Briefs
‘Extremely dangerous’ Oregon State Hospital patient escapes in state van
A handcuffed and shackled Oregon State Hospital patient with pending felony charges stole a van and escaped from the state-run psychiatric hospital in Salem late Wednesday night, commandeering it southbound on Interstate 5. The patient remains at large, and the van is still missing. The Capital Chronicle contacted Oregon State Police early Thursday, after hearing […]
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 […]
Oregon, Western companies settle with EPA for sale of equipment used to disable car pollution controls
A northeast Oregon company that manufactured parts used to disable pollution controls in cars will pay a six-figure fine to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. EPA accused Diamond Eye Manufacturing, a custom exhaust and car parts fabricator in Athena, and six companies in California, Washington and New Jersey, of violating the Clean Air Act by […]
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 […]
Gov. Kotek makes interim chief permanent director of Oregon Lottery
Gov. Tina Kotek announced on Wednesday that she had named the interim head of the Oregon Lottery the permanent director, pending state Senate approval. Michael Wells has served at the helm since December. Before that, he was assistant director for security and also the lottery’s cyber crime manager. As chief, he serves as the secretary […]
Grocery union turns in close to 4,000 signatures for Holvey recall
A union’s attempt to recall one of Oregon’s top legislative Democrats came down to the wire, with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 turning in close to 4,000 signatures to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office before a 5 p.m. Monday deadline. About half of the 3,939 signatures submitted Monday need to be verified […]
U.S. Department of Transportation invests in Oregon fish
The U.S. Department of Transportation is backing 26 projects to boost fish transit in Oregon that’s been stymied by poor road and dam infrastructure. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, six counties and the Coquille Indian Tribe will receive more than $19 million to get rid of barriers that have made it difficult for […]
Oregon Secretary of State launches database with campaign finance violations
Oregon’s new secretary of state plans to publish monthly databases with information about campaign finance scofflaws. Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said Monday the new database and other website updates are part of the office’s initiative CLEAR, which is not an acronym. A new webpage at oregonvotes.gov/transparency also includes links to training opportunities for candidates […]
Kotek taps Portland-area leader for behavioral health role
UPDATED at 3:43 p.m., Friday, Aug. 4, 2023 with information from the governor’s office. A long-time Oregon behavioral health professional who rose through the ranks in Portland-area programs is joining Gov. Tina Kotek’s office. Juliana Wallace will become the administration’s behavioral health initiative director on Sept. 5, Kotek announced Thursday. In that role, she’ll earn […]
Oregon House Republicans urge Kotek to review commutations
Oregon House Republican lawmakers want Gov. Tina Kotek to review her predecessor’s commutations of sentences of former inmates. The House Republican Caucus sent the request to Kotek on Friday. It stems from former Gov. Kate Brown’s commutation of the 50-month sentence against Jesse Lee Calhoun, a 38 year old who police say is “a person […]
Oregon Gov. Kotek will let expanded self-serve gas become law, veto Salem transit and sex work studies
Gov. Tina Kotek won’t veto a hotly debated bill to let more Oregonians pump their own gas, but she does plan to nix funding for studies on a Salem streetcar and decriminalizing prostitution. Kotek on Friday released a list of bills she is considering vetoing and spending items she plans to run her red pen […]
State seeking feedback from Oregonians about proposed health insurance rate increases
State regulators want to hear from Oregonians about insurance companies’ plans to increase costs in 2024. Each year, the state’s Division of Financial Regulation holds public hearings before deciding whether to approve requests from insurance companies to increase rates for two types of plans: small businesses with 50 or fewer employees and individual plans for […]