Patrick Starnes, former Independent Party of Oregon candidate for governor, isn’t giving up on his push to reform the flow of political money in the state. (Portland Tribune/Jaime Valdez) Carpenter Patrick Starnes, former candidate for governor, earns a living now renovating an 1878 house in…

Gov. Kate Brown takes the oath of office on Monday, Jan. 14, as she starts her final term as governor. (Jaime Valdez/Portland Tribune) SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown wants the state to get ambitious about solving major challenges such as a homelessness, challenging legislators Monday…

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, Thursday joined six other GOP lawmakers to vote for a spending package designed to reopen most government agencies. (The Enterprise/File). WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S Rep Greg Walden, R-Hood River, broke from his party Thursday on a vote to reopen the federal…

SALEM — A state senator caught on tape slipping anonymous packets under the doors of at least seven other senators last month has been warned his conduct could be considered workplace harassment. The letter’s public disclosure is the latest in a series of actions by…

SALEM — Senate President Peter Courtney has directed a Republican state senator to “cease and desist” intimidating communications with other senators and legislative employees. Courtney made the demand to state Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, in a Nov. 15 letter obtained by the Oregon Capital Bureau…

Senate President Peter Courtney seeks political civility in the approaching session of the Oregon Legislature. (Portland Tribune/Jaime Valdez) SALEM — Peter Courtney is worried. His party is in power. He’s been nominated yet again for Senate president. In Gov. Kate Brown, he’s working with an…

Juan Carlos Gonzalez is the first Hispanic elected to Metro’s council in Portland. (Portland Tribune/Jaime Valdez) Juan Carlos Gonzalez was a high school junior from Forest Grove when he encountered President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., through the Boys Nation leadership program. Meeting the nation’s…

State Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, will be co-chair of the Legislature’s budget-writing committee that sets spending by state agencies. (File/Portland Tribune) State Sen. Betsy Johnson, a coastal legislator known for tough questioning of state bureaucrats, is getting a more powerful perch to watch over state…

SALEM — A record 37 Oregon women will serve as state legislators in 2019. Come January, once new lawmakers are sworn in, women will hold 28 out of 60 seats in the House. Women also picked up one seat in the Senate, bringing their numbers…