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U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon is the latest member of Congress to test positive for Covid
Oregon’s senior U.S. senator, Ron Wyden, tested positive for Covid on Tuesday. On Twitter and in a news release, he said the infection was caught during routine testing. He’s experiencing “minor symptoms” and is working from his residence in Washington, D.C., the statements said. He will quarantine according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]
Opponents of proposed Foster Farms chicken plants ask state for ban
Environmentalists, small farm advocates and local residents are pursuing a new tactic in their opposition to two industrial chicken plants planned for an area southeast of Salem. They asked the state to ban large livestock operations on fertile farmland – everywhere in Oregon. The advocacy groups Willamette Riverkeeper and the Center for Food Safety, and […]
Parents, recovery advocates call for immediate Oregon action on addiction crisis
Moms and others concerned about addiction rallied in Portland on Saturday, calling for the Oregon Health Authority to take effective and immediate action against substance use. They included a father who lost his son two years ago after he consumed a counterfeit opioid pill he bought online that was laced with fentanyl. They included a […]
State funding $3 million in projects to improve lives of elderly, those with disabilities
The Department of Human Services is looking for proposals to improve the quality of life for elderly people and those with disabilities across the state. It will allocate $3 million to the projects, hoping to reach a broad array of the population, including those who have difficulty accessing services. Two-thirds of the money will be […]
Interested in helping Medicaid patients? The state seeks applicants for a workgroup
Oregonians interested in creating strategies to keep and retain people on Medicaid can apply to a new workgroup the state is forming. It seeks 12 volunteers, from a union representative to individuals who’ve lost Medicaid coverage to take part in the year-long workgroup. They will meet twice a month in May and June, then monthly […]
Secretary of State reissuing second voters’ guide in Washington County to correct omissions
The Secretary of State’s Office will reissue Voters’ Pamphlets for Washington County after leaving out statements from four candidates in versions already sent to voters. The agency said Thursday that the pamphlets it sent out omitted statements for four Democratic state representatives running in the May election: Rep. Courtney Neron, who is seeking re-election in […]
Oregon needs more financial aid for nursing students and more educators, experts say
More scholarship money and perhaps tax credits would help stem Oregon’s nursing shortage, according to nursing students and deans of Oregon nursing schools. In an one-hour online discussion on Wednesday, they told U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, that having enough money to pay for housing, food and other necessities and pay for their education is […]
Former Oregon Health Authority worker accused of embezzling $1.5 million in federal Covid funding
An Oregon Health Authority employee who processed requests for vendor payments has been indicted for embezzling nearly $1.5 million, state officials said Wednesday. A Marion County grand jury indicted Marzieh Abedin of Portland on 21 criminal counts, including theft, forgery, identity theft and computer crime – all felonies, according to a statement from Attorney General […]
Oregon medical providers rely on diminishing number of out-of-state nurses, study finds
Thousands of patients in rural areas of the state might not get high quality medical care in the future if the number of out-of-state nurses practicing in Oregon continues to fall, according to a new study. The research found that rural health care settings are the most reliant on out-of-state nurses, putting them at higher […]
Dozens of companies that defied Covid mandates are fighting nearly $1 million in fines
Though most pandemic restrictions in Oregon are gone, several dozen businesses cited by state safety officials for violating Covid mandates still owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines to the state. More than 200 companies were fined between March 2020 and March 2022 for violating state mask, capacity, physical distancing and closure mandates. The […]
Overtime pay for Oregon’s farmworkers will start phasing in next year
Farmworkers in Oregon will get overtime pay next year with the adoption of the contentious farmworker bill. Gov. Kate Brown signed House Bill 4002 without any fanfare on Friday. Instead of holding a media event, as she has with other high-profile bills, she notified legislative leaders that she was signing it and called on them […]
Oregon’s psilocybin program stands on thousands of years of indigenous experience
As the first state nationwide to develop a psilocybin treatment program, Oregon is standing on the shoulders of thousands of years of expertise among indigenous people from Mexico to South America. A new paper recently published in the journal Fungal Biology summarizes centuries of psilocybin use among shamans and guides who treated people for a […]