Far right demonstrators kicked in a door to the Oregon State Capitol during a special legislative session Monday. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Far-right protesters on Monday attempted to forcibly disrupt a legislative session at the Capitol, where they smashed windows, blocked streets, assaulted journalists and sprayed unidentified chemicals on police. Roughly[Read More…]

Oregon State Capitol, rotunda (Salem Reporter/file) Money could become less of a factor in elections in Oregon. If voters approve Measure 107 Tuesday, the Legislature and local governments could regulate the amount of money that can be donated to those running for public office and allied political campaigns. The measure[Read More…]

Oregon State Capitol, governor’s office (Salem Reporter/file) A state agency overseeing personnel issues has taken a hands-off approach to workplace discrimination and harassment investigations, a recent report concluded. The report, released Wednesday by state auditors, found that the Department of Administrative Services doesn’t do enough to track or oversee workplace[Read More…]

Becky Chiao Oregon’s top transparency official resigned Tuesday, after clashing with the state board she chairs over its efforts to make her office more independent from the governor. In a resignation letter obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive, Public Records Advocate Becky Chiao wrote that “a disagreement has arisen between me and at least[Read More…]

Terri Davie takes over as superintendent of the Oregon State Police on Nov. 1. (Courtesy/Governor’s Office) Terri Davie has been named by Gov. Kate Brown to head the state’s largest police force. On Monday, Brown announced the appointment of Davie as new superintendent of the Oregon State Police. Davie will[Read More…]

Oregon Employment Department. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) An additional $300 a week could be coming to unemployed residents of Salem and the rest of the state. The Oregon Employment Department announced on Monday it’s applying for the federal Lost Wages Assistance program. Created by the Trump administration, the new program is[Read More…]

Rep. Bill Post, R-Keizer, left, and Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, wait to see the outcome of a vote on House Bill 4303 during a one-day special session at the Oregon State Capitol on Monday, August 10. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) For the second time in 2020, Oregon legislators gathered at the[Read More…]

A flat-screen TV and speaker livestream a committee meeting outside of the Oregon State Capitol on Thursday, August 6. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Oregon legislators will meet on Monday to shore up a state budget decimated by the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Kate Brown called the second special session of the year[Read More…]

The Oregon State Capitol. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Oregon lawmakers have been tasked with plugging a $1 billion hole in the state’s budget in a special legislative session that’ll convene Monday, Aug. 10. This will be the second special session called by Gov. Kate Brown this year. In June, the Legislature[Read More…]

Marion County Courthouse (File/Salem Reporter) A pair of lawsuits filed in Marion County Circuit Court by state workers allege mistreatment by two different government agencies. One lawsuit was filed on behalf of Dane Snyder, a major incident technical analyst with the Oregon Health Authority. The complaint, filed July 24, states[Read More…]