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Earl Blumenauer to retire, dealing blow to Oregon’s seniority in Congress
Earl Blumenauer is calling it quits after 27 years in Congress, clearing the way for new federal representation for east Portland and dealing another blow to the state’s seniority in the U.S. House. Blumenauer, 75, has represented the state’s most Democratic district in Congress since 1996, after a decade on the Portland City Council and […]
Kotek plans to ask Legislature for money for Portland revitalization
PORTLAND – With about six weeks until Gov. Tina Kotek’s secretive task force presents its plan to revitalize Portland at an annual gathering of business leaders, Kotek said Monday she expects to ask the Legislature to open the state’s pocketbooks to help the city. Kotek’s comments came after the third meeting of the Portland Central […]
Avista will have smaller rate increases, can’t use customer money for lawsuit under settlement
Oregon’s second largest natural gas utility won’t be able to charge customers to pay for its political and lobbying activities and will have to decrease its proposed 2024 rate increase under a settlement agreement approved Thursday by the Oregon Public Utility Commission. The commission’s order follows a tentative August settlement between Avista and climate groups […]
Democrats condemn Chavez-DeRemer’s vote for House Speaker Mike Johnson
After voting three times against hardline Republican Jim Jordan for speaker of the House, Oregon’s Lori Chavez-DeRemer joined all Republicans in voting for Louisiana’s Mike Johnson, a staunch opponent of abortion rights who played a key role in Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Democrats have already seized on Chavez-DeRemer’s support for Johnson […]
Oregon Supreme Court will hear lawsuit from Senate Republicans who walked out
A group of Senate Republicans who want to run for re-election despite running afoul of a voter-approved law meant to curb legislative walkouts will get their day in the Oregon Supreme Court. The court on Tuesday agreed to bypass the state appeals court and hear a challenge from five Republican senators to Secretary of State […]
Report: Abortions up nationwide post-Dobbs, soared in some states
The number of abortions nationwide increased in the year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, with abortions surging in states including Oregon that don’t limit the procedure, according to a report released Tuesday. The WeCount report, backed by the Colorado-based Society of Family Planning, is the fourth in a series of quarterly reports […]
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek endorses Janelle Bynum for Congress
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek will back state Rep. Janelle Bynum in her run for Congress, throwing her substantial political weight behind one candidate in the hotly contested Democratic primary. Kotek’s endorsement comes as Bynum, D-Clackamas, is locked in a heated primary for the 5th Congressional District with Jamie McLeod-Skinner, a central Oregon attorney and frequent […]
White House names Oregon as tech hub for semiconductors, mass timber
Oregon could receive tens of millions of dollars from the federal government for semiconductors and mass timber after the Biden administration announced Monday that the state will be home to two of 31 technology hubs.
Legislative committee dismisses complaints by Republican state senators over walkout
Senate President Rob Wagner didn’t create a hostile work environment or retaliate against two Republican senators by refusing to excuse their absences during a walkout that blocked the state Senate from functioning for six weeks, a legislative panel ruled Friday. Four members of the Senate Committee on Conduct, two Republicans and two Democrats, voted unanimously […]
Oregon lawmakers start trying to tackle state’s addiction crisis
Oregon lawmakers heard from state behavioral health officials and local addiction treatment providers during a four-hour meeting on Wednesday that confirmed that the drug epidemic is one of the most intractable problems Oregon faces and touches every part of the state. Addiction treatment and the behavioral health system is complex. Bureaucratic barriers stand in the […]
With Oregon tolls in limbo, Chavez-DeRemer pushes Buttigieg to block tolling proposal
While Oregonians are safe from paying tolls for the next two years because of a state executive order, one member of the state’s congressional delegation is pushing federal Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to block proposed tolls on two interstate highways in Oregon. U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Republican, sent Buttigieg a letter urging the U.S. […]
Chavez-DeRemer again leads all Oregon congressional candidates in fundraising
With a little more than a year to go before the next general election, Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer once again led all other Oregon congressional candidates in fundraising. Chavez-DeRemer, who represents the competitive 5th Congressional District, brought in more than $620,000 for her reelection campaign in the quarter that ended Sept. 30 – more […]