Briefs
About three-quarters of Oregonians retain Medicaid coverage during review
So far, more than three-fourths of the Oregonians reviewed for eligibility on the Oregon Health Plan have kept their benefits since the state started reviewing the status of the nearly 1.5 million people on Medicaid. This is the first time the Oregon Health Authority has checked the eligibility status since the pandemic hit when annual […]
Oregon ethics commission will pause investigation into bourbon-hoarding as criminal probe continues
State ethics watchdogs plan to pause their investigation into six former high-ranking Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission employees implicated in a bourbon-hoarding scandal while a criminal investigation proceeds.
New committee will advise on key plan for future of Northwest forests, adapting to climate change
A panel of regional experts will spend the next two years updating a nearly 30-year-old plan for how to manage and protect millions of acres of federal forestland in the Northwest. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Friday appointed 21 people, more than half of whom are based in Oregon, to the Northwest Forest […]
McLeod-Skinner postpones expected congressional campaign announcement because of COVID
Jamie McLeod-Skinner, the central Oregon attorney and Democrat who narrowly lost the 5th Congressional District race to Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer last year, has postponed the expected start of her next campaign. McLeod-Skinner had scheduled a rally and a “special announcement” at Bend’s Worthy Brewing on Saturday, where she was expected to officially launch her campaign […]
Federal judge tosses Oregon lawsuit over mail voting, tabulation machines
"Generalized grievances” about the state’s elections aren’t enough to give a group of unsuccessful Republican candidates and other election deniers standing to sue, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman ruled.
Study shows Oregon Coast gray whales consume millions of harmful bits of plastic, clothing
Researchers analyzing the poop and prey of gray whales off the Oregon Coast estimate the mammals could be consuming millions of small bits of plastic, clothing fibers and other human debris each day that harm their health – and could hurt humans. These microparticles and microplastics have been on the rise in the Pacific Ocean […]
Reports of racial, ethnic, anti-LGBTQ bias continue rising in Oregon
Reports of racial, ethnic and anti-LGBTQ bias increased again in 2022, a new report from Oregon’s Criminal Justice Commission showed. Oregonians in 2022 reported to a confidential state hotline about more than 2,500 incidents of bias crimes or non-criminal incidents that made people from protected classes feel unwelcome. It’s an increase of 178% since the […]
Supreme Court decision on student debt affects hundreds of thousands of Oregonians
The U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the White House student debt relief program will have a wide effect in Oregon. About 500,000 Oregonians qualified for the program, and by late last year when the court halted applications about two-thirds with student debt had applied. The White House said in January that many of those eligible […]
US Supreme Court LGBTQ case resembles one in Oregon – with different outcomes
The decision in the U.S. Supreme Court case involving a designer who refused to create wedding websites for same-sex couples resembles one decided by the Oregon Court of Appeals last year – but the rulings couldn’t be more different. The Oregon case, dating to 2013, involved bakery owners in Gresham who refused to make a […]
With legislative session over, Kotek eyes passed bills – and what remains
Sometimes, Oregonians don’t get everything they want from the Legislature, even after a 160-day session. And sometimes, not even a governor can convince enough legislators to pass a bill. Now, Gov. Tina Kotek is mapping out a future strategy after the Senate killed her proposal on changing the land-use law so cities can extend their […]
Federal authorities allocate nearly $700 million to Oregon for high-speed internet
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has earmarked nearly $700 million for high-speed internet service in areas of Oregon that lack service. The money is part of $42.5 billion allocated nationwide as part of a broadband equity program in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure law. Oregon leaders hailed the announcement. “Access to quality internet in 2023 […]
Senate passes bill to rein in paramilitary activity
The Senate on Saturday passed a bill that would clamp down on paramilitary activity and give law enforcement and private citizens tools to combat illegal intimidation, including through civil actions. House Bill 2572 has the goal of preventing armed activity that interferes with law enforcement or infringes on a person’s constitutional rights, such as voting. […]