Economy
How should Oregon spend millions on wildfire recovery? State officials want your input
State officials are asking Oregonians to weigh in on how the state should spend millions in federal wildfire recovery money. More than 4,000 Oregon homes were destroyed by severe wildfires in 2020, according to the state Office of Emergency Management. Much of the $422 million federal grant from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development department […]
$46 million headed to Oregon to help with homelessness
Local governments and nonprofit organizations in Oregon will receive more than $46 million in federal grants to provide shelter for people without homes. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week announced the grants from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department. Oregon’s share is part of more than $2.6 billion that will be spent […]
Land use policy, cautious investments could help Oregon weather economic uncertainty
Conservative investments and decades of policies aimed at reducing dependency on cars could insulate Oregon from the worst effects of an economic crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but state leaders and their advisers say much is still uncertain. The state and national economy rebounded rapidly after the initial shock of the Covid pandemic […]
U.S. House moves to revoke Russia, Belarus trade status; 8 Republicans vote no
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to revoke normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, another step the federal government hopes will end the Russian war in Ukraine. The 424-8 vote sends the measure, which refers to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko as “ruthless” dictators, to the Senate. GOP Reps. […]
Oregon issues bird flu alert to chicken owners and farmers
A highly infectious and deadly strain of bird flu has been detected in a bald eagle in British Columbia, posing a potential threat to hundreds and perhaps thousands of backyard flocks across Oregon as well as large commercial operations with millions of birds. The strain is the same one that caused an outbreak in late […]
Skyrocketing food prices are pinching budgets of Oregon individuals and agencies
Oregonians and some state agencies are grappling with soaring food costs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, retail food prices have jumped 8.6% in a year, including a 1% uptick in February. Anyone who’s gone shopping has had sticker shock. Those who rely on public food benefits are especially vulnerable to rising prices. […]
Audit: Mortgage tax break costs Oregon $500 million annually, mostly helps wealthy white homeowners
Oregon government loses more than $500 million each year to a housing tax break that mostly helps wealthy white homeowners in urban areas, state auditors said Wednesday. The mortgage interest deduction is the state’s largest housing subsidy, said Secretary of State Shemia Fagan. She contrasted that state tax policy to the scrutiny that follows every […]
No suspension of state gas taxes for now
Oregon won’t join other states in considering a pause to state gas taxes, for now, according to Charles Boyle, deputy communications officer for Gov. Kate Brown. Legislators in more than a dozen states are proposing temporary gas tax holidays or rebates to counter the rising cost of fuel for individual consumers and businesses. A measure […]
Conservationists hail $5 million investment in preserving Oregon’s farmland
Oregon was among the first states to develop land use laws but that’s not stopped the conversion of farmland into hundreds of thousands acres of housing and industrial sites over a decade. But an investment just approved by the Legislature could stem that trend by putting money into the pockets of farmers and ranchers to […]
After millions spent on hotel purchases, shelter owners in Oregon face steep renovation costs
An Oregon project to turn hotels into temporary housing is getting a second infusion of cash after the first round added nearly 900 units, increasing the state’s supply of shelter beds by 20%. Project Turnkey, managed by the Oregon Community Foundation in Portland, was created by the Legislature in November 2020 in response to increased […]
Oregon’s $5 billion agriculture industry struggles amid high gas prices
Soaring energy prices are hammering Oregon’s farmers and ranchers, and the war in Ukraine is likely to only make that worse, experts say. The turmoil comes at a bad time, too. The state’s $5 billion agricultural industry has endured two tough years during the pandemic along with a continuing drought, and though commodity prices are […]
Biden declares U.S. ban on Russian oil, warns of gasoline price spikes
WASHINGTON — The United States will no longer import Russian energy in an attempt to further cripple that nation’s economy as it wages war against Ukraine. President Joe Biden announced the newest sanctions Tuesday from the White House, saying that a ban on Russian oil and gas would target “the main artery of Russia’s economy.” […]