Sam Stites - Oregon Capital Bureau
Spectacular truck crashes grab attention, but accident rate dropping, state data shows
Two commercial trucks burn on Interstate 5 near Woodburn in October 2019. A string of truck crashes on the freeway in recent months blocked commuters and commerce. (Oregon State Police photo) Gagandeep Singh was traveling south on Interstate 5 near…
Clarno finds flaws in renewable energy measures, rejects petitions
Secretary of State’s office. (Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) Secretary of State Bev Clarno has rejected two proposed ballot initiatives that aimed to move Oregon to carbon-free energy by 2045. Her move was the second time in recent weeks that…
State Hospital puts up ‘no vacancy’ sign for civil commitments
Oregon State Hospital Salem Reporter/file The Oregon State Hospital is suspending all civil admissions until Dec. 27 to prioritize patients ordered by courts to receive competency restoration treatment. The halt on civil commitments was announced in a letter Monday, Dec.…
Oregon Health Plan enrollment deadline extended after website glitch
A screen shot of OregonHealthCare.Gov notifying tat the deadline to purchase health care has been extended. The deadline to purchase health care for 2020 through the Oregon’s Health Insurance Marketplace has been extended. People seeking insurance and subsidies through Oregon’s…
Oregon short on resources for local mental health treatment
Oregon State Hospital (Salem Reporter/file) Reforms to Oregon’s system for dealing with those unfit to stand trial aren’t working as planned, with judges challenged to find local treatment options for those they used to send to the Oregon State Hospital.…
Thousands of Oregon workers now saving for retirement under new program
A salon in Portland, a brewery in Astoria and an industrial fabric manufacturer from Eugene now have employees with retirement programs. They are among the 459 small businesses that recently enrolled in Oregon’s state-run retirement program, OregonSaves. That represents the…
Twenty-one arrested after hours-long sit-in of Gov. Kate Brown’s office
Thomas Joseph (right) a protester against the Jordon Cove Pipeline talks on speaker phone with Gov. Kate Brown. The governor’s chief of staff, Nick Blosser, listens in. (Jake Thomas/Salem Reporter) UPDATE 11:39 a.m.: Names of arrested released. SALEM – State…
State audit: Veterinary board must improve monitoring of drug security
The Oregon Veterinary Medical Examining Board hasn’t properly inspected facilities across the state for compliance with Drug Enforcement Agency regulation and or done required background checks on licensees, a state audit found. Those lapses increased the risk that prescription drugs…
Flavored marijuana products can go back on sale, Oregon court decides
(Wikimedia Commons photo) The Oregon Court of Appeals has blocked the statewide ban on flavored marijuana vape products. The order last week comes a month after the court approved a similar stay on the ban for flavored nicotine vaping products…
Wildfire council releases report detailing $4 billion in investment
The Governor’s Council on Wildfire Response met Thursday for its final meeting. (Sam Stites/ Oregon Capitol Bureau) After revealing last month that it will take $4 billion to improve the state’s ability to respond to catastrophic wildfires, Gov. Kate Brown’s…