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.
Money to continue battle with beetle tucked into bill balancing Oregon’s budget
After an outcry from farm and nursery groups who warned tens of millions of dollars in crop value could be lost, lawmakers in the most recent legislative session added $1.8 million for two years of programs to battle an invasive beetle.
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Deadly fungal disease that attacks bats detected for first time in Oregon
Oregon was one of about a dozen states that have avoided white nose syndrome and the fungus that causes it in bats since it first showed up 20 years ago in New York.
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Public invited to share input, ideas for getting Oregon back on track to meet climate targets
The public can weigh in on 48 possible actions the state can take to get back on track to reduce greenhouse gas pollution at least 45% by 2035.
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Journalists, Oregon publishers call on governor to veto bill changing public meetings law
Journalists and leaders of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission say a bill awaiting Gov. Tina Kotek's signature fundamentally redefines what constitutes meetings and deliberations in a way that would allow public officials to do important work in private with little transparency.
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Republican gov hopefuls among Oregon lawmakers who missed more than one-third of session votes
Two Republican state representatives missed roughly half of the 183 floor votes House members took at the Capitol in Salem.
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Judge rules gas tax question can go on May ballot, lawmakers did not violate Oregon constitution
Marion County Circuit Court Senior Judge David Leith said a recently passed law moving the referendum date from November to May would survive other legal challenges.
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After walkouts, budget woes and tensions over Trump, Oregon lawmakers wrap for 2026 session
The 2026 short session that began in early February ended on Friday, March 6, in a flurry of final votes that will impact Oregonians in every corner of the state.
Oregon’s largest teachers union will not endorse any current candidates for governor
The Oregon Education Association Political Action Committee, which has historically backed Democratic candidates for governor, voted not to endorse anyone currently running including Gov. Tina Kotek.
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ODOT will leave jobs vacant, cut other programs to balance budget
Oregon’s budget writers warned that the state’s current $128 million deficit will worsen in the years ahead due to federal changes.
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Oregon will partially disconnect state tax code from federal changes
Lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1507 to help the state keep $291 million in tax revenue during the next 18 months.
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