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Kristof quits New York Times, moves closer to declaring campaign for Oregon governor
Longtime columnist Nicholas Kristof resigned from the New York Times Thursday morning, moving closer to announcing his campaign to be Oregon’s next governor. Kristof, who lives on a farm outside Yamhill, has been on leave since June as he explored a potential race. Earlier this week, he set up a fundraising committee with the Oregon […]
Oregon Rep. Bill Post will resign two months after moving to Nevada
State Rep. Bill Post, who thought he could continue in the Oregon Legislature despite moving to Nevada, found out otherwise and said in a statement Tuesday that he will resign his seat by Nov. 30. The Keizer Republican and former broadcaster revised his plans and will resign more than two months after he announced in […]
Oregon Republicans sue over new congressional districts
Four former Republican officials in Oregon sued over newly drawn congressional boundaries, alleging that legislative Democrats created a “clear, egregious partisan gerrymander.” The suit, filed in Marion County Circuit Court late Monday, claims that Democrats ignored required criteria for redistricting to ensure Democratic dominance in congressional elections as Oregon gets a sixth seat in the […]
Oregon tenants risk expiration of eviction safe harbor before they can get rent help
Three months ago, most legislators agreed to let the state’s eviction moratorium expire but provide a 60-day grace period as landlords and tenants waited on bureaucrats to process rental assistance claims. There were hundreds of millions of dollars in federal rent assistance available, Covid cases were decreasing and more than 2 million Oregonians had already […]
Judge rejects Oregon state troopers’ Covid vaccine mandate lawsuit
Oregon state troopers who refuse to get vaccinated for Covid failed in their initial attempt to block an Oct. 18 vaccination deadline after a state judge ruled against them late Thursday. Nearly three dozen troopers, along with the Oregon Fraternal Order of Police and a union representing Klamath County firefighters, sued Gov. Kate Brown over […]
Tigard-Tualatin school board chair to run for Oregon House
Ben Bowman, Tigard-Tualatin School Board chair, will run for state House in a newly drawn Tigard-based legislative district, he announced this week. Rep. Dacia Grayber, D-Portland, has represented the Tigard area in the House since 2020, but she doesn’t live in the redrawn 25th House District that contains most of the Portland suburb. Bowman, 29, […]
With lines still uncertain, congressional hopefuls slow to announce campaigns
In the week since the Oregon Legislature eked out new congressional maps, would-be candidates have largely stayed mum about their potential campaigns. A handful of candidates have already announced their campaigns, but no one can officially file to run for Congress or the state Legislature until after the new maps take effect. Candidates for other […]
Oregon legislators join calls to audit 2020 election
Two Oregon legislators signed onto a national letter calling to “audit” the 2020 election in all 50 states and scrub voter rolls “to ensure future integrity of our elections.” State Sen. Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls, and state Rep. Lily Morgan, R-Grants Pass, are among nearly 100 state lawmakers from around the country who signed the […]
Oregon governor’s race starting to take shape
When Oregonians go to the polls in about a year, they won’t see their current governor on their ballot for only the second time this century. Gov. Kate Brown can’t run for a third term, leaving Democrats with a wide-open primary for the first time since 2002. Both parties’ contests are just beginning to take […]
New Oregon laws tackle affordable housing, rebuilding from fire
SALEM – Two years after passing sweeping legislation requiring many cities to allow duplexes anywhere single-family homes could be built, the Oregon Legislature returned in 2021 with more housing-related edicts to local governments. Due to some of the more than two dozen land use laws passed in the 2021 session, cities must allow affordable housing […]
Rural counties on their own if COVID-19 vaccine mandate causes staff shortages
SALEM – Rural counties that fear first responders will quit in bulk ahead of a mid-October vaccine mandate need to come up with their own solutions instead of relying on the state, according to state officials. Several rural counties have already declared emergencies based on their conclusion that firefighters, paramedics, teachers and health care workers […]