Category Government
Who’s paying for Republican’s protest of cap and trade?
Protesters cheer the Senate Republicans’ walkout at a rally in June. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) When Senate Republicans walked out of the Capitol in June and fled the state, they infuriated Democrats, who called them out for abandoning their jobs and preventing a vote on climate…
Salem considers banning daytime sleeping on sidewalks
Shoppers walk along State Street in downtown Salem. (Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) Update 6:40 p.m.: The original article has been updated to include more information. The city of Salem is making another run at keeping sidewalks clear from behaviors that have repeatedly disrupted downtown…
Boquist’s wife reveals death threats, files legislative complaint
Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas. SALEM – Peggy Boquist, wife of state Sen. Brian Boquist who is employed in his legislative office, has filed a complaint about workplace issues, indicating legislative leaders ignored death threats against her family. She submitted the complaint as testimony to a…
Second child welfare worker accused of having sex in front of child no longer employed
The second Dallas-based child welfare worker accused of having sex in front of a minor is no longer employed by the state, Salem Reporter has learned. Kate Guy is gone from the state Department of Human Services, an agency spokesman said Wednesday. Spokesman Jake Sunderland…
Construction bill divvies up hundreds of millions to projects throughout the state
SALEM — Government agencies across Oregon will go on a run of remodeling public buildings and erecting new ones under legislation recently approved. House Bill 5006 is a checklist of big-ticket construction projects from Tillamook to Condon costing a total $528 million. The money comes…
Salem City Council moves forward with utility fee, payroll tax for general fund
A new fee on utility bills and a tax on Salem-based workers to help Salem’s strained general fund is moving forward. The Salem City Council Monday voted to proceed with the two mechanisms, which could generate about $16 million per year to pay for police,…
Plan to move Salem library to church-owned property stirs discrimination concerns
The former home of the Capital Press, at 1400 Broadway St. S.E. The building is now owned by Salem Alliance Church and could soon be the temporary home of Salem Public Library. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reproter) After months of searching, the city of Salem may have…
Legislators reject legal advice, allow Boquist to work in the Capitol
The Senate Special Committee on Conduct holds a hearing Monday on the comments of Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas. (Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter) State Sen. Brian Boquist will have to alert officials before he arrives to work in the Capitol so additional state troopers can be put…
Boquist derides session-ending politics, explains his threat to police
State Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, discusses his actions in the closing days of the 2019 Legislature from his Capitol office. (Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter) Over the past two years, a Republican legislator once an ally of Democrats has become a one-man force waging war against his…