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.
Schools hope to overcome staff shortages with millions in wage, bonus incentives
Nearly every school district and education service district in Oregon has applied for state dollars to offer hiring and retention bonuses ahead of the new school year.
Feds give Oregon cities, environmentalists $1.8 million to tackle toxic waste in Columbia River
The money is part of $79 million going to seven states that comprise much of the Columbia River basin, which is contaminated, during the next five years.
Health care professionals call for federal help addressing Oregon’s youth mental health crisis
At a roundtable discussion with U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and the head of the federal office overseeing Medicaid, many expressed frustration with outdated rules and regulations.
Oregon schools lean heavily on emergency teachers, including untrained ones
Struggling with staffing shortages exacerbated by the pandemic, Oregon schools leaned heavily last year on teachers who received emergency licenses from the state. During the 2021-22 school year, districts employed 438 emergency licensed teachers, up from 181 the year prior…
Oregon schools need billions to close funding gap, education commission says
Years of underfunding has lead to a widening gap between what schools need and what they’re getting, a new report says.
State forester rescinds wildfire risk map in response to public, political outcry
Several Republican lawmakers in southern and eastern Oregon said the map was flawed, causing people to lose insurance or face doubled premiums.
Gun safety regulations on November ballot could cost local governments
Only one of the four statewide ballot measures Oregonians will vote on in November comes at a financial cost to local governments. That measure would ban the sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines, require a firearm safety course, tighten licensing and…
State holds hearing on permit for Foster Farms’ controversial slaughterhouse in Creswell
The company wants to renew a critical permit but officials said they have no plans to reopen it.
New state meat inspection program will combat supply chain delays, lower prices
U.S. Department of Agriculture meat inspectors and graders at work. (Preston Keres/USDA/Flickr) Oregon meat eaters are likely to have access to more local beef and other products and at cheaper prices with a new program that will localize meat inspections.…
Morrow County waits months for state money to help with contaminated drinking water
Ana Piñeyro, a communicable disease specialist, and Morrow County Commissioner Jim Doherty outside the county health department’s office before going out to test taps. (Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle) It’s been more than two-and-a-half months since Mayra Colin found out the…