Oregon’s People
Managers’ extra pay is sore spot among overworked Oregon state caregivers
Oregon Department of Human Services caregivers who tend to the state’s most vulnerable saw their paychecks shrink last spring when the state ended a temporary pay bump intended to help staffing levels and reward employees. But managers, salaried employees who generally earn more than the caregivers they supervise, continue to receive extra hourly pay when […]
Oregon lawmakers hear testimony on abortion, gender-affirming care
A sweeping bill intended to guarantee access to abortion and gender-affirming care in Oregon as other states limit rights received its first hearing in the state House Monday, with hours of often-emotional testimony.
Oregon Gov. Kotek adds Malheur, Clatsop counties to homelessness state of emergency
Gov. Tina Kotek has added two rural counties to her homelessness state of emergency so the state emergency management department can help coordinate state and local response to the homelessness crisis there. Kotek announced Friday that Malheur County, with about 31,000 residents in southeastern Oregon, will join the primarily urban counties in the state of […]
Oregon House passes $200 million for housing and homelessness, calls it a start
Oregon is on track to spend $200 million to help homeless residents move into houses, give people who have fallen behind on rent more time to pay and create new goals for cities to build homes under a pair of measures approved Wednesday by the state House.
Salinas urges Congress to support rights for transgender people
U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas is calling on Congress and other state governments to follow Oregon’s lead supporting transgender people as the state seeks to expand access to gender-affirming care. In a short speech on the House floor Friday morning, Salinas, a Democrat, criticized “dangerous rhetoric” about trans people in Congress and across the country. The […]
Kotek names new chair to help steer liquor control commission away from scandal
Gov. Tina Kotek has chosen the new chairman of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, which is under investigation for corruption. Marvin Révoal, who has served on the board for nine years, assumed the role Friday. He is currently vice president of business development for Wilson Heirgood Associates insurance and previously worked 30 years at […]
Young people are speaking up in the state Legislature. Are adults listening?
Nearly half of the first state Senate committee on energy and environment meeting this session was spent listening to testimony from eight people – all of them in their teens or early 20s. An eighth grader spoke about the negative impacts of the meat industry on human health and the environment. A high schooler spoke […]
His grandmother was forbidden to speak Lingít in school. Now, school is helping him reclaim it.
The class assignment was to write a letter to anyone they wanted. In Lingít. Eechdaa Dave Ketah chose his late grandmother, the person who spoke Lingít to him when he was growing up in Ketchikan. “And I was telling her that it’s hard learning the language at this point in my life, and one thing […]
Decades after lobbying for Oregon Farm Bureau, Greg Addington returns to lead it
One of Greg Addington’s first jobs out of college involved driving around the state talking with farmers and ranchers on behalf of the Oregon Farm Bureau. Now, nearly 30 years later, he’s returned to lead it. In November, Addington, 53, began his new job as executive director of the state’s largest agricultural advocacy and lobbying […]
Oregon teen’s activism could lead to lower voting age
A 15-year-old’s political activism could result in Oregon legislators considering lowering the state voting age to 16. Devon Lawson-McCourt, a sophomore at McKenzie River Community School in Blue River, has volunteered for political campaigns since fifth grade but is still several years away from being allowed to vote. Lawson-McCourt recently secured a promise from Rep. […]
Decisions made last year will play out in Oregon in 2023
This year, the state will learn what how the decisions made in 2022 will look like in practice. This is likely to be most obvious in the political and governmental sphere. Oregon elected a new governor and three new members of Congress in November, but that is the beginning of the story, not the end. […]
Oregon Gov-elect Kotek hears about housing, health, education needs on first tour stop
McMINNVILLE– Gov.-elect Tina Kotek launched a 36-county listening tour in Yamhill County on Wednesday, hearing from leaders at a community clinic, preschool and local government office that they need money, trained workers and more homes. Kotek’s visit to McMinnville was the first of a planned statewide tour over the next year, focused on improving the […]