Category Government
Gov. Brown moves to veto several rural proposals Friday
Gov. Kate Brown. (Salem Reporter file photo) Gov. Kate Brown announced Sunday that she is considering using her veto power to kill proposals championed by rural lawmakers of both parties. Her staff said the veto threat was no political revenge but over sincere concerns about…
Oregon auditors question state agency rush to spend money as budgets expire
Secretary of State Bev Clarno. SALEM — At anywhere from $30 to $40 a pop, Hydro Flasks are an outdoorsy status marker, the Patagonia vest of thermoses. The Oregon Department of Corrections bought 33 of them just days before its budget expired in June 2017.…
The rural/urban divide widens as climate and economic policy remain at Oregon’s forefront
Rural Oregonians came to the Capitol in June to protest environmental legislation they felt would hurt rural economies. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) SALEM — On a rainy Thursday in late June, Matt Gourley drove the 25 miles from Scio to Salem to stand in front of…
With one hire, Oregon starts down road of spending $1 billion on schools
SALEM — Oregon’s ambitious and costly plan to transform its public schools begins with one person. On Thursday, Aug. 1, the first employee — one of dozens — charged with putting the Student Success Act into action joins the state’s education department. Lawmakers voted in…
Hubbard man suing Marion County alleging he was cited, arrested over mistaken identity
A Hubbard resident is suing Marion County for mistakenly blaming him for a crime, leading to his arrest, despite a deputy getting an in-person confession from the actual culprit. Christian Espinoza is seeking $100,000 in a suit filed July 24 in Marion County Circuit Court.…
Boquist sues Courtney over imposing 12-hour notice to enter Capitol building
Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, on Senate floor on the final day of the 2019 legislative session. (Claire Withycombe/Oregon Capital Bureau) Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, is taking his fight against the Legislature to federal court. Boquist sued Senate President Peter Courtney, two other senators and several…
Cap and trade’s fate was sealed by dissent within Senate Democrats, not fleeing Republicans
Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, D-Gresham, addresses a crowd at a 2019 Memorial Day event. (Christopher Keizur/The Gresham Outlook.) A retired nurse, not fleeing Oregon state senators, doomed Gov. Kate Brown’s keystone environmental policy that had been in the works for more than a decade, according…
Raquel Moore-Green sworn in as Oregon’s newest House member
Rep. Raquel Moore-Green, R-Salem, takes a seat at her House desk for the first time. (Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter) Oregon’s newest state representative has taken office. Rep. Raquel Moore-Green, R-Salem, was sworn in Thursday by Oregon Supreme Court Justice Meagan Flynn in the Oregon House. Among…
Salem council approves controversial lease with church, citing lack of options
Update July 25: This article has been updated with more information from Councilor Jackie Leung and an addendum has been added to the bottom. The city of Salem has decided to house the public library in a church-owned building, despite some concerns the LGBTQ community…