Alex Baumhardt - Oregon Capital Chronicle
Alex Baumhardt has been a national radio producer focusing on education for American Public Media since 2017. She has reported from the Arctic to the Antarctic for national and international media, and from Minnesota and Oregon for The Washington Post. She previously worked in Iceland and Qatar and was a Fulbright scholar in Spain where she earned a master's degree in digital media. She's been a kayaking guide in Alaska, farmed on four continents and worked the night shift at several bakeries to support her reporting along the way.
Oregon’s minimum wage rises 50 cents per hour this week
Minimum hourly wages for Oregon workers will rise by 50 cents per hour on Wednesday, July 1.
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Northwest potentially in for ‘one of the strongest El Niños we’ve had,’ climatologists say
Taken together, August through November of 2025 was the record warmest on average across the Northwest in more than 130 years of recordkeeping. The potential super El Niño event this fall and winter could bring much needed rains to the region, experts said.
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After Oregonians reject gas tax, governor’s transportation workgroup fixates on messaging, not math
At the second meeting of Gov. Kotek’s Transportation Vision Workgroup, members spent hours discussing how to change public perception of the state transportation agency.
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With ‘Kinder Grads’ and $100, Oregon treasurer hopes to double number of college savings accounts
Kindergarteners across Oregon can participate in the state treasury's new "Kinder Grad" program. If they open a college savings account and deposit $25, the state will deposit $100 more.
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Nearly 100 local measures on primary ballots across Oregon, many to fund struggling fire districts
Voters in almost every Oregon county will decide in May whether to raise property taxes to fund schools, libraries, parks and fire departments.
Oregon faces longer fire season due to historic heat, drought, fire experts warn
Oregonians need to be proactive about protecting themselves and their properties from wildfire and behave far more cautiously when starting campfires or burning debris than in recent years, state fire officials advised.
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More than 80 Republicans vie for party’s nomination in legislative races ahead of May primary
Republican strategists hope party winners in the primary will flip several House and Senate seats in the Willamette Valley and along the Oregon Coast.
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Nearly 100 Democrats vie for party’s nomination in legislative races ahead of May primary
A number of new, progressive Democrats are running in Oregon’s legislative primary races and challenging more moderate incumbents.
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Tuition to rise for 12th year in a row at Oregon’s public universities
Annual undergraduate tuition for Oregon residents at the state’s seven public universities is expected to increase nearly $600 on average from the year before.
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Some Oregon students get years more in school than peers, study finds
Because Oregon mandates only a minimum number of instructional hours, not days, school year lengths vary dramatically across the state, an ECOnorthwest study found.
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