Story Archive

In Other News, Oregonians Never Drive in Other States

Oregonians are tired of being the butt of jokes now that a new state law allows them to pump their own gas. Sort of, anyway: self-serve gasoline was mostly illegal in the state until January 1, 2018. Now, it’s legal in counties with fewer than 40,000 residents, but only between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Stories in the news — and, of course, posts online — poke fun at Beaver State residents who don’t seem to be able to figure out how to do it. The Portland Oregonian newspaper published a story with “all the rude things people have said about Oregon since the new gas law went into effect” — and it quickly became the number-one article on the site. The same day, the newspaper published a 10-step illustrated tutorial for “hapless” Oregonians on how to pump gas, and lecturing, “your fear of self-service gas stations is embarrassing, so stop complaining.” (RC/Los Angeles Times, Portland Oregonian) ...Buck up, Oregon, it could be worse: you could be New Jersey.