Category OREGON NEWS
For the first time, Juneteenth is a state holiday in Oregon
A sign at Linn-Benton Community College in Albany directs attendees to a Juneteenth event on Saturday, June 18. The annual celebration of the end of slavery is a state holiday in Oregon for the first time this year. (JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle) A national celebration…
Oregon ag officials approve controversial Foster Farms chicken facility
Eric Simon expects to start construction on this property this summer to raise 3.4 million chickens a year for Foster Farms. (Kendra Kimbirauskas) The Oregon Department of Agriculture has approved a controversial industrial chicken farm in Linn County, provided it meets a few conditions. The…
Oregon Congressional Democrats call for federal gun control after Texas shooting
Democrats in Oregon’s Congressional delegation vow action on gun safety legislation following a deadly Texas school shooting. (Les Zaitz/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Democrats in Oregon’s congressional delegation renewed calls for Congress to take up federal gun control legislation following a mass shooting at a Texas elementary…
Water contamination worsened as DEQ went easy on Port of Morrow
The Port of Morrow was fined $1.3 million in January for repeatedly pumping too much nitrate-laced water onto farmland. (Port of Morrow) The state’s chief environmental agency knowingly let the Port of Morrow pollute year after year, contributing to drinking water contamination for thousands, an…
Oregon’s Agriculture Department Director Alexis Taylor nominated by White House to serve in USDA
Oregon’s top agriculture official is leaving to return to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Malheur Enterprise) Alexis Taylor, Oregon’s Agriculture Department director, has been nominated by the Biden White House to serve in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. An announcement by the White House of…
State opens investigation into Nyssa’s Migrant Education Program
A parent questions state officials about how they will conduct an investigation that reaches out to all families participating in the Migrant Education Program at the Nyssa School District. The state met with parents in Nyssa on Thursday, May 5. (Malheur Enterprise) NYSSA – State…
Powerful port pollutes water for years with little state action
Guadalupe Martinez, of Boardman, says a reverse-osmosis filter installed under the sink doesn’t work properly, and the whole-house filter behind her has been broken for years. Her family drinks bottled water to protect themselves from nitrate-tainted groundwater. (Kathy Aney/Oregon Capital Chronicle) BOARDMAN – Guadalupe Martinez…
$15 million for expanded abortion care in Oregon will take months to distribute
A flag reading “pro choice” flies in front of the Oregon Capitol on Tuesday, May 3 during an abortion rights rally following the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion which would overturn Roe v. Wade (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) State money meant to expand access…
Oregon issues bird flu alert to chicken owners and farmers
Backyard enthusiasts need to be aware of the potential bird flu threat to flocks. (Les Zaitz/Oregon Capital Chronicle) A highly infectious and deadly strain of bird flu has been detected in a bald eagle in British Columbia, posing a potential threat to hundreds and perhaps…