Category POLITICS
Oregon Gov. Kotek, lawmakers say state needs to keep focus on housing, education, mental health
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek doubled down Monday on her requests for more funding and more attention for housing, homelessness, behavioral health and education ahead of a legislative session likely to be dominated by transportation debates.
School district won’t collect or share immigration information, Salem-Keizer officials say
The Salem-Keizer School Board will consider on Tuesday a resolution reaffirming that immigration agents will not be allowed inside schools or have access to student records. The district has had such policies in place since 2016.
From refugee to Oregon Senate majority leader, Kayse Jama focuses on finding common ground
Kayse Jama was the first Muslim and the first refugee to serve in the Oregon Senate, and he has spent his career working to prove that people in the state have more in common than they have differences.
Oregon Rep. Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s pick for labor secretary, says she received bomb threat
The FBI said in a statement that it was aware of “numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents" targeting incoming Trump administration nominees and appointees.
Democrats win supermajority in Oregon House, Senate, with narrow victory for Muñoz
Oregon Democrats appear to have eked out a supermajority in both the state House and Senate, with a narrow win confirmed in a rural Woodburn-based House seat late Tuesday. Tuesday was the deadline for voters to fix missing or mismatched signatures on their ballot envelopes.…
Trump picks Oregon’s U.S. Rep. Chavez-DeRemer for labor secretary
The Republican. one of two Oregon Latinas in Congress, was an early Trump backer but did not mention him much in her unsuccessful bid for a second term.
Vlach-Ing wins Marion County judge race
After a two-week horse race for an open seat in the Marion County Circuit Court, a near-final ballot count Friday afternoon had Michelle Vlach-Ing ahead of David Carlson by 588 votes. Vlach-Ing's campaign announced on Facebook that Carlson conceded on Wednesday, though he didn’t respond to requests for confirmation.
Oregon House Republicans bring back Christine Drazan as leader
State House Democrats will elect their leaders on Wednesday while Senate Republicans and Democrats largely kept their leaders in place.
Oregon Democrats have 34-vote edge in quest for House supermajority
Democrat Lesly Muñoz is now leading in her quest to unseat Rep. Tracy Cramer, a Gervais Republican who represents House District 22, which includes much of northeast Salem.