Economy
State agriculture officials offer $5 million in grants to fight voracious grasshoppers and Mormon crickets
The state is offering $5 million in grants to help owners of rangeland in Oregon cope with an expected infestation this summer of grasshoppers and Mormon crickets. The insects are native to the West and infestations are cyclical, with the latest cycle starting in 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2020, the […]
Oregon still collecting more tax revenue than economists anticipated
Oregon tax collections continue to surge, with Oregonians paying $1.2 billion more in income taxes this spring than last year. The increasing state revenues aren’t due to higher taxes. Instead, according to Oregon’s quarterly economic forecast, many people cashed in assets in late 2021, causing a short-term income boost. Most of the tax windfall will […]
Hispanics are a growing driver of Idaho’s economy, with millions in buying power
Restaurateurs. Importers of artisan goods from Mexico. A horticulturist. A photographer. A family with untapped savings. Nearly all of Idaho’s racial and ethnic groups saw their buying power expand faster than the U.S. average over 10 years, according to a new Idaho Department of Labor report. But with a growing number of Hispanic Idahoans in […]
Oregon’s Agriculture Department Director Alexis Taylor nominated by White House to serve in USDA
Alexis Taylor, Oregon’s Agriculture Department director, has been nominated by the Biden White House to serve in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. An announcement by the White House of nine nominees said Taylor had been appointed to serve as under secretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs in the department. Since 2016, Taylor had led […]
State labor officials offer nearly $19 million for workforce training grants
State officials have nearly $19 million to spend on training Oregonians to work in construction, health care and manufacturing. Earlier this month, the state Bureau of Labor and Industries opened the bidding process for training and apprenticeship programs for underserved communities, including women, people of color, rural residents, low-income residents, people with disabilities, tribal communities […]
Oregon adopting rules to protect workers from excessive heat and wildfire smoke
New rules going into effect in Oregon in June and July are expected to protect tens of thousands of workers from illness and death when temperatures soar past 80 or when the air becomes clogged with wildfire smoke. The heat protections require employers to allow workers to take paid breaks to get relief from the […]
Democrats from the West push update of 150-year-old federal mining law
WASHINGTON D.C. – Democrats in Congress are hoping to overhaul the nation’s 150-year-old system for mining the elements needed for battery manufacturing, as high gas prices and Russia’s war in Ukraine underline the need to transition from oil and gas to renewable energy sources. U.S. House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and U.S. […]
Agriculture Department offers $40 million for disaster relief
The Oregon Department of Agriculture is offering farmers loans of up to $150,000 that can be forgiven to help the agriculture industry recover from last year’s natural disasters. The $40 million program, approved by the Legislature in December, applies to farm revenue throughout the year – not just in the immediate wake of a disaster. […]
Oregon’s economy is pushing more people into homelessness
Oregon is facing a new housing crisis beyond anything we have seen to date. Desperately needed eviction prevention programs have poured more than half a billion dollars into the rental market since 2020, protecting thousands that lost income during the pandemic. A series of eviction moratoriums and tenant protections, in support of the financial resources, […]
State, Bend real estate group reach settlement on Oregon ‘love letter’ ban
The state of Oregon won’t keep fighting to enforce a first-in-the-nation ban on real estate “love letters” and will pay a Bend real estate group more than $60,000, according to a draft settlement filed in a federal court in Portland. Chief U.S. District Judge Marco Hernández in March temporarily blocked the enforcement of Oregon’s 2021 […]
Oregon, Washington detect first cases of bird flu in backyard flocks
Oregon and Washington officials on Friday confirmed that both states have had their first cases of a highly pathogenic bird flu and about 150 backyard chickens, turkeys and geese were destroyed this week. The disease has been present in North America since at least December and has primarily been spread by migrating waterfowl or scavengers […]
$15 million for expanded abortion care in Oregon will take months to distribute
State money meant to expand access to abortions in Oregon is months away from being put to use, state officials say. The $15 million will be awarded as grants to nonprofits in Oregon, but the process to do so is just getting underway. “Time is of the essence and they know it,” said state Sen. […]