By Salem Reporter
Three weeks into shutdown, Oregon state government weathering the storm
(Photo by Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) Oregon state government has yet to see deep impacts from a three-week federal government shutdown, but some Oregonians are feeling the pinch. Today, the shutdown tied the longest in U.S. history at 21…
Marion County team recognized for efforts to prevent human trafficking
From left to right, Hillary Roeder, Wendy Matthews and Arielle Crist make up the core of a team fighting human trafficking in Marion County. (Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter) When a 16-year-old Marion County girl was arrested on delinquency charges, authorities and…
Decades later, Courtney again takes aim at DUI threshold
As a state representative in 1983, Peter Courtney introduced legislation to lower the drunk driving threshold from .10 blood alcohol content to .08. It was a radical move from a new lawmaker who was expected to bide his time. Courtney…
2018 law lacks teeth for overprescribing doctors
(Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) SALEM — State officials know of 160 doctors with suspicious prescribing patterns but Oregon law shields those doctors from further scrutiny. Legislators put little teeth into a 2018 law that requires doctors to register for…
Polk County to vote on fair board appointee
The Polk County Courthouse. (Courtesy of Janet Guzman/Polk County Itemizer-Observer) The Polk County Commission has a light week this week. • There will be a vote on appointing Shellie Berry to the Polk County Fair Board. There will not be…
Photos: A day at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility
Ezequiel, 23, takes a reporter on a tour of the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility grounds. While he wishes he wasn’t incarcerated, he credits Oregon Youth Authority for helping him figure out there is more to life than gangs and crime.…
Legislator blasts Avakian for including unsubstantiated rumor in salacious report
Rep. Diego Hernandez, D-East Portland, sits at his desk on the floor of the Oregon House of Representatives Feb. 5, 2018. (Jaime Valdez/Portland Tribune) When state Rep. Diego Hernandez heard a rumor in May 2017 accusing him of keeping a…
Oregon Youth Authority tries to find the balance between safety and child welfare as it transitions from isolation
John, a youth mentor at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, helps 18-year-old Zack understand the various personalities of staff at the facility. John regularly works in the STEPS program, an alternative to isolation, which Zack uses several times each week. (Courtesy…
Walden breaks with Republicans, votes to reopen government
Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, Thursday joined six other GOP lawmakers to vote for a spending package designed to reopen most government agencies. (The Enterprise/File). WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S Rep Greg Walden, R-Hood River, broke from his party Thursday on a…
Speaker Kotek vows to act following report detailing poor response to sexual abuse, but says report was rushed
In compiling a damning report airing the Oregon Capitol’s dirty laundry, investigators failed to do their due-diligence and interview key witnesses, House Speaker Tina Kotek said Friday. The report detailed years of sexual harassment and claimed leadership failed repeatedly in…