News
Oregon House Republicans pick Vikki Breese-Iverson as new caucus leader
Oregon House Republicans on Tuesday selected Prineville Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson as their new caucus leader after Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, stepped down from the post to focus on her campaign for governor. In a statement, Breese-Iverson said she was proud of the work the caucus has done over the past few years to stand up […]
Oregon health officials work on voluntary digital vaccine card
The Oregon Health Authority plans to offer a digital vaccine card to Oregonians next spring. It is not a passport: The technology is designed as a convenience for people who need to show proof of vaccination on their phone to get into a concert or restaurant, for example. Alarmist rumors circulating on social media about […]
Brown calls special session on eviction protections
Gov. Kate Brown will call the Legislature into a special session on eviction protections on Dec. 13, nearly two weeks after the deadline for Oregon tenants affected by the Covid pandemic to seek aid paying rent. Brown’s announcement includes a request for $190 million in additional state funding. The first $90 million would provide additional […]
Hundreds still languish in Oregon hospitals, waiting a place to go for continued care
UPDATED: Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021 at 9:56 a.m. Throughout the pandemic, hundreds of people at any one time have languished for weeks and even months in hospital beds they didn’t need. They should have been in a lower level of care. But nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, long-term care and other treatment centers in Oregon have […]
Federal vaccine mandate for health care workers in 10 states blocked by judge
WASHINGTON — Enforcement of the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for millions of health care workers was blocked in 10 states on Monday, after a ruling by a federal judge in Missouri. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp affects the states involved in the lawsuit, which include Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and New Hampshire. The […]
Oregon officials watching for Omicron, urge vaccinations, boosters ‘soon as possible’
The Oregon Health Authority said Monday that the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, is likely to reach the United States and that Oregonians should be vaccinated to protect themselves. In a news release, Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state epidemiologist, said the state shares public worries about the variant, which was first identified in Botswana in southern […]
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum won’t run for governor
Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced Monday that she will not run for governor, putting an end to months of rumors. Rosenblum, a Democrat elected to the post in 2012, said in a video posted to her campaign Twitter account that Oregon needs both a strong governor and a strong attorney general – and she knows […]
Portland Democrat Akasha Lawrence Spence tapped as new Oregon state senator
Portland real estate developer Akasha Lawrence Spence will soon be able to list a rare accomplishment on her résumé: serving in both Oregon legislative chambers without ever winning election. County commissioners in Multnomah and Washington counties voted unanimously on Monday to appoint Lawrence Spence to the state Senate vacated last month when Sen. Ginny Burdick, […]
A year after state, tribes receive funds to test for lead in drinking water at schools, childcare facilities
Tribal-run child care facilities and schools in Oregon will be tested for lead in the drinking water under a grant announced by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board will receive $445,000 to test water in at least 90 facilities in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Testing will begin next spring […]
Amid staff shortages, Oregon students with disabilities get short shrift
In a recent Senate Education Committee meeting dominated by conversations around school staff shortages, state Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis, said the loss of special education teachers was violating students’ civil rights. She brought up the Lane Education Service District, supporting 16 school districts including Eugene, where Life Skills classes that typically were conducted five […]
What public service showed me about how governing in Oregon can work
Around Oregon, hundreds of people volunteer to serve on public boards and commissions, a key part of the machinery of government. Until earlier this month, I was one of them. In 2017, Gov. Kate Brown appointed me to the newly established Oregon Public Records Advisory Council. Service on the council underscored lessons learned from a […]
In D.C.: Sage-grouse protection plans in the West under review by Biden administration
WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Land Management is updating Obama-era plans to manage the greater sage-grouse in 10 Western states. The BLM has published a request for comments to help update management plans for the bird’s habitat in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and other Western states. The Interior Department agency will review new scientific […]