Central School District is weathering a cyber incident that took the district system by storm
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, February 23, 2024
A disabling attack on Central School District’s computer network is causing a rollback to the pencil-pushing past – of notebook paper, hand-written lesson plans and colored pens for grading.
After two days of school closure last week, classes and extracurricular activities resumed at CSD but “we are still working through a network disruption,” according to Emily Mentzer, CSD communications coordinator. There are “hotspots” – transponders that allow internet connection – but schools still are largely without Wi-Fi, according to some of those who work in the buildings.
As teachers and staff adjust to a new normal expected to last at least a few weeks, district officials announced that cybersecurity experts have been called to help solve a system-wide hacking widely referred to as a "cyberattack."
The incident differs from a trend forecast in 2020, when a cross-country study linked cyberattacks to school systems in cities and suburbs, and smaller districts were thought to be at less risk. However, that’s no longer true – Education Week reported last year that districts both large and small became top targets.
And, in Oregon, classes at Clackamas Community College recently were canceled for several days due to a cyberattack there. “No one entity is safe from this threat, and they should prepare appropriately,” said Greg Hansen, Polk County administrator, when asked about the county’s plans for a possible cyber fallout.
Polk County spends $250,000 annually on mitigating or upgrading with firewalls, back-ups and consulting for the systems, as well as purchasing insurance. That’s good planning, said Bill Kernan, consulting IT project manager at Western Oregon University. Network security is key, he stressed.
However, “training is really important – most important,” Kernan said. Security breaches frequently occur from employees letting their guards down, clicking on fraudulent links or being enticed into downloads that allow cyber invasion, he said.
Many of the cyberattacks involve ransom demands, but both the FBI and the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency discourage any payment, Kernan observed. It’s no guarantee that the data will no longer be compromised, Kernan added.
This coming week, at the annual conference by CIS, which provides employee benefits and property and liability coverage for Oregon's cities and counties, cybersecurity is a featured course at the meeting in Salem.
“In an age where cyber threats are ever-present and increasingly sophisticated, knowing the right questions to ask ahead of time can save you,” according to the description of the session, which is titled “Are Your Systems Ready for a Cyber-Attack?”
Ways to meet the need for MI Trolley funding in the not-so-distant future
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, February 23, 2024
If you’ve ever ridden the MI Trolley, you know it can be fun. But can it be funded?
Trammart News climbed aboard one of the cherry-red buses this week in Independence to find out if passengers are willing to pay for a ride, and if so, how much. Currently, a city survey is underway that asks the same question, among other inquiries. The start-up money for the pilot program that got the streetcar look-alikes running a year ago expires in 2025.
On the 30-minute ride that rolled from C and Main Streets in Independence to the drop-off at Western Oregon University and back again, college and high school students, parents with children and adults of all ages weighed in on whether charging a fee would prove a deterrent. In many cases, the answer is yes, even a dollar fare would impact trolley use.
On the other hand, at a buck-per-ride some current riders would continue to hop on. “It is just very convenient,” said Shania Sanchez-Reyes, who regularly commutes from home to WOU, where she is majoring in graphic design. The price would buy a trip that’s enjoyable, has a “great aesthetic” and is reliably right on schedule, she said.
On an afternoon that kicked off “National Margarita Day,” a time Brew & Tap in downtown Independence had scheduled to honor the special tequila cocktail, a few passengers noted that the trolley provides a safe transit for those who want to imbibe and avoid driving.
Though drunken passengers occasionally are reported for bad behavior, the title of unruly riders probably really belongs to high school students, who pile onto the old-time wooden benches and engage in loud crosstalk and commentary.
But some who utilize the trolley consider that as evidence an important need is being met – it’s a way of getting kids to school who may not qualify for a school bus route but who live too far to comfortably walk in bad weather.
Among the 55 people who took the bus driven by Andrew Hermann during a morning in late February, riders that ranged from five years old to 50-ish were pleasant and appreciative. “I get a lot of really nice regulars,” he said. In fact, some possess what he described as a “wonderful aura.” Passengers agree.
A young woman who uses a wheelchair “is always upbeat, making everyone’s day when she rides,” according to one observer. Conversely, some riders climb on toting bags of cans and bottles to cash in at grocery store recycling centers – sacks that may emit a nose-offending mix of odors that range from tomato juice to beer malt.
The city survey is expected to be completed soon, but Trammart News has wrapped up an informal poll of about two dozen riders. Top option? Another grant from the state got wide support for continuing trolley travel. Portrayed as far less favorable alternatives to Trammart News: a tax, a fee or a fare.
An overdue editorial for ringing in 2024: What I want to say and why I want to say it
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, February 23, 2024
Not long ago, I got some good advice from a liberal lawyer who heard about our city government, a place where some city councilors speak of Independence like novitiates describing the holy grail. He advised me to view it all with a big dose of amusement.
It doesn’t seem quite so funny to me anymore. Not that it ever did.
There’s the city manager, Kenna West, who made two trips to get me ousted when I was contributing to the Itemizer-Observer and, failing that, has forbidden anyone at the city to speak with me, or so I have been told. She and certain city councilors have critiqued me for not being the reporter they desire, a vision that seems to entail becoming a ceaseless town booster, not a tracker of tax dollars.
But the most striking discord I appear to have caused is due to a basic journalism duty – to check facts. And, you know what? It’s because sometimes those facts turn out to be not really factual. So, quitting fact-checking of facts is truly out of the question and please get over it before the budget session.
Guys named Tom, Ben, George and John – framers of the U.S. Constitution and not a singing group – enshrined the watchdog role of the press right there in that historic document. They seemed to have in mind the definition provided by Merriam Webster to this very day: to guard against loss, waste, theft, or undesirable practices.
I’ll admit that it isn’t easy to correct the record when I have to do it.
Fairly recently, Ms. West, as well as Councilor Marilyn Morton, refused to verbally confirm some information – in a face-to-face encounter – when an amount attributed in a public meeting as MINET debt was off by about $10 million, give or take a million bucks or two. Also, there really isn’t any evidence – none that I can find, anyway – that partners from other cities are bit-chomping to participate in a new multi-million-dollar water treatment system the city has begun.
But I am far from alone. Hence, this editorial.
Most U.S. journalists are worried about the future of press freedoms in the country, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey of nearly 12,000 of them working in America. The most dubious among us are the old-timers like me, who just cannot imagine why some sensible adult people in public office are able to sprout self-images the size of Mount Rushmore.
Here is an example. I went to cover a recent hearing at the statehouse, which was not an easy feat because it is encircled by fencing with grounds as muddy as swamp. At the meeting, I got up to take a picture alongside another photographer, only to have someone appear and ask for my press credentials.
This should never happen, in my view. No one says, as I did, they’re a member of the press when they’re not. If some rumpled someone shows intense interest in the drone of a public meeting, taking notes, clicking a camera … trust me, you can count on the fact that they are press. No one else ever matches this description.
But I trudged back to my seat, retrieved identification, and eventually chalked it all up to the fact that days of yore have given way to bureaucracy, not to mention rainy, muck-encrusting capitol pathways that involve an obstacle course of new construction and, of course, total lack of nearby parking.
Someone helpfully told me I looked tired, which is only partly true. Actually, I look my age, which at times is haggardly. But I remember what the great congressman, John Lewis, once said. “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” So, I scraped mud off my shoes, got my laptop fired up, and began to tap into the coffee-stained keyboard. Part of the result from that typing is this essay. The end.
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, February 23, 2024
A disabling attack on Central School District’s computer network is causing a rollback to the pencil-pushing past – of notebook paper, hand-written lesson plans and colored pens for grading.
After two days of school closure last week, classes and extracurricular activities resumed at CSD but “we are still working through a network disruption,” according to Emily Mentzer, CSD communications coordinator. There are “hotspots” – transponders that allow internet connection – but schools still are largely without Wi-Fi, according to some of those who work in the buildings.
As teachers and staff adjust to a new normal expected to last at least a few weeks, district officials announced that cybersecurity experts have been called to help solve a system-wide hacking widely referred to as a "cyberattack."
The incident differs from a trend forecast in 2020, when a cross-country study linked cyberattacks to school systems in cities and suburbs, and smaller districts were thought to be at less risk. However, that’s no longer true – Education Week reported last year that districts both large and small became top targets.
And, in Oregon, classes at Clackamas Community College recently were canceled for several days due to a cyberattack there. “No one entity is safe from this threat, and they should prepare appropriately,” said Greg Hansen, Polk County administrator, when asked about the county’s plans for a possible cyber fallout.
Polk County spends $250,000 annually on mitigating or upgrading with firewalls, back-ups and consulting for the systems, as well as purchasing insurance. That’s good planning, said Bill Kernan, consulting IT project manager at Western Oregon University. Network security is key, he stressed.
However, “training is really important – most important,” Kernan said. Security breaches frequently occur from employees letting their guards down, clicking on fraudulent links or being enticed into downloads that allow cyber invasion, he said.
Many of the cyberattacks involve ransom demands, but both the FBI and the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency discourage any payment, Kernan observed. It’s no guarantee that the data will no longer be compromised, Kernan added.
This coming week, at the annual conference by CIS, which provides employee benefits and property and liability coverage for Oregon's cities and counties, cybersecurity is a featured course at the meeting in Salem.
“In an age where cyber threats are ever-present and increasingly sophisticated, knowing the right questions to ask ahead of time can save you,” according to the description of the session, which is titled “Are Your Systems Ready for a Cyber-Attack?”
Ways to meet the need for MI Trolley funding in the not-so-distant future
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, February 23, 2024
If you’ve ever ridden the MI Trolley, you know it can be fun. But can it be funded?
Trammart News climbed aboard one of the cherry-red buses this week in Independence to find out if passengers are willing to pay for a ride, and if so, how much. Currently, a city survey is underway that asks the same question, among other inquiries. The start-up money for the pilot program that got the streetcar look-alikes running a year ago expires in 2025.
On the 30-minute ride that rolled from C and Main Streets in Independence to the drop-off at Western Oregon University and back again, college and high school students, parents with children and adults of all ages weighed in on whether charging a fee would prove a deterrent. In many cases, the answer is yes, even a dollar fare would impact trolley use.
On the other hand, at a buck-per-ride some current riders would continue to hop on. “It is just very convenient,” said Shania Sanchez-Reyes, who regularly commutes from home to WOU, where she is majoring in graphic design. The price would buy a trip that’s enjoyable, has a “great aesthetic” and is reliably right on schedule, she said.
On an afternoon that kicked off “National Margarita Day,” a time Brew & Tap in downtown Independence had scheduled to honor the special tequila cocktail, a few passengers noted that the trolley provides a safe transit for those who want to imbibe and avoid driving.
Though drunken passengers occasionally are reported for bad behavior, the title of unruly riders probably really belongs to high school students, who pile onto the old-time wooden benches and engage in loud crosstalk and commentary.
But some who utilize the trolley consider that as evidence an important need is being met – it’s a way of getting kids to school who may not qualify for a school bus route but who live too far to comfortably walk in bad weather.
Among the 55 people who took the bus driven by Andrew Hermann during a morning in late February, riders that ranged from five years old to 50-ish were pleasant and appreciative. “I get a lot of really nice regulars,” he said. In fact, some possess what he described as a “wonderful aura.” Passengers agree.
A young woman who uses a wheelchair “is always upbeat, making everyone’s day when she rides,” according to one observer. Conversely, some riders climb on toting bags of cans and bottles to cash in at grocery store recycling centers – sacks that may emit a nose-offending mix of odors that range from tomato juice to beer malt.
The city survey is expected to be completed soon, but Trammart News has wrapped up an informal poll of about two dozen riders. Top option? Another grant from the state got wide support for continuing trolley travel. Portrayed as far less favorable alternatives to Trammart News: a tax, a fee or a fare.
An overdue editorial for ringing in 2024: What I want to say and why I want to say it
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, February 23, 2024
Not long ago, I got some good advice from a liberal lawyer who heard about our city government, a place where some city councilors speak of Independence like novitiates describing the holy grail. He advised me to view it all with a big dose of amusement.
It doesn’t seem quite so funny to me anymore. Not that it ever did.
There’s the city manager, Kenna West, who made two trips to get me ousted when I was contributing to the Itemizer-Observer and, failing that, has forbidden anyone at the city to speak with me, or so I have been told. She and certain city councilors have critiqued me for not being the reporter they desire, a vision that seems to entail becoming a ceaseless town booster, not a tracker of tax dollars.
But the most striking discord I appear to have caused is due to a basic journalism duty – to check facts. And, you know what? It’s because sometimes those facts turn out to be not really factual. So, quitting fact-checking of facts is truly out of the question and please get over it before the budget session.
Guys named Tom, Ben, George and John – framers of the U.S. Constitution and not a singing group – enshrined the watchdog role of the press right there in that historic document. They seemed to have in mind the definition provided by Merriam Webster to this very day: to guard against loss, waste, theft, or undesirable practices.
I’ll admit that it isn’t easy to correct the record when I have to do it.
Fairly recently, Ms. West, as well as Councilor Marilyn Morton, refused to verbally confirm some information – in a face-to-face encounter – when an amount attributed in a public meeting as MINET debt was off by about $10 million, give or take a million bucks or two. Also, there really isn’t any evidence – none that I can find, anyway – that partners from other cities are bit-chomping to participate in a new multi-million-dollar water treatment system the city has begun.
But I am far from alone. Hence, this editorial.
Most U.S. journalists are worried about the future of press freedoms in the country, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey of nearly 12,000 of them working in America. The most dubious among us are the old-timers like me, who just cannot imagine why some sensible adult people in public office are able to sprout self-images the size of Mount Rushmore.
Here is an example. I went to cover a recent hearing at the statehouse, which was not an easy feat because it is encircled by fencing with grounds as muddy as swamp. At the meeting, I got up to take a picture alongside another photographer, only to have someone appear and ask for my press credentials.
This should never happen, in my view. No one says, as I did, they’re a member of the press when they’re not. If some rumpled someone shows intense interest in the drone of a public meeting, taking notes, clicking a camera … trust me, you can count on the fact that they are press. No one else ever matches this description.
But I trudged back to my seat, retrieved identification, and eventually chalked it all up to the fact that days of yore have given way to bureaucracy, not to mention rainy, muck-encrusting capitol pathways that involve an obstacle course of new construction and, of course, total lack of nearby parking.
Someone helpfully told me I looked tired, which is only partly true. Actually, I look my age, which at times is haggardly. But I remember what the great congressman, John Lewis, once said. “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” So, I scraped mud off my shoes, got my laptop fired up, and began to tap into the coffee-stained keyboard. Part of the result from that typing is this essay. The end.
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