Briefs
State giving children in low-income families statewide $170 million in extra food money
Oregon is sending $170 million in extra food aid to children in low-income families statewide. The Department of Human Services will start issuing payments of $391 from late March to the end of May. A news release said 434,000 children will receive payments. The money comes from a federal program to help children whose access […]
Feds allocate $2 million to Oregon farmers and ranchers for bison, yak products and more
The federal government has allocated more than $2 million to Oregon farmers and ranchers in seven counties to expand marketing and sales of various items, including of bison meat and yak products. Oregon’s U.S. senators, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, announced the funding on Wednesday. The $2.1 million in grants are part of the U.S. […]
Oregon Gov. Kotek adds Malheur, Clatsop counties to homelessness state of emergency
Gov. Tina Kotek has added two rural counties to her homelessness state of emergency so the state emergency management department can help coordinate state and local response to the homelessness crisis there. Kotek announced Friday that Malheur County, with about 31,000 residents in southeastern Oregon, will join the primarily urban counties in the state of […]
No Labels Party qualifies to run candidates in Oregon elections
A centrist political group that Democrats fear could spoil President Joe Biden’s re-election is now a recognized Oregon political party.
Oregon faces brighter future on the health front, with lower levels of respiratory infections
Along with warmer weather, the weeks ahead are likely to bring a brighter outlook on the respiratory disease front, a leading Oregon health official said Thursday. Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state epidemiologist, said during a monthly news conference about COVID and other infections that the “near-term outlook” is good. “Our sense of optimism is growing,” […]
Oregon Revenue Department launches refund tracker for 2022 taxes
The Oregon Department of Revenue has begun sending tax refunds and launched a website for Oregon taxpayers to track their refunds. State and federal taxes must be filed by April 18. Nearly 682,000 Oregon taxpayers submitted their 2022 taxes by March 3, and almost 496,000 people have already received refunds, according to the revenue department. […]
Longtime eastern Oregon Sen. Bill Hansell plans to retire in 2024
State Sen. Bill Hansell, who has been a fixture in eastern Oregon politics for more than 40 years, will retire in 2024, he announced Thursday. Hansell, R-Athena, is partly through his third four-year term representing a rural district larger than nine states. He was a Umatilla county commissioner for 30 years before his election to […]
Lawmakers, unions reach compromise on ending reimbursements for state employees living outside Oregon
Public employee unions and state lawmakers have struck a deal on a proposal to stop state employees who moved out of state earlier in the pandemic from being reimbursed for traveling back to Oregon. Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, introduced Senate Bill 853 to ban the state from paying for travel costs for employees […]
Abortion access, air quality, mental health on 2023-24 Oregon audit plan
State auditors will scrutinize Oregonians’ access to reproductive health care and the state’s approach to elder abuse, domestic violence and children’s mental health issues over the next two years, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan announced Monday. The Audits Division of the Secretary of State’s Office plans to conduct eight so-called performance audits, which look at […]
Oregon liquor commission chairman Paul Rosenbaum resigns one day after fiery defense of board in bourbon scandal
Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission chairman Paul Rosenbaum resigned Thursday, one day after delivering a fiery defense of the state’s liquor agency and how it handled a bourbon hoarding scandal. Gov. Tina Kotek requested his resignation, Kotek spokeswoman Elisabeth Shepard confirmed to the Capital Chronicle. Shepard declined to comment on the reason the governor wanted […]
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek recommends prison watchdog to lead scandal-ridden liquor agency
Gov. Tina Kotek is recommending that the internal watchdog for Oregon’s prison system take over as interim director of the state’s liquor agency as it reels from a bourbon hoarding scandal. The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission will consider Kotek’s recommendation of Craig Prins, inspector general for the Oregon Department of Corrections, during a meeting […]
Oregon Attorney General launches criminal probe into state liquor regulators
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is launching a criminal investigation into state liquor regulators who diverted rare whiskeys for their own use. Rosenblum announced the criminal investigation Friday, two days after Gov. Tina Kotek asked her office for a civil investigation of ethics violations at the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, which holds a monopoly […]