Category State
Court of Appeals overturns lower court decision on forestry measures
Secretary of State’s office. (Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) SALEM — The Oregon Court of Appeals said Wednesday, Feb. 12 that Secretary of State Bev Clarno incorrectly asserted that a slate of prospective ballot measures didn’t comply with the state’s constitution. The court reversed a…
Brown announces ‘historic’ agreement between timber industry, environmentalists
Gov. Kate Brown, Greg Miller, representative of the timber coalition, and Bob Van Dyke, of the Wild Salmon Center, announce the “historic” deal between logging and environmental interests Monday, Feb. 10. (Claire Withycombe/ Oregon Capital Bureau) A new deal between Oregon’s timber industry and environmentalists…
Oregonians tell lawmakers what they really think about cap and trade
SALEM — A hay farmer, a high school student and a physicist each strode up to a modest hearing room table Tuesday evening to give lawmakers a piece of their mind. That table was their stage for two minutes, their platform to tell policymakers to…
The race for state treasurer draws its first Republican candidate
Jeff Gudman, Republican candidate for state treasurer. (Sam Stites/Oregon Capital Bureau) Jeff Gudman wants a rematch. The 2016 Republican candidate for Oregon State Treasurer filed Monday, Feb. 3, to become the party’s candidate again in the May primary and challenge incumbent Tobias Read in the…
Lack of access to dental care causing oral health epidemic in Oregon
Oregon is facing a dental health epidemic, and a lack of access to care is at the root of the problem for many children, rural residents and low-income families. Legislators will consider improving access to education and services in schools, as well as create licensing…
PERS reforms stall in face of complexity, mounting costs
State Department of Administrative Services building in Salem. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) SALEM — Public workers who expected to contribute more to their savings in July to make up for cuts to retirement benefits will have to wait until September. The agency that pays out billions…
Developers try for a third time to build the state’s only private casino
Rendering of the proposed casino in Wood Village. (R & S Strategy Group LLC) A pair of developers who have made two unsuccessful attempts to build the state’s first privately owned casino are trying again. Bruce Studer and Matt Rossman, two Lake Oswego businessmen, filed…
How referendums get on the Oregon ballot could change. Here’s why it’s attracting controversy
Secretary of State’s office. (Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) Changes to Oregon state administrative rules typically go unnoticed, but they are now the unusual setting for a new political conflict. Our Oregon, a union-backed political group, is alarmed over a proposed change to the state’s…
AGENDA: Committee to get update in Salem on smoke management plan
Smoke lingering in a valley. (Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons) Oregon’s Smoke Management Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, Jan. 30, in Salem to discuss smoke intrusions, prescribed burns and to get an update from other state officials. The five-member committee was created by the Legislature in 1989…