Category State
Work still needed to protect student information against hackers, Oregon audit finds
(Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) SALEM — The state agency that holds the education records of more than half a million Oregon students can tighten its control of that information, state auditors say. The Oregon Department of Education regularly checks its computer systems for vulnerabilities and performs…
Where others see chaos, he tackles opportunity to reshape mental health care
Steve Allen is director of the state agency charged with caring for Oregonians with mental health and substance abuse. (Sam Stites/Oregon Capital Bureau) Finding a director to run a key new division of the Oregon Health Authority vexed Pat Allen for months. The agency director…
Oregon State Hospital gets a break as federal judge decides against contempt finding
Oregon State Hospital in Salem (Salem Reporter/file) After several months of noncompliance, wait times for patients being admitted to the Oregon State Hospital are back in compliance with a 2002 rule requiring the facility to take just seven days to admit patients who have been…
Democrats renew effort to pass carbon-reduction bill
Oregon State Capitol, Legislature (Salem Reporter/file) SALEM – The next session of the Oregon Legislature is expected to begin the way the last one ended, with a dramatic clash between Democrats and Republicans over the future carbon emissions. Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, is reworking a…
State’s top economic development leader stepping down
SALEM — The head of Oregon’s economic development agency will be stepping down at the end of the year, the agency said Thursday. Chris Harder has led Business Oregon, overseeing a two-year budget of about $800 million, since March 2016. The agency provides Oregon businesses…
Oregon agency needs to tweak computer project clocking in at a half billion dollars, audit finds
A new system aimed at streamlining the way Oregonians apply for public benefits will need some retooling before it’s implemented next year to be used by about a million Oregonians, a state audit found. The audit released Wednesday by the state Audits Division exposed a…
State still struggling to handle Oregon’s child abuse tip calls
SALEM — Callers gave up on more than 4,000 calls to Oregon’s child abuse hotline last month as the central operation stumbled in efforts to make reporting abuse quicker and easier, according to a new state report. Other callers waited as long as 90 minutes…
Record number of Oregonians participate in earthquake drill
At 10:17 a.m. on a recent morning, 396,834 students, teachers, administrators and at more than 400 schools across Oregon dropped to the floor clambering under their desks. The same thing was happening for 65,286 state and local government officials from Portland to Medford. And then…
ODOT, TSA warn travelers ‘Real ID’ compliance could cause massive headache
As Oregon moves to catch up with new security requirements, officials suggest passports will be the best way to clear airport security next year. (Pamplin Media Group/file) If you’ve flown from Portland International Airport within the past couple of weeks you’ve probably received a warning…