Public health officials urge everyone to get vaccinated to protect themselves against Omicron. (Getty Images) Omicron has come to Oregon. The Oregon Health Authority announced Monday evening that the highly infectious strain had been detected in three people in their 20s or 30s who have been fully vaccinated. The agency[Read More…]

State Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, encourages her colleagues to vote for a bill to extend Oregon’s safe harbor protections from eviction during a special legislative session on Dec. 13, 2021. (Julia Shumway/Oregon Capital Chronicle) SALEM – Thousands of Oregon renters who faced the threat of receiving an eviction notice for[Read More…]

Volunteers with Salem for Refugees recently welcomed an Afghan family at the Portland International Airport. (Courtesy/ Salem for Refugees) Legislators on Monday will consider appropriating $18 million to aid Afghan refugee resettlement in Oregon with housing, legal services, language and job training programs. The enhanced program would help up to[Read More…]

Some Oregon tenants are losing protection against evictions as the state pauses applications for state help with rent. (Getty Images) Salem resident Christy Hernandez wants Oregon legislators to know the state failed her. In March, the mother of three young boys wrote to lawmakers urging them to give families like[Read More…]

Ben Cannon, executive director of the state Higher Education Coordinating Commission, speaks on Monday, Dec. 6, about education needs in Oregon. (Ron Cooper/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Oregon can’t recover jobs lost during the pandemic and meet the needs of industry without new investments in training the workforce, state leaders declared Monday.[Read More…]

Gov. Kate Brown speaks with Dutch Bros CEO Joth Ricci at the Oregon Business Plan summit in Portland on Monday, Dec. 6. (Ron Cooper/Oregon Capital Chronicle) PORTLAND – Gov. Kate Brown used an annual gathering of Oregon politicians and business leaders to push for a new $200 million package she[Read More…]

Chemeketa Community College in Salem. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) An upcoming auction for tax credits could save winners anywhere from $50 to $1.12 million on state taxes, all while funding Oregon’s largest needs-based scholarship program.   The online auction is in its fourth year, and offers bidders the opportunity to shave their[Read More…]

Gov. Kate Brown (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Gov. Kate Brown wants Oregonians to quit wasting food to help reduce greenhouse gases. The initiative to do so took Brown halfway around the world to the United Nations l Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, last month. The Oregon governor explained the state’s[Read More…]

Oregon is testing a digital vaccine card that will be voluntary. (Getty Images) The Oregon Health Authority plans to offer a digital vaccine card to Oregonians next spring. It is not a passport: The technology is designed as a convenience for people who need to show proof of vaccination on[Read More…]

Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state health officer and epidemiologist.(YouTube video) The Oregon Health Authority said Monday that the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, is likely to reach the United States and that Oregonians should be vaccinated to protect themselves. In a news release, Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state epidemiologist, said the state[Read More…]