave Ramsey: Sharing and planning as one Food Community blog: Happy New Beer Year! Community blog: Scanty spuds stretch winter greens into salad Entertaining with a gift of treasure Food for Thought: Save time on weeknight meal prep Community blog: Farm share boosts resolve to eat more veggies Home and Garden 11 reasons why we love wrought iron fencing Dear Monty: Eight great tips to ponder before investing in real estate Home Help: Timeless or trendy? Achieve both in your home decor this year Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Dear Monty: Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice? Health Community blog: Tale of the Tape Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health HealthStyle: New year, new you Health Watch: Build up your glutes in the off-season Dr. Jeff Hersh: What's a monoclonal antibody? Hiking Biking Faith Churches start new year with messages of hope (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Since You Asked: Sheriff's Office sells off foreclosed homes Mt. Ashland Ski Area shut down again by lack of snow Little Yaretzi is county's first baby of 2015 Local landowners see no public good in proposed pipeline Pear Blossom queen has open heart surgery Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories 100 Watt Mind unveils 'Creatures' American Guitar Masters play the Imperial Chamber Music Concerts presents Tesla Quartet Blues jam tonight at Little Brown Jug Songwriters Pete Herzog and Dennis Walker release 'Waiting for the Rain' Theater OSF's 'Great Society' up for Kennedy Prize Next Stage presents a tribute to an iconic folk artist Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Meet the real Jacob Marley Music 100 Watt Mind unveils 'Creatures' American Guitar Masters play the Imperial Chamber Music Concerts presents Tesla Quartet Blues jam tonight at Little Brown Jug Songwriters Pete Herzog and Dennis Walker release 'Waiting for the Rain' Community Events Art Presence showcases 'Naked Art' New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dining Entertaining with a gift of treasure Jackson Creek Pizza Co. is a good downtown haunt Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Medford airport traffic flies to new heights ... Three daylight burglaries reported in apparent east Medford spree ... OR-7 now officially the leader of his pack ... Medford airport traffic flies to new heights ... Three daylight burglaries reported in apparent east Medford spree ... OR-7 now officially the leader of his pack ... ECONOMIC GOALS Irrigation system upgrade gets a forum Cost could be as much as $400 million Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 2, 2015 @ 5:05 pm By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 2, 2015 @ 5:05 pm » Social News Southern Oregon hydrologists and water resource managers have long sought to shore-up elements of the region's leaky irrigation operations. They won government backing  in 2012 for a $250,000 feasibility study examining the aging irrigation systems. Now the state's business and industrial executives, along with state legislative and agency leaders, are taking up the matter. The Water for Irrigators, Streams and Economy (WISE) project is a key agenda item to be considered Tuesday at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. Two years ago, Oregon Business Plan chose to "Fix PERS, Invest Wisely in Education, Build the Bridge." That goal resonated within the state but the Columbia River bridge project fell by the wayside when Washington state legislators opposed it. Bill Thorndike, who will be a panelist during the WISE discussion, said the bridge issues won't fade away as long as it remains the chief bottleneck along the I-5 corridor between Canada and Mexico. Nevertheless, there are plenty of other issues to be confronted. Choosing an incremental path, Oregon Business Plan is building on themes it developed last year, highlighted by: Connecting education to careers and skilled job openings that are going unfilled throughout the state; investing in infrastructure that would allow communities and businesses to prosper and connect with the global marketplace; and strengthening rural economies by capitalizing on Oregon's advantages in the production of food and forest products. Ron Fox,  executive director of Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc., said installing a $300 million to $400 million irrigation system upgrade would not only reduce water loss by 30 percent during transfer from the source to end user, but provide growers with a consistent supply when needed for much of the nearly 45,000 acres of agriculture land in the Bear Creek drainage and Little Butte Creek area. He noted that Jackson County's passage of a ban on crops containing genetically modified organisms was a clear signal about the sort of water system that's needed.  "The passage of the GMO measure has defined the kind of agriculture we're going to have in Jackson County going forward," Fox said. "Redevelopment of a 21st century irrigation system would supply water on demand pretty much any day as opposed to the present delivery every two weeks. If you are growing produce and row crops, you can't wait two weeks to irrigate." Improving the water delivery system would reduce leakage and evaporation, allowing more water to be delivered — or more water to be left in streams.  Either way, Fox said, there would be environmental and monetary gains as well as enhanced stream flows. Tuesday's gathering will provide a statewide platform for a local and area issue, Fox said, putting it into the "ears and eyes of legislators from Portland to Pendleton and Lake Oswego to Lincoln City." Should WISE get backing at federal, state and local levels, Fox said, the project could still need three to five years in planning and a similar period for construction. Thorndike said skills training in rural Oregon remains a paramount ambition and cashing in on the state's agriculture capabilities would be a significant benefit to less-populated communities. "Last year, we introduced the whole question of what can we do to reduce poverty in Oregon," Thorndike said. "We're seeing different ideas come forth relative to making it possible for people to transition from lower-income jobs to higher-income jobs." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 , and read his blog at www.mailtribune.com/Economic Edge .         By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 2, 2015 @ 5:05 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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