Santiam Canyon (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Thousands of Marion and Polk county residents lacking high-speed internet continue to face barriers to education and their ability to earn a living, and whether a federal bill intended to expand broadband access will help remains unclear. Oregonians will see at least $100 million in[Read More…]
Tag: STATE GOVERNMENT
Oregon attorney general leads call to end Trump exemptions for religious schools
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and 18 other state attorney generals are seeking to eliminate Trump-era measures that relaxed anti-discrimination rules for religious schools. Three Oregon students are among the plaintiffs and one private university in Salem is intervening to defend the Trump rules. The attorney generals filed a brief[Read More…]
Dozens convicted in Marion, Polk counties for crimes committed as minors may soon be out of prison
The Oregon State Penitentiary on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Dozens of Oregonians serving prison sentences for crimes committed as minors may soon be eligible for early release based on new criteria set by Gov. Kate Brown. About 36 people convicted in Marion and Polk counties may be[Read More…]
State, SEIU agree on vaccine mandate for state employees with paid leave, exemptions
The State of Oregon and a union representing 22,000 of its employees reached an agreement Monday that gives workers paid time off to get a Covid vaccine before a state vaccination mandate goes into effect. The agreement with SEIU 503 comes nearly six weeks after Brown announced she would[Read More…]
State workers demand to bargain over Gov. Brown’s vaccination mandate
Salem’s largest employer is requiring Covid vaccines – and getting pushback from unions representing tens of thousands of state employees. On Tuesday, Gov. Kate Brown said nearly all state employees, about 41,000 people, would be required to get a Covid vaccine to hold onto their jobs. The announcement came as[Read More…]
Oregon Employment Department misses target for fixing phone wait times, blames worker shortage
Oregon Employment Department. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Oregon missed its midyear target for improving the employment department’s woeful phone system, but the state says it remains committed to resolving the issues by the end of the year. It was well-nigh impossible to reach the Oregon Employment Department in the early months[Read More…]
Uncategorized Oregon OSHA to enact emergency rules for heat following Marion County farmworker death
An irrigation system in an agricultural field off of 76th Avenue Northeast on Friday, March 12, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Following the death of a farmworker in St. Paul during the heat wave last week, Gov. Kate Brown is directing the state agency in charge of worker safety to enact[Read More…]
Here’s what Salem area lawmakers say they accomplished during the 2021 legislative session
Oregon Capitol (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Salem’s YMCA will see $4 million for early learning and childcare spaces in its new building. Cold medicine will be a little easier to get in Oregon. It’s easier to hire a physician’s assistant. Property owners in the Santiam Canyon rebuilding from last year’s historic[Read More…]
As gamblers return to video lottery machines, Oregon Lottery faces payment backlog
The headquarters of the Oregon Lottery. (Jake Thomas/Salem Reporter) After winning $1,500 playing video lottery two weeks ago, Pierre Nelson had an unexpected reaction: frustration. Nelson, a resident of Salem, had won the money playing Big City 5, a slot-machine style game where players can bet on and win on[Read More…]
Mike Nearman has been expelled from the Legislature. Here’s what comes next
Rep. Mike Nearman, R-Independence, at his desk on March 30, 2021 (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) The lights went out quickly in an office in the Oregon Legislature. After a historic Thursday night vote, state Rep, Mike Nearman, R-Independence, was expelled from the Legislature for his role in allowing armed demonstrators[Read More…]
