By Salem Reporter
Public defense services pitches legislature on new, state-run model
SALEM – On Tuesday, public defenders from around the state pitched their plan to revamp Oregon’s public defense system by arguing the status quo is unconstitutional and leaves the state susceptible to a lawsuit. It was the first hearing on…
New BOLI commissioner asks for more funding to protect Oregonians’ civil rights
SALEM — Oregon employers and workers could get more help from the state’s labor bureau if Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle gets her druthers. Hoyle is on a quest to secure $1.7 million in the next two-year budget to make the…
Second version of carbon cap bill gives nod to rural Oregonians, pulls coveted exemptions from industry
Rep. Karin Power, D-Milwaukie, and Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, third and fourth from the left, join in a rally supporting their bill to price carbon emissions. (Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter) SALEM – Climate advocates are coming up roses after legislative revisions…
Here’s the story behind the story on an Oregon legislative executive
Lore Christopher, retired director of human resources for the Oregon Legislature. (Photo courtesy of Keizertimes) The name kept cropping up in the harassment scandal at the Capitol: Lore Christopher. She wasn’t considered a central character. The allegations about sexual harassment…
Fill ‘er up? Rural lawmakers want to see changes at the pump
(Pamplin Media Group file photo) SALEM — A bill introduced in the House would allow more gas stations to offer self-service pumps. Oregon and New Jersey are the only two states in the Union that don’t allow self-service gas stations…
Successful phishing scheme was sent to more than 400 workers in two large state agencies
The Department of Human Services’ Salem headquarters. (Mark Miller/Pamplin Media Group) SALEM – A phishing scheme that successfully compromised 2 million emails from the Oregon Department of Human Services accounts targeted more than 400 accounts at two major state agencies.…
Oregon Public Defense Services demands reform to “unconstitutional” model
(Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) The message from Oregon’s Office of Public Defense Services is stark: Revamp the public defense system or watch services dwindle. Either way, the state agency refuses to let Oregon continue to be the only state…
Legislature’s HR director retires, gets work-at-home deal worth $12,000 a month
Lore Christopher, retired human resources director of the Oregon Legislature. (Keizertimes photo) SALEM — The Legislature’s top personnel executive, embroiled in the sexual harassment controversy at the Capitol, has retired but will draw more than $12,000 a month until September…
BREAKING: DHS data breach exposes health information could impact at least 350,000 people
The Department of Human Services headquarters in Salem (Mark Miller/Pamplin Media Group) The Oregon Department of Human Services Thursday disclosed that millions of agency emails had been breached in January, potentially exposing the personal medical information of hundreds of thousands.…
Plan to pack duplexes, town houses into neighborhoods faces opposition from Oregon cities
SALEM — Cities remain wary of a legislative proposal that would require many of them to open the way for townhouses and small apartment buildings in neighborhoods filled with single-family homes, even after changes meant to ease them into it.…