Category Government
Salem’s mayoral candidates agree on key issues during debate
Mayoral candidates Chane Griggs, left, and Chris Hoy speak at a debate during a Salem City Club meeting on Friday, April 1. (Screenshot) Salem’s two mayoral candidates largely saw eye to eye on the city’s most urgent issues in a debate during Friday’s Salem City…
Bentz raises alarm about cartels as House votes to decriminalize marijuana
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, speaks at a recent Ontario Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon. (The Enterprise/PAT CALDWELL) The U.S. House passed legislation Friday to legalize marijuana nationally, but its future is much less clear in the Senate. The House voted 220-204 to approve the measure, which would…
Auditors: Oregon ranks high for domestic terrorism, Legislature should do more
Rioters break the glass at the Oregon State Capitol in December 2020 as a protest during a special legislative session grew violent. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) After a decade that included the occupation of a federal wildlife refuge, clashes between groups of protesters in Portland and…
Salem City Council approves new subdivision proposal on historic Meyer Farm
The Salem City Council on Monday narrowly approved a scaled-back plan by a developer to build over 100 single family lots on the historic Meyer Farm property in south Salem. The council voted 4-3 in favor of the city planning administrator’s approval of the proposal.…
Wyden says he will press for even more economic sanctions against Russia
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, Democrats from Oregon, address a Portland business summit on Dec. 6, 2021. (Ron Cooper/Oregon Capital Chronicle) WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden is continuing to look for ways to tighten the economic vice on Russia over its…
Oregon Supreme Court won’t clear way for voters to consider campaign finance limits
The Oregon Supreme Court Building (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) The Oregon Supreme Court on Friday rejected a last-ditch effort to have voters decide whether to limit campaign contributions to those running for public office. Proponents of three proposed ballot initiatives had sought the high court’s intervention…
Salem Civic Center nominated for National Register of Historic Places
Salem’s Civic Center, which houses City Hall, the library and other city offices, is being nominated for a listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the America’s historic places worthy of preservation but…
Audit: Mortgage tax break costs Oregon $500 million annually, mostly helps wealthy white homeowners
Secretary of State Shemia Fagan on Tuesday, March 8. (Ron Cooper/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Oregon government loses more than $500 million each year to a housing tax break that mostly helps wealthy white homeowners in urban areas, state auditors said Wednesday. The mortgage interest deduction is…
Oregon state House and Senate primaries are set. Here’s what you need to know
Candidates watch on the Oregon House floor as Secretary of State Shemia Fagan prepares to announce the end of filing for the 2022 primary election. (Ron Cooper/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Nearly 200 people are running for 76 seats in the Oregon House and Senate and will…