Rachael McDonald

Oregonians are now assessing the damage caused by wildfires and trying to deal with smoke, with some advocates trying to provide clean-air shelters for the homeless.

The process uses regular wood to make a building material as strong as steel. It's been manufactured and used in buildings in Europe for years. A mill in Oregon is the first in the U.S. to produce it.

The late poet Robinson Jeffers built Tor House in Carmel, Calif., in the early 20th century. It sits on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Now another well-regarded poet, Elliot Roberts, takes people through the house and grounds telling stories about Jeffers and reciting his poetry.

In Oregon, lawmakers recently loosened regulations on insurance, allowing so-called retainer medical clinics. These are medical practices that charge member patients a set monthly fee for basic medical care and don't accept insurance.

Mountain Rose Herbs opened more than 20 years ago as a home-based, mail-order company. Now it sends herbs, spices and essential oils to more than one-quarter of a million customers. The appeal of its organic, zero-waste policies may give this company a necessary edge in a poor economy.