SALEM — Advocates have long tried to curtail political spending in Oregon, and are back at it again now, circulating an initiative petition in an effort to let voters decide, in 2020, whether to allow limits. Those efforts got a boost Tuesday after Patrick Starnes, the Independent Party of Oregon candidate,[Read More…]
By Salem Reporter
Oregon governor’s race jostled by independent’s switch to back Brown
Gov. Kate Brown, Democratic incumbent, Patrick Starnes, Independent Party candidate for governor, and KATU anchor Debora Knapp at the station’s studio Tuesday after Starnes decided to endorse Brown. (Oregon Capital Bureau/Paris Achen) On Sunday evening, Patrick Starnes, a cabinet maker and would-be governor, hit “send” on his home computer, dispatching[Read More…]
Independent candidate backs Brown in surprise move
Gubernatorial candidate Patrick Starnes, of the Independent Party, has endorsed Gov. Kate Brown. (Paris Achen/Portland Tribune) Patrick Starnes, a Brownsville cabinetmaker who took the political stage to spotlight campaign finance reform and third-party inclusion, announced Tuesday that he was dropping out of the race and endorsing Democratic incumbent Gov. Kate[Read More…]
Oregon Health Authority seeks tax increase on alcohol, cigarettes
SALEM — State health officials say they want a substantial tax to drive down smoking and binge drinking. About 20 percent of Oregonians smoke, exceeding the national average and increasing their risk for strokes, lung cancer and heart disease. It’s the state’s highest cause of preventable death. And in a[Read More…]
Brown’s administration wins bid to keep state records secret – for now
The Oregon Court of Appeals late Friday granted a request by state officials to keep secret for now the details about proposed legislation, acting just minutes before the state was due to publicly disclose the records. An attorney pressing for disclosure said Gov. Kate Brown was trying to keep the[Read More…]
Elections officials report dip in early voting
Marion County Clerk Bill Burgess shows the different ballot styles in Marion County. (Claire Withycombe/East Oregonian) Voters are turning ballots in more slowly than the last time Oregon elected a governor, according to the state Elections Division, as big money continues to flow to the campaigns of Democrat Kate Brown[Read More…]
Salem school officials invoke power to force church land sale
Salem-Keizer School District may use eminent domain to acquire six acres of this field east of McNary High School from St. Edward Catholic Church. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) A vacant field spotted with dandelions has become a sticking point between two growing Keizer institutions: McNary High School and St. Edward Catholic[Read More…]
Peer mentoring program helps prepare Oregon’s incarcerated youth for life on the outside
Josefina, 22, is one of seven graduates in Oregon Youth Authority’s peer mentoring pilot program. The program gives her state certification and gives her the opportunity to mentor other youth while incarcerated. (Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter) Editor’s note: Youth in this story are identified by their first names only at the[Read More…]
Judge tells Brown’s administration to cough up proposed laws
A Marion County judge on Wednesday ordered state officials by Friday to disclose legislative proposals they have been trying to keep secret. The records to be released show law changes that state agencies want drafted ahead of the 2019 Legislature. A Portland business attorney has been seeking the documents to[Read More…]
After public backlash, Gov. Brown orders the state to release school performance ratings
Gov. Kate Brown, embroiled in a sudden political firestorm, on Wednesday directed her state education administrators to immediately release school performance data they intended to withhold until after the election. The state Department of Education had provided what are generally known as “school report cards” to local districts Oct. 4,[Read More…]
