Along the Street: Corporate tax due

Corporate tax due

Estimated fourth-quarter payments under Oregon’s new Corporate Activity Tax are due by Feb. 1 for businesses expecting to owe $10,000 or more.

The state Department of Revenue said it will honor the good-faith compliance efforts of businesses negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. No penalties will be assessed if they document efforts to comply, the agency said.

Businesses must register for the CAT within 30 days of reaching $750,000 in Oregon commercial activity in a calendar year. Guidelines for calculating amounts, meeting deadlines and other issues are detailed on the Department of Revenue website.

Taxpayers with general questions can e-mail cat.help.dor@oregon.gov or call 503-945-8005

Tasting room reopens

Rex Hill Winery’s tasting room and hospitality center reopened today following a year-long, multi-million dollar renovation.

The changes, including the installation of  floor-to-ceiling moving window walls, were designed by Ernie Munch of MAP Architecture. The windows open to views not only of the vineyards, but also surrounding forests and hills around Newberg and Dundee.

The winery, located halfway up Rex Hill just east of Newberg, is taking reservations online for tasting appointments. Tastings will be offered on a heated and partially covered patio until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, allowing them to move inside.

“We’re thrilled to invite guests to experience our exciting new space,” said Cheryl Francis of A to Z Wineworks/REX Hill. One of A to Z’s founders, she serves as Rex Hill’s winemaker.

Rex Hill got its start in 1983. Francis said she and her A to Z partners had wanted to renovate the tasting room ever since they acquired the winery in 2007. 

Greeters groups

Both the Greater McMinnville and the Chehalem Valley chambers of commerce are planning Greeters programs Friday, Jan. 22.

The McMinnville program will feature Evergreen Home Loans. Newberg’s program has not yet been set.

Both will be held online between 8 and 9 a.m. Zoom links are available through the Chamber websites, mcminnville.org and  business.chehalemvalley.org.

McMinnville’s Jan. 29 Greeters program will feature First Federal under the same timing and format.

The McMinnville Chamber’s Women in Business series continues Jan. 19 with “The Entrepreneurial Equation.”

During the 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. virtual event, Katina Mayrose, financial adviser with Edward Jones, will talk about common issues for business owners, steps toward achieving personal and business goals, retirment plans and preserving businesses. To register, call 503-472-6196.

Another program, Connect at Lunch, will visit Grain Station Brew Works from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3. The restaurant is located at 755 N.E. Alpine Avenue, McMinnville.

Wildlife art contest

Artists can compete in the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s 2022 stamp art competitions. Three contests are offered for depictions of wildlife in its natural habitat:

n The Habitat Conservation Stamp, featuring eligible birds, mammals, plants and other species from the Oregon Conservation Strategy.

n The Waterfowl Stamp Contest, featuring the Northern Shoveler.

n The Upland Game Bird Stamp Contest, featuring the Chukar partridge.

The winning artist in each will receive a $2,000 award. Winning artwork is used to produce collector stamps and other promotional items with sale proceeds benefiting Oregon’s fish, wildlife and their habitats.

Entries will be accepted between Aug. 27 and Sept. 24 at ODFW headquarters, 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive S.E., Salem, OR 97302. Artwork can be mailed or hand-delivered.

A panel will judge artwork based on artistic composition, anatomical accuracy of the species and general appeal. Submissions will be showcased at a free show.

For more information, or to order art prints, visit www.dfw.state.or.us/stamp_contest/index.asp

Diesel training

The first group of students has started hands-on classes at Chemeketa Community College’s new Diesel Technology Training Center in Brooks.

Marion County contributed $100,000 toward equipment and infrastructure for the center, which has been in development for five years. The governor’s Regional Solutions program committed to providing an additional $200,000 in funding.

Students in the two-year, associate’s degree program learn by working on new and used equipment donated by local industries  seeking a highly trained workforce.

Students work on agricultural, construction, forestry, semi and earth-moving equipment. Students learn about engine fundamentals, machine hydraulics, fuel systems, electrical systems, transmissions, torque converters, undercarriage, final drives and more.

According to Holly Nelson, the college’s executive dean, there is a great demand for skilled diesel technicians.

For more information, visit go.chemeketa.edu/diesel.

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