Oregon
Salinas seeks to direct federal dollars toward fighting gambling addiction – Oregon Capital Chronicle
A gambling addiction, like drugs and alcohol, can wreck a person’s life as they spiral out of control. Someone can lose their house, job and family.
An Oregon study even found gambling addiction can be a factor that leads people into incarceration. Yet no federal funds are devoted solely to help prevent and treat problem gambling, even as federal officials plow money toward drug addiction treatment programs.
U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, sees a need for the federal government to step up its efforts, especially as online sports betting grows across the U.S. and other types of gambling become more accessible compared to decades ago, when brick-and-mortar casinos and horse racing tracks dominated the gambling landscape.
The National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that nearly 7 million Americans suffer from a gambling addiction, costing the country $7 billion. In Oregon, an estimated 2.6% of adults experience moderate or serious problems with gambling, according to Oregon Health Authority statistics. An estimated 88,000 adults and adolescents in the state have a gambling disorder, and another 180,000 are at risk of developing a problem with gambling, according to health authority estimates.
Salinas is sponsoring a bill that would direct existing revenue toward gambling addiction treatment, prevention and research. The bill, introduced earlier this month, would create the first dedicated stream of funding towards the problem. Co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, the proposal would take half of the federal excise tax revenue from sports betting. It would go toward two purposes: 75% for addiction treatment and prevention programs in states, and 25% toward research.
In an interview with the Capital Chronicle, Salinas said it’s critical to take action.
“It’s always accessible, and you don’t have that kind of barrier of getting to a facility or a place where gambling is located,” Salinas said. “This could be 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And the bets are endless that you could make. It’s worldwide and global. There has been a huge proliferation and thus a problem that I think we need to address before it really becomes an even larger societal problem.”
Salinas stresses that the bill would not raise any taxes and would simply draw half of the revenue from the existing excise tax on sports wagers. The federal government levies an excise tax of 0.25% on all money wagered on sports, which currently goes into the general fund with no designated purpose.
Online sports betting has continued to increase, from nearly $111 million in fiscal year 2021, up from nearly $39 million the year before.
State revenue currently plays a role in Oregon’s gambling addiction programs. One percent of Oregon Lottery revenues pay for problem gambling services in Oregon, which provides about $7.5 million annually for prevention and treatment services.
And advocates say federal money will help move that work forward and provide much-needed research to guide efforts to fight gambling addiction.
Gina Parziale, executive director of the Oregon Council on Problem Gambling, said the bill is needed and that the government needs to take responsibility as it benefits from the revenues.
“If you’re going to profit from gambling, it’s only responsible to make sure that some of the money that you’re making is going back to lessen the harm,” Parziale said in an interview with the Capital Chronicle.
Parziale said prevention is an important component, especially for young people.
“Now that internet sports betting is legal in Oregon, it’s really a whole new world out there,” Parziale said. “Young people, college students are sitting in their dorm rooms, betting on games on the weekends. We have a responsibility to provide them with financial literacy and guidance on how to participate in these activities in a safer way.”
A survivor’s story
Kitty Martz’s life spiraled out of control from problem gambling.
The Portland resident lost hundreds of thousands of dollars gambling on video lottery terminals. Once a human resources director for a large company, Martz reached the point where she was unemployed and relied upon government aid for food and housing.
“It cost my marriage, my life savings,” she told the Capital Chronicle. “I needed to go to inpatient treatment.”
She got help through Bridgeway Recovery Services in Salem and has been in recovery for 12 years. She said she found a new purpose as executive director of Voices of Problem Gambling Recovery, which provides education and training to people that help others overcome problem gambling.
“Now, my meaning in my life is to be able to speak to how much gambling harm happens, and how there are social costs that are correlated with it, that legislators seem to be overlooking,” she said. “If that’s loss of productivity, divorces, bankruptcies, theft, crime, the more the gambling addiction increases, the more that kind of thing is going to happen.”
A 2021 Oregon Health Authority study that surveyed about 1,000 inmates entering the Oregon Department of Corrections found that over a third has a problem with gambling. And about 8.3% of adults entering custody reported that gambling contributed to their incarceration. That ties problem gambling to about one in 12 adults in an Oregon prison.
At the same time, gambling options are easier to find than a dealer who feeds someone’s drug addiction, Martz said.
“If you’re addicted to fentanyl, you can move to a new neighborhood and it’s not going to be on your drive to work every day or next to your grocery store,” Martz said. “ There’s ways to deselect it from being in your circle of influence in your life.”
For Martz, her recovery is a blessing – and it’s not an easy path for people who make the journey out of addiction.
“Of the probably 300 people I’ve worked with, only a handful of them have ever really recovered from disordered gambling,” Martz said. “So, I feel incredibly blessed to be one of the few people that’s been able to kind of reclaim my life from gambling harm and go on to have it have some meaning. That usually is not the case. The recurrence rate is incredibly high.”
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The Oregon Ducks have been progressing through the class of 2027 with hopes of landing some of their top target’s commitment on both the offense and the defense.
With many names left on the board, the Ducks have started to receive some great news, including some news from someone they have been targeting since they offered back in January of 2025.
Darius Johnson Releases His Top Four Schools
One of the Ducks top targets’ in the 2027 class at the cornerback position is Darius Johnson. Johnson recently released his top schools with Hayes Fawcett, as he is entering a crucial part of his recruitment. The four schools he has listed at the top include the California Golden Bears, Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, and the Oregon Ducks.
Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks in the country. He currently ranks as the nation’s No. 178 prospect in the country, No. 20 player at the position, and the No. 14 player in the state of California, according to Rivals. Landing his commitment would be major for any of the schools, as he is someone who could see the field early due to his size, and his growing ability to lockdown a side of the field all by himself.
More About Darius Johnson
Johnson currently measures in at 6-1 and 155 pounds, and will be someone who continues to add weight through his high school program, and will eventually have the chance to really improve his frame when he gets to college. As of now, each of the four schools has a solid chance to win its recruiting battle, but there seems to be a clear leader at this moment.
The leader for the Ducks target seems to be the Michigan Wolverines, who have the only scheduled official visit at this moment. It seems likely that the talented prospect will schedule his other official visits sooner rather than later now that he has officially cut down his list. If the Ducks want to land his commitment, they will need to get him on an official visit because they are likely trailing at this point.
What If He Committed to Oregon Today?
If he were to commit to the Ducks today, he would be the ninth commitment for the Ducks in the class of 2027. He would also be the third cornerback commit for the Ducks in the class of 2027, which is a position they have been recruiting heavily. The cornerbacks the Ducks have at this moment are four-star Ai’King Hall from the state of Alabama and four-star Josiah Molden from the state of Oregon.
Some of their other commits at this moment include four-star EDGE Rashad Streets, four-star defensive linemen Zane Rowe, and four-star EDGE Cameron Pritchett. This class is shaping up to be another top-five class if the pieces continue to fall into place for Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff.
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Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson, after an impressive 2025 season with the Ducks, now becomes the leader at his position following the departure of star Kenyon Sadiq to the NFL.
With an Oregon offense set to return several top stars and bring in two talents at the tight end position, Johnson looks to not only improve as a leader but build off his impressive 2025 season, in which he recorded 32 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns.
Here’s everything Johnson had to say during his media appearance following Oregon’s scrimmage on Saturday, with the spring game on the horizon.
Everything Tight End Jamari Johnson Said After Spring Scrimmage
What He Learned From Playing With Tight End Kenyon Sadiq:
“So many, but one is training. Everybody in this facility harps on it, and it’s just a standard here. It’s like him from last year, that man strained his guts out almost every play. I just feel like I got to do the exact same thing or even more to uphold the standard.”
Stepping Up At Tight End:
“It just changed because obviously Kenyon leaving somebody has to step up and be a leader in the room, and me being one of the older guys, it just happens to be me. I just accepted that role, and I actually kind of like it, getting these young guys going, getting them in the playbook and getting them used to college football.”
Participating Again In Spring Practice:
“It feels good coming back. Feels like I have something to prove for me personally, I feel like I haven’t really done anything in college football. I feel like this year is that year for me to show everybody what I’m about.”
On Tight Ends Kendre Harrison and Andrew Olesh:
“Both good dudes, they both got that dog in them. Andrew, he came from Penn State. He’s been coming along well, getting in the playbook. Kendre, he’s a big, tall guy, getting in the playbook too. They’ve been getting after it, man. It’s been good taking them under my wing. Hopefully, we just get going this year.”
Goals and Expectations Ahead of Spring Game:
“I’ll say one expectation that we really try to harp on in the room is just going 100 percent. That’s with your effort, that’s with knowing the plays and just giving it your all. A goal is just to get in that endzone. That’s one of the goals for the tight end room right there.”
Why He Returned to Oregon:
“Like I said earlier, to me, I felt like I haven’t really done anything in college football. That was one of the reasons, and another is I wouldn’t say I’m not ready for the NFL, but like that’s pretty much what I’m getting at, is just like I have a lot of stuff to work on that’s within footwork and hand placement, block in the run game, and route details. Getting to the right depth and just touching up everything I can so when I get to the NFL, there’s none of those problems, it’s just the big problems I have to fix.”
How Reps Helped Him Improve:
“It really helped me. Last year, we ran a lot of twelve personnel at the end of the season because we had a couple of injuries, but that really helped me. This year, I feel like I’m coming in rolling off the ground. It’s just so much more fluent, and those reps really helped me with the playbook. Playbook is way easier now, and I’m getting a good feel for it.”
His Leadership Traits:
“I like to get the guys going. I have a real voice on the field, and if y’all hear me on the field, I get the guys going. I wouldn’t say I’m a vocal leader, but I lead by example. Vocal leader, probably something I need to work on.”
On New Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer:
“It’s been different. They’re two different people, coach (Will) Stein and coach Drew. My guy’s getting us going. I’m excited for this season.”
Supporting Dakorien Moore At Track Meet:
“Yesterday, that touched my heart, man. Just all of us going out there, and it wasn’t even just for Dakorien. It was really for Oregon. It was just more for Dakorien because we see him every day. That really touched my heart, and the connection is just unbelievable. I don’t think many people are doing that for their teammates.”
Quarterback Dante Moore’s Growth:
“That guy has his head on his shoulders at all times. He’s been growing consistently, but it’s a couple of different things. I probably can’t name them right now, but he’s been having his head on his shoulders. He’s just been on the climb.”
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Oregon
Oregon man mounted a jet engine on a 60-year-old fishing boat to blast around a lake and thinks he may have set a world record
A man from Oregon has unveiled something truly crazy after he added a jet engine to the back of a 60-year-old fishing boat – and he suspects he might have broken a world record.
YouTuber Robert Maddox from CrazyRocketman mounted a pulsejet engine and its 230lbs of thrust to the back of a 1965 12-foot Sears fishing boat.
A wild juxtaposition by any standard, and the video he posted on YouTube confirms that as the diminutive boat roars away.
But did the YouTuber actually actually get the record?
How does this 1965 Sears fishing boat get its power?
The video shows the Oregon man hurling the boat around a lake, with the engine glowing behind him.
Strapped to the back of the boat is a pulsejet engine that produces 230lbs of thrust.
Pulsejet engines are smaller, lighter jet engines with combustion occurring in pulses.
Such is their simplicity that they can be made with few or even no moving parts at all.
Engines like these were used on the German V-1 Flying Bomb from World War II.
These were the Argus As 014 engines, the very first pulsejet ever to be mass-produced.
It is a smaller and even simpler version of these that Maddox has put on the back of his boat.
The funny noise they make comes from the way in which the jet makes its power.
This old boat could be a record holder
In his video, Maddox had clearly enjoyed his outing on the boat.
“Man, this boat really is super controllable,” he said, highlighting the ease with which it handles.
The video suggested there are a few niggles still to sort out on the boat.
“It was making all kinds of fuel noises, I’ve probably got a fuel pump out or something,” he added.
Yet this isn’t the end of the road for this particular project.
“I’m going to do a lot with this boat, and put a twin engine on it,” Maddox said in the video.
Given the speed of the vessel, with two pulsejet engines, this should rocket through the water.
That means another world record could be up for grabs for the Oregon YouTuber.
If there was any doubt over a world record with one engine, two engines should end the debate in an instant.
Jet engine timeline
150 AD – Hero of Alexandria invents the aeolipile, a steam-powered device demonstrating the basic jet principle
1930 – Frank Whittle successfully patents the first design for a working gas turbine jet engine
1937 – Hans von Ohain tests his first centrifugal turbojet engine prototype in Germany
1939 – The Heinkel He 178 makes the first successful flight powered entirely by a jet engine
1941 – The Gloster E.28/39 completes the first British jet flight using Whittle’s engine design
1944 – The Messerschmitt Me 262 enters combat service as the world’s first operational jet fighter
1949 – The de Havilland Comet makes its maiden flight to become the first commercial jet airliner
1958 – The Boeing 707 enters commercial service and officially kicks off the global Jet Age
1969 – Concorde takes off for the first time to pioneer supersonic passenger jet travel
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