News
House Speaker Tina Kotek to step down, focus on bid for governor
Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, announced Thursday that she is stepping down from the Legislature and ending her tenure as longest-serving House speaker in history. After her last day on Jan. 21, she’ll focus on her campaign for governor. She leaves shortly before the February legislative session begins, a time during which she would […]
Oregon elections officials: Kristof ineligible to run for governor
Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan said Thursday that deciding former New York Times columnist Nick Kristof didn’t qualify to run for governor “wasn’t even a close call.” Fagan’s staff notified Kristof’s campaign on Thursday morning that he didn’t meet a constitutional requirement to be a “resident within this state” for three years prior to […]
With Oregon residency in question, Kristof won’t share documents
Gubernatorial candidate Nick Kristof won’t disclose tax and other records he says establish that he is legally qualified to run for office. Kristof has relied on the documents in making his case that he meets the requirement in the Oregon Constitution that candidates for governor have “been three years next preceding his election, a resident […]
Hazardous conditions curtail travel in parts of the state
Snow and ice are hammering parts of the state, while temperatures warm in others, creating a mix of hazardous driving conditions. “It’s a little bit of everything,” said Bobbi Doan, spokesperson for the Office of Emergency Management. “Where they don’t have snow and ice, they have heavy rain.” The office issued a warning to the […]
Voting rights tops U.S. Senate agenda as Jan. 6 anniversary nears
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday stressed that Democrats are prepared to change Senate rules to pass voting rights legislation — and linked the move to the attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. “The election subversion efforts we’re seeing all across the country today are […]
State doubles rebate on electric vehicles for low and moderate income Oregonians
Beginning this year, qualifying Oregonians will get higher rebates for buying an electric car or a plug-in hybrid. The Department of Environmental Quality announced this week that it has doubled the refund under a program for lower-income buyers from $2,500 to $5,000. Individuals have to earn less than $52,000 a year; the income cap for […]
Health Care Heroes: Medford physician uses video visits to keep contact with patients
When the pandemic hit in early 2020, Dr. Nat Fondell switched to video visits with his patients. Many were reluctant to make office visits over fears of catching Covid-19. But Fondell had another reason for using video. Just treated with chemotherapy for cancer, he was immunocompromised. Video visits had advantages, too. Fondell used it to […]
Four Oregon counties garner $8 million for broadband, water and sewer projects in rural areas
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded more than $8 million to improve broadband, water and sewer services in Lane, Polk, Sherman and Wasco counties. The four projects, announced in December, are part of more than $5 billion in agency loans and grants designed to give people in rural America access to high-speed internet, clean […]
Some Democrats push to rescue climate plan in Biden spending package
WASHINGTON – A group of congressional Democrats on Tuesday called for preserving the climate portions of President Joe Biden’s stalled domestic spending bill as Democrats in the U.S. Senate rewrite the measure. U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Tina Smith of Minnesota and John Hickenlooper of Colorado, along with Reps. […]
‘We’re definitely into the omicron wave,’ says Oregon’s top health care official
After watching coronavirus skyrocket elsewhere in the country, Oregon health officials are now tallying a spike in coronavirus cases in the state. On Tuesday, the Oregon Health Authority will be reporting more than 4,500 cases, marking by far a new one-day high, the agency’s director, Patrick Allen, told the Health Policy Board. Tuesday’s numbers always […]
Snow, wind and ice shut parts of 10 highways in eastern Oregon
Early Monday, wind whipped through the Columbia River Gorge as snow fell and ice formed on Interstate 84. The Oregon Department of Transportation had about 20 people working on the freeway east of Troutdale, trying to clear it up. Plows pushed away snow while crews applied salt, de-icer and sand. But that wasn’t enough to […]
Kristof attorneys argue Yamhill has always been home for the gubernatorial candidate
Home is where the heart is – or at least that’s what Nick Kristof and his lawyers are arguing as they attempt to assuage doubts that the New York Times columnist turned Yamhill farmer has lived in Oregon long enough to be eligible to run for governor. The Oregon Secretary of State’s office gave Kristof […]