Briefs
Report shows parts of Oregon spent months last year with elevated air pollution levels
Klamath Falls had as many elevated pollution days as cities like Phoenix, Cincinnati and San Antonio in 2020, according to a new report. The non-profit Environment America, part of the left-leaning Public Interest Network, used EPA air quality data taken from monitors in every state. Despite fewer Americans using cars every day or undertaking major […]
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 […]
Oregon Farm Bureau names new lobbyist
The Oregon Farm Bureau has appointed a new director of government affairs. In her new role, Lauren Smith will be responsible for several issues, including wildfire, wildlife taxes and transportation. “Lauren’s role will be to advocate for and with our farm bureau members at the Capitol, in the courts and within regulatory agencies,” Anne Marie […]
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, […]
Latest state education report shows low participation, progress
The Oregon Department of Education took an incomplete on its yearly report card for schools and districts issued Thursday. Participation in standardized testing for the 2020-21 school year was down 70% across the state, according to Jon Wiens, the department’s director of accountability. In a press conference held in advance of the At-A-Glance Report release, […]
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 Department of Agriculture names insider to top role
The Oregon Department of Agriculture has named a new deputy director from within its own ranks. The appointment of Lauren Henderson was effective on Sept. 29. He has worked for the agency for 22 years. “I can’t think of a better person for the position,” Alexis Taylor, the department’s director, said in a statement. “He […]
Oregon school districts navigating food shortages, supply chain issues
Not long before a recent nacho lunch day in the Hillsboro School District, Nate Roedel learned that he wouldn’t receive the 120 cases of tortilla chips he’d need to make more than 13,000 meals. Luckily Roedel, executive director of nutrition services for the district, had gotten good at improvising. The last two months of food […]
Government food benefits go up but net increase not so much
Low-income families in Oregon will be able to afford slightly more groceries this month. The U.S. Department of Agriculture boosted its food assistance on Oct. 1 after determining that monthly payments fell woefully short, putting a healthy diet out of reach for recipients. In Oregon, a household of four receiving benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition […]
New emergency substitute teaching license attempts to solve statewide shortages
Hiring substitute teachers has been difficult in Oregon for a number of years, but the pandemic has made it worse. Superintendent Dan Goldman, who coordinates the hiring of substitutes for the Northwest Regional Education Service District, had only 65% of the substitute teachers he needed last week to fill classrooms in the 20 school districts […]