The Washington County Sheriff's Office is seeking public help in locating an alleged hit-and-run driver and auto thief involved in a crash north of Cornelius on NW Susbauer Road and NW Long Road.

Starting April 19, all Oregonians aged 16 and older will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, Oregon Governor Brown announced Tuesday morning.

Just three days after Governor Kate Brown said a fourth surge of the COVID-19 pandemic was at Oregon’s doorstep, the Oregon Health Authority announced that wide swaths of the population now are eligible to schedule an appointment for a first round of vaccinations.

These are the diaries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek after the Lilly family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They are published as they were written, with original spelling. This week: A funeral, mushroom hunting, and early spring gardening.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced an expansion of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility for people with some underlying health conditions, and for family members that live with frontline workers.

It's no April Fool's Day joke. After several weeks of anticipation, the first road camera in Gales Creek, located at the Junction of Highway 6 and 8 went live Thursday.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown released a 10-point economic recovery plan for the state on Tuesday, March 23, outlining her administration's recovery goals in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 wildfires.

Want to advise the Oregon Transportation Commission on transportation issues in rural western Washington County? Two positions — each for a two-year term — on a little-known regional commission are open for just that purpose.

That includes many private crews that work in the logging industry in the region’s forests, and landowners in forested areas that aid firefighting efforts.

These are the diaries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek after the Lilly family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They are published as they were written, with original spelling. This week: "Lost Squadron" gets a good review, and Esther loses a brother.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced Friday that the timeline of vaccine eligibility for frontline workers, those living in multigenerational households, and those ages 16 and older with certain underlying health conditions would be sped up from April 19 to April 5.

These are the diaries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek after the Lilly family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They are published as they were written, with original spelling. This week: It's Easter Sunday, and Ted finishes the rafters on the house he's building.

The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles issued a news release that says as early as May 5 many Oregonians will be able to go online to renew their driver’s licenses, permits, and identification cards.

The filing window is now closed for the May 18 special district elections. Here are the candidates running for local office that will be on Gales Creek residents' ballots.

The Oregon Department of Forestry says demand is unprecedented for forest tree seedlings following the 2020 Oregon wildfires, creating difficulties for reforestation with as many as 140 million seedlings needed to replace what the fires consumed.

The Internal Revenue Service announced Wednesday that the federal tax filing deadline would be moved from April 15 to May 17, and Oregon will follow suit.

A $5.3 million grant Oregon, Washington, and California received is paying to develop software using open-sourced tools to upgrade the outdated technology used by local public transit systems that provide booking and payment, and allow riders to plan their trip.

The window to file for office closes on March 18, which means it's letter writing season. Here are some ideas and policies on writing a letter to the editor of the Gales Creek Journal for publication.

Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) gave an update via Zoom on March 12 where he discussed how the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan directly benefits Oregonians.

These are the diaries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek after the Lilly family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They are published as they were written, with original spelling. This week: The first day of spring, and Gladie takes a ride to Timber.

A woman last known to be near Hagg Lake was found dead Friday afternoon more than a month after she disappeared there on February 5.

President Joe Biden announced during a primetime speech Thursday evening that he would direct states, tribes and territories to open vaccine eligibility to adults by May 1. The announcement is the second major development undertaken against the coronavirus pandemic by the president on Thursday, having previously signed into law legislation approving the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

A bill sponsored by Rep. Karin Power (D-Milwaukie) would prohibit the sale of petroleum diesel fuel for use in any motor vehicle by January 2027.

The ShakeAlert system, already implemented in California since October 2019, uses a network of sensors that detect the start of a major earthquake, calculate the magnitude and location of the quake, and then send the information to distributors that blast the information to cell phones and online.

Those behind on their Portland General Electric payments can see if they qualify for a partial grant to catch up, and nonprofits may see assistance from PGE's philanthropic arm as well.

A bill that appears to be fast-tracked by a recommendation from the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment would allow public utilities such to charge consumers for the cost of supplying new electric vehicle charging stations with power and allow public utility companies to recover those costs through consumers.

These are the diaries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek after the Lilly family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They are published as they were written, with original spelling. This week: The family makes rugs, and Ted and Thelma head up to the pasture to build a house.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced she will be mandating a return to in-person or hybrid instruction for most Oregon public school students by the week of March 29 for K-5 students and April 19 for students in grades 6-12. The order will likely throw a wrench into the Forest Grove School District's reopening timetable.

A bill referred to the Oregon speaker’s desk that has yet to be assigned to a committee would raise the state’s minimum wage, currently $11.25 per hour at its lowest, to $17 an hour, which is an annual salary of about $35,000.

The Washington County Board of Commissioners is hosting a virtual town hall on March 6, and in other county news, Matt Cragie will serve as economic development director.

Oregon U.S. House Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Springfield), chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he plans to introduce a five-year infrastructure and highway bill that authorizes a wide range of national projects. The bill could see the use of earmarks, a decade after they were eliminated from Congress.

Sometime in the coming weeks, a new camera and weather station at the junction of Highways 6 and 8 will begin providing a stream of information to motorists using Tripcheck to plan their travels. It's the first of its kind in Gales Creek.

These are the diaries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek after the Lilly family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They are published as they were written, with original spelling. This week: An astounding amount of fishing success, and Esther takes in "Frankenstein," the famed 1931 film featuring Boris Karloff in the iconic role of Frankenstein's monster.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use Saturday, adding a third vaccine to the U.S. effort to combat the novel coronavirus.

The bill now faces a split Senate after the U.S. House of Representatives passed early Saturday morning what many observers and lawmakers call the COVID-19 Economic Relief Act, a $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus package that provides $1,400 direct payments to most American taxpayers, aid for businesses, cities, schools, and an extension of unemployment benefits.

Washington County Health and Human Services announced that 1,000 vaccine appointments are available for seniors age 70 and up, healthcare workers, and others who are currently eligible for a vaccine at a drive-through clinic in Beaverton on Saturday, February 27.

We caught up with House District 29 Rep. Susan McLain and covered how the legislature is different this year, and some of the bills the Forest Grove, Cornelius, and Hillsboro (and some surrounding rural areas) legislator has introduced this session.

Gales Creek residents will vote for a number of elected positions in the Forest Grove School District and the Forest Grove Rural Fire Protection District in May. The window to file to run for local office closes March 18 at 5 p.m.

Weeks of falling COVID-19 case rates have already seen Washington County moved from the "Extreme Risk" category to "High Risk." Governor Kate Brown announced that 16 counties, including Washington, will be moved further down in the list of categories on Friday.

A roundup of some of the bills in the Oregon Legislature right now, with an emphasis on local elected leaders' ideas and bills.