The current recession has reduced state revenues, and has forced the Legislature to make deep cuts. Coping with these cuts includes closing the Department of Consumer and Business Services and most other state agencies on 10 Fridays that fall throughout the current two-year budget period. The next closure day is Friday, Nov. 27. DCBS workers will take a mandatory unpaid furlough day. We expect online services that are normally available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to be available on the closure day. We regret any inconvenience this closure may cause, and we look forward to reopening Monday morning, Nov. 30.

Protect yourself, your family and your co-workers by getting vaccinated and staying informed. The fewer of us who get sick from either seasonal influenza or pandemic H1N1 influenza, the more we can reduce the impact in our schools and workplaces. Visit the state's flu Web site at www.flu.oregon.gov or call the state hotline at 1-800-978-3040.

Oregon will celebrate its 150th year as a state in 2009. Click below to see how plans for this sesquicentennial celebration are unfolding.