Tag STATE GOVERNMENT
Oregon gubernatorial candidates continue to get — and spend — millions. Will their dollars sway voters?
Rep. Knute Buehler and Gov. Kate Brown face off in the first of three gubernatorial debates in Portland on Oct. 2 (Jaime Valdez/Portland Tribune) Two weeks from election day, a spending frenzy continues in the race to be Oregon’s governor. Gov. Kate Brown and state Rep. Knute Buehler have combined…
Governor candidates take liberty with the truth in late ad pushes
The two prime candidates for Oregon governor are releasing multiple television and social media ads in the final days of the campaign. Some make misleading and sometimes inaccurate claims. Gov. Kate Brown, the Democratic incumbent, and state Rep. Knute Buehler, her Republican challenger, are funneling…
Labor commissioner files motion asking to hold legislative leadership in contempt of court
SALEM — Outgoing Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian is again taking the Legislature to task over sexual harassment, this time in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Avakian wants a state judge to find legislators and staff in contempt for failing to comply with subpoenas in the…
Measure 104: Will it force bipartisanship or create gridlock?
SALEM — If you drive, hunt, or run a business in Oregon, you pay a fee to the state for that privilege. A measure on the statewide ballot next month could make it harder for the Legislature to increase those fees. Oregon imposes thousands of…
Audit finds Oregon pension system vulnerable to attacks, natural disasters
The Oregon State Capitol (Salem Reporter file) SALEM — The state’s public pension agency isn’t prepared for a major disaster like an earthquake or flood, and Oregonians’ personal information could be at risk if the agency doesn’t do more to protect its systems from attacks,…
National political analyst: Oregon’s governor race a ‘tossup’
Oregon’s close gubernatorial race between Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and GOP candidate Oregon Rep. Knute Buehler has captured the attention of national political pundits. On Tuesday, the race made the front page of the Cook Political Report’s website, with analyst Jennifer E. Duffy upgraded the…
From chickens to guns, local voters in Oregon face measures
SALEM — While statewide attention is focused on controversial ballot measures, many Oregon voters face local decisions on issues that go above and beyond core public services. A total of 104 city and county measures are on ballots across the state Nov. 6. They range…
State forecast shows a significant decline in imprisonment over the next 10 years
The Oregon State Correctional Institution east of Salem (Salem Reporter file photo) The incarceration rate in Oregon’s prison system is projected to fall 15 percent over the next decade due in large part to sentencing reform. The projection, done by the Oregon Department of Administrative…
Energy Department puts fixes in place to stunt scandal, audit report says
SALEM — In the wake of a scandal over the state’s handling of energy tax incentives, the Oregon Department of Energy has cleaned up its process, state auditors say. The state Audits Division report, released Wednesday, assessed whether energy officials implemented recommendations made earlier by…