It took less than two minutes Wednesday for a Senate committee to approve legislation to solidify independence for Oregon’s public records advocate and the Public Records Advisory Council. During a Feb. 12 work session, members of the Senate Committee on General Government sent Senate Bill 1506 to the Senate floor[Read More…]

Gov. Kate Brown, Greg Miller, representative of the timber coalition, and Bob Van Dyke, of the Wild Salmon Center, announce the “historic” deal between logging and environmental interests Monday, Feb. 10. (Claire Withycombe/ Oregon Capital Bureau) A new deal between Oregon’s timber industry and environmentalists to protect forest waters, modernize[Read More…]

Oregon is facing a dental health epidemic, and a lack of access to care is at the root of the problem for many children, rural residents and low-income families.  Legislators will consider improving access to education and services in schools, as well as create licensing for a new type of[Read More…]

Oregon is one of five states where journalists will soon receive free legal help, the national  Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press announced Tuesday.  The Local Legal Initiative fund will employ a lawyer in Oregon to help defend local newsrooms throughout the state against the threat of lawsuits and assist[Read More…]

The Dalles (Edward Stojakovic/Flickr) An aluminum recycling plant in The Dalles has been hit with the largest fine ever imposed by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for air pollution.  The state announced Thursday that it is assessing a fine of $1.3 million against Hydro Extrusion USA, a Norwegian company[Read More…]

Oregon’s Department of Administrative Services building. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Thousands of state employees across dozens of Oregon agencies are awaiting the reinstatement of Oregon’s online training system after a Christmas Day cyber attack forced the state Department of Administrative Services to pull down the website. An unknown hacker was caught[Read More…]

Secretary of State’s office. (Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) Proponents of two clean-energy initiatives on Wednesday sued Secretary of State Bev Clarno to reverse her decision stopping the groups from advancing initiatives for the November election. Renew Oregon, the coalition of clean energy advocacy groups pushing the initiatives, said Clarno’s[Read More…]

Oregon State Hospital Salem Reporter/file The Oregon State Hospital is suspending all civil admissions until Dec. 27 to prioritize patients ordered by courts to receive competency restoration treatment.  The halt on civil commitments was announced in a letter Monday, Dec. 16, to the hospital’s statewide partners. It is effective immediately. According[Read More…]