Category State
Director of Oregon prisons selected to lead federal prisons system
Colette Peters (center), director of the Oregon Department of Corrections director, talks with workers in the Norway prison system during a 2017 research trip to transform Oregon prisons. (Oregon Department of Corrections) Colette Peters, director of Oregon’s prison system, was appointed Tuesday by U.S. Attorney…
Oregon’s new Treasury office is ready for the next disaster
When the Beachie Creek wildfire blanketed Salem in ash in the fall of 2020, the state’s financial servers felt the pain. At the Oregon State Treasury – then housed in one of the marble buildings on the Capitol Mall with an aging air filtration system…
Oregon still collecting more tax revenue than economists anticipated
(Amanda Loman/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Oregon tax collections continue to surge, with Oregonians paying $1.2 billion more in income taxes this spring than last year. The increasing state revenues aren’t due to higher taxes. Instead, according to Oregon’s quarterly economic forecast, many people cashed in assets in…
Man convicted in 1994 murder of foster teen granted early release to Salem
The Oregon State Penitentiary (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A man convicted of killing a teen in 1995 was released from prison into Salem earlier this month after Gov. Kate Brown granted him clemency April 15. Kyle Hedquist, 45, pleaded guilty when he was 18 to aggravated…
Years in the making, new trans student policies for Salem schools draw backlash
Three years ago, a transgender high school student approached leaders at the Salem-Keizer School District and told them they needed to do better. Julian, a nonbinary student who is now a senior, said the lack of consistent school or district policies led to teachers incorrectly…
Thousands of low-income residents seeking state aid wait longer than they should
State programs to help people buying food are lagging in processing applications (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) A state online enrollment system that was launched a year ago continues to make thousands of people wait longer than they should for state help buying food, caring for children…
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…
Judge bars parole board from reconsidering sentences for youth offenders under governor’s plan
(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A Marion County Circuit Court judge Tuesday ordered the state’s parole board not to hold hearings to consider early release of dozens of Oregonians for crimes they committed as minors. The ruling is a setback for a plan Gov. Kate Brown announced…
Oregon Capitol beefs up security, expects to spend $500K on security guards
The dome of the Oregon State Capitol on Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Oregon Capital Chronicle) The Oregon Legislature is stepping up security at the Capitol, to the tune of more than half a million dollars per year. Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, and House…