State settles stormwater lawsuit — Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality has settled a lawsuit filed by environmental groups over the state’s regulation of stormwater pollution. The settlement announced Monday provides special protections for rivers and streams that are already too polluted for salmon, drinking water or swimming. Earthrise, Northwest Environmental Defense Center and Columbia Riverkeeper filed the lawsuit. DEQ will now require more than 800 industrial sites to report their stormwater pollution four times per year instead of once. The agency will also establish a committee to investigate the technical feasibility of putting new limits on certain contaminants in stormwater. Stormwater becomes polluted by toxins like copper, lead and zinc as it runs over industrial sites and into waterways. It is a major source of environmental contamination nationwide.

Ashland considers ride sharing —The Ashland City Council is considering updating its policies to allow ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft within city limits. Uber reached out to the small city and asked it to consider a policy similar to nearby Medford’s because the two cities are so close. The City Council will hear a first reading of an ordinance that would replace the current taxi code and address ride-sharing. The recommended ordinance closely mirrors Medford’s, but also incorporates some safety measures used in larger cities, such as a 10-year search for criminal convictions, and required vehicle safety inspections. Portland, Salem, Corvallis, Bend, Roseburg, Medford and Eugene now use vehicle-for-hire services. Ashland attracts 400,000 tourists a year, mostly because of its well-known Oregon Shakespeare Festival.