Category OREGON NEWS

Supreme Court will hear Grants Pass homeless camping case
A Supreme Court ruling on homeless camping won't have a major impact in Oregon, which has a state law barring cities from punishing people for sleeping outside on public property.

Behind schedule, over budget, state-backed rail projects costing $70 million sit idle
Two freight-to-rail centers in the Willamette Valley and eastern Oregon have failed to fulfill a single promise of boosting agricultural exports and reducing emissions.

Treasurer readies plan to get state pension fund to ‘net-zero’ greenhouse gas emissions
A state treasurer plan would balance investments in carbon-emitting industries with enterprises that cut or absorb emissions.

Oregon parents, advocates press lawmakers for more child care funding
More than 1,300 Oregon families are stuck on an indefinite waitlist and the Employment Related Day Care program could face a shortfall as high as $221 million

Oregon lawmakers mull solutions to drug crisis, prep for 2024 session
Opinions are sharply divided on how to best address Oregon's addiction crisis, and a committee tasked with coming up with fixes has yet to finalize its plans.

One year in, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek faces same challenges
In her first year in office, Kotek replaced agency directors and scored billions for housing and education, but Oregon’s biggest problems remain.

Timber industry tied to proposal shifting wildfire protection costs from landowners to public
Several Oregon timber companies participated in a workgroup and proposal that would cut the fees they pay to the state for fire protection.

Kotek signs new housing executive orders on first anniversary in office
Oregon exceeded Kotek’s goals for building new shelter beds, rehousing homeless people and keeping families in their homes.

Scathing state audit faults lax oversight of Oregon pandemic rent relief
The state housing agency still can’t reliably say how many Oregonians were helped with pandemic rental assistance, an audit found.