Economy
State offers $10 million in grants to help 2020 wildfire property owners
Thousands of Oregonians whose homes or businesses were damaged by the 2020 wildfires are eligible for state grants to help protect them from future wildfire damage. The state Department of Consumer and Business Services said Monday it is offering up to $7,500 for a manufactured home or $6,800 for another home or business to pay […]
U.S. inflation hits a 40-year high in June, but Biden points to decreasing gas prices
WASHINGTON — U.S. inflation reached a 40-year high for June as prices for gas, food and rent increased, according to the latest Consumer Price Index. Consumer prices for all items increased 9.1% for the 12 months ending in June compared to last year, the biggest year-to-year increase since the period ending in November 1981. May […]
Lawsuit on state’s management of forestland moves to Oregon Supreme Court
Linn and 12 other counties have asked the Oregon Supreme Court to review a ruling reversing a $1.1 billion verdict in a case over the state’s management of forestland and revenue from timber harvests. The appeal to the state’s highest court, filed last Wednesday, comes in the wake of an April decision from the Oregon […]
Legislative work group focuses on industrial chicken operations
State lawmakers, environmentalists and supporters and opponents of industrial chicken farms will meet this summer to consider whether Oregon’s laws to protect residents, wildlife, groundwater and waterways from any harm from large-scale poultry operations. The work group holds its first meeting on Thursday and will hold four other sessions through Sept. 20. Each will be […]
New land conservation director sees the ‘big picture’
When not working, Brenda Ortigoza Bateman enjoys playing the piano and singing folk songs, hymns and ballads. She also plays piano at her church, the Salem First United Methodist Church. Her ability to weave musical threads together in harmony and collaborate with others will serve her well in her new job. In May, Bateman became […]
Oregon starts sending $600 checks to low-income workers
More than 236,000 Oregon families will each start receiving a $600 payment this week under a new state law that aimed to aid low-income workers. Direct deposits or paper checks are going to people who lived in Oregon for the last six months of 2020 and claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit, a tax break […]
Biden pitches a summer gas tax holiday as price hovers around $5 a gallon
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday called on Congress and state legislatures to provide a temporary reprieve from gas taxes — but members of his own party and Republicans appeared opposed, making it look unlikely on the federal level. In addition, many state legislatures are out of session for the year and aren’t expected […]
625 new affordable homes headed to areas affected by 2020 Labor Day fires
Oregon counties devastated by the 2020 Labor Day fires will get 625 new affordable homes thanks to more than $73 million from the state Housing Stability Council. Those wildfires burned more than 1 million acres and destroyed more than 4,000 homes. More than 1,700 of those were manufactured homes, one of the few affordable options […]
Opponents file new petition against Foster Farms facility in Scio
Opponents are asking Oregon state officials to rescind a permit that allows an industrial chicken plant in Scio southeast of Salem. Last month, the Oregon Department of Agriculture issued a permit for an operation to raise 3.4 million chickens a year. Eight nonprofits, including Farmers against Foster Farms, a group of local opponents, said in […]
Oregon’s agriculture sector could win millions of dollars in federal funding
Oregon’s thousands of farmers and ranchers have an opportunity to garner millions of dollars in loans and free grants from the federal U.S. Department of Agriculture. Last week the agency announced it would spend about $3 billion to transform the nation’s food system to benefit consumers, producers and rural communities by allowing midsize and small […]
Advocates for $15-an-hour federal minimum wage press Biden for a meeting
WASHINGTON — The Poor People’s Campaign is urging President Joe Biden to meet with low-income workers before the organization’s march on Washington, D.C., on June 18 to advocate for a $15 federal minimum wage. “What we cannot do is be silent anymore,” Rev. William Barber II, the co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, said during […]
Rent assistance helped 55,000 Oregon households, agency says
More than 55,000 Oregon households have avoided eviction thanks to the state’s rent assistance program, but money is quickly running out. The $406 million program, funded by the federal and state governments, will be mostly out of money by June 30, representatives from Oregon Housing and Community Services told legislative committees last week. “While we […]