Author
Kotek’s housing council wants to make expanding cities easier, a tough sell in Salem
Members of a governor-appointed council say Oregon needs to temporarily loosen its land-use laws to meet Gov. Tina Kotek’s goal of building 36,000 homes per year – an idea that’s proved to be one of the more divisive proposals to address the state’s housing crisis. Over the past few months, Kotek’s Housing Production Advisory Council […]
Biden names Oregon magistrate to federal judge vacancy
A U.S. magistrate judge from Eugene is President Joe Biden’s pick for the state’s next district court judge. Biden included Mustafa Kasubhai, who in 2018 became the first Muslim American judge to serve on the federal bench, in his latest round of four nominees to district courts throughout the nation. Kasubhai, 53, still must be […]
Oregon Right to Life sues state over birth control, abortion insurance mandate
A leading anti-abortion advocacy group is suing state insurance regulators in a case that could hobble a landmark Oregon law requiring insurance companies to cover abortion and contraceptives. The Reproductive Health Equity Act, passed in 2017, requires every private insurer in the state to cover reproductive health services, including contraceptives, at no cost to patients. […]
Bend councilor Anthony Broadman running for Oregon Senate seat held by GOP Leader Tim Knopp
Bend City Councilor Anthony Broadman is running for state Senate in what will likely be one of the most-watched races in Oregon.
Oregon State Hospital escapee back in custody after getting stuck in mud
Escaped Oregon State Hospital patient Christopher Pray is back in police custody after a madcap 36 hours that began with stealing a van while in shackles and ended with firefighters tugging him out of a muddy pond with a rope. Pray, 39, faces a litany of felony charges, including attempted aggravated murder, robbery and assault. […]
Oregon economic forecast: Median taxpayer will receive $1,000 from record $5.6 billion kicker
The median Oregon taxpayer will receive close to $1,000 back on their taxes next year thanks to state tax revenue continuing to surpass expectations, state economists told lawmakers Wednesday. Oregon’s latest quarterly economic forecast, released Wednesday, tells a familiar story: Tax collections and wages are higher than before the COVID pandemic and inflation remains high, […]
Oregon Attorney General Rosenblum leads brief against religious school discrimination exemptions
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum on Tuesday led a group of Democratic attorneys general urging a federal appeals court to limit the ways that religious schools can discriminate against students based on their sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. Rosenblum and other attorneys general filed a brief in Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case Hunter […]
Republican senators, state attorneys seek Oregon Supreme Court review of anti-walkout law
Five Republican senators and attorneys representing the state are seeking a quick resolution from the Oregon Supreme Court on the senators’ challenge to a voter-approved state law intended to block them from running for reelection after they ground the legislative session to a halt for six weeks.
Report: Oregon political system needs changes to keep people of color in office
Oregon’s political system isn’t built for people of color to succeed and has driven elected officials from office, according to a new report based on interviews with former elected officials. The Oregon Futures Lab, a Portland-based nonprofit organization that aims to recruit leaders from underrepresented communities, released the report this week based on focus group […]
Oregon ethics watchdogs launch new probe into former Secretary of State Fagan’s travel
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted unanimously Friday to investigate former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan’s travel while in office and whether she bilked the state out of thousands of dollars by bringing her family with her on state-funded trips and double-dipping with campaign funds. It’s the latest in a series of investigations into Fagan, […]
Campaign to recall state Democratic Rep. Holvey qualifies for ballot
Oregon’s largest private-sector union has gathered enough signatures to force a recall of one of the state’s top legislative Democrats. A spokesman for the secretary of state confirmed late Thursday the office had verified that United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 collected more than 5,000 valid signatures from voters in Rep. Paul Holvey’s Eugene-based […]
Oregon Gov. Kotek begins closed-door meetings meant to come up with a plan to save Portland
PORTLAND – In a closed-door meeting with more than 40 business leaders, community advocates and local, state and federal elected officials on Tuesday, Gov. Tina Kotek laid out a challenge: Within the next three months, the group will come up with a plan to save downtown Portland. Portland’s problems, particularly since the COVID pandemic began, […]