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 oldest state forest will no longer be logged to provide funding for schools
The Elliott State Forest will no longer be logged to fund Oregon’s public schools but will be a research forest studied for management and conservation.
More oversight needed of community colleges after performance and enrollment declines, audit finds
The Secretary of State’s Office said the commission in charge of Oregon’s 17 community colleges needs to improve student achievement and access.
To combat climate change, Oregon bans sale of new, 100% gasoline-powered cars by 2035
Following California’s lead, Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission voted to end the sale of new fully gas-powered vehicles in 2035.
Oregon’s overreliance on tuition to cover rising college costs hurts the economy, report finds
Oregon students pay disproportionately high tuition, hindering enrollment and depriving the economy of trained professionals in key sectors.
Port of Morrow agrees to new state regulations limiting nitrogen pollution
The Port of Morrow will invest more than $150 million in treating wastewater to reduce nitrogen levels and to limit where and when it is applied to farmland.
OSU professor awarded $3 million federal grant to produce a sustainable battery without scarce metals
An OSU professor wants to produce a long-lasting battery that doesn’t use lithium, cobalt or nickel and that might store more energy than current batteries like those used in electric vehicles.
Federal energy agency approves plan to remove Klamath River’s dams
The removal of four dams on the lower Klamath River will be the largest such removal project in the world and has been decades in the making.
Oregon environmental commission rules out air pollution regulations for large dairies
The Department of Environmental Quality said the state should wait for rules from U.S. authorities.
NW Natural scraps plans for blended hydrogen and natural gas project in Eugene
Oregon’s first green hydrogen production project has been shelved after public pushback over potential environmental and health impacts.
4 statewide measures on ballot, with 2 that would change state Constitution
Oregonians will vote on tightening gun laws, banning legislative walkouts and slavery and making health care a right