A face mask. File photo: Chas Hundley Washington County and three other counties have been added to a new list of counties that will see restrictions placed on social gatherings and businesses beginning November 11, the office of Governor Kate Brown announced. In a Monday afternoon press release, Brown said[Read More…]
Chas Hundley
Oregon’s ‘Exploding Whale’ legend turns 50
A mother sperm whale and her calf off the coast of Mauritius. The calf has remoras attached to its body. Gabriel Barathieu – https://www.flickr.com/photos/barathieu/7277953560/, CC BY-SA 2.0, November 9, 1970. The sperm whale, washed up on Heceta Beach near Florence, Oregon, was dead, and the plan was to blow it[Read More…]
Saturday election update: Biden, ballots, Brad Witt and Brian Stout
A sign supporting presumptive vice-president Joe Biden in Gales Creek. Photo: Chas Hundley This will be our last regular daily elections update; we’ll have a story for the results of House District 31 once there’s enough certainty to determine a winner, as well as stories and interviews with new and[Read More…]
State officials urge limiting gatherings, enact “pause” restrictions on five counties
A face mask. File photo: Chas Hundley With climbing numbers of COVID-19 being recorded with no slowing down in sight, Oregon is walking toward the limits of hospital capacity in the Portland Metro area, a scenario public health officials have been trying to avoid since the first lockdown order in[Read More…]
Crash closes Highway 6 east of Glenwood
Photo from the scene courtesy WCSO Update, 9:55 a.m.: The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says that the truck has been removed and that ODOT flaggers are starting to direct traffic through the scene. A crash involving one vehicle and a tree has closed Highway 6 roughly one mile east of[Read More…]
Thursday vote tally for county, state races and measures
Two ballots are dropped off in Forest Grove. Photo: Chas Hundley With newer results in hand from the Oregon Secretary of State, here is where county, state, and federal races and measures stand on Thursday afternoon. The percentages and vote counts will likely shift slightly as county elections offices finalize[Read More…]
Want to vote? Do it by 8 p.m. today at a drop site or county elections office
A voter drops off a ballot on Saturday, October 31 in Forest Grove. Photo: Chas Hundley Those wishing to vote must do so today by 8 p.m., at a ballot drop site or the county elections office. If you’re in line by 8 p.m., stay in line – you can[Read More…]
County turnout is 64.2% four days from election’s end
A ballot is dropped off in Forest Grove on Sunday, October 18. Photo: Chas Hundley Oregon’s voters will likely surpass the total number of ballots cast in the 2018 midterm election this evening. At 8:55 a.m., Friday morning, the state said that 1,806,172 ballots had been cast statewide, representing a[Read More…]
State loosens COVID-19 standards for some counties, school districts
The Forest Grove High School. Photo: Brenda Schaffer The state updated the “Ready Schools, Safe Learners” document Friday, October 30 to relax standards for reopening schools in Oregon, a move that Governor Kate Brown said could allow up to 130,000 students to return to in-person education right away. Individual districts ultimately make[Read More…]
Thursday vote tally sees Washington County surpass average state turnout by 1.5%
A freshly painted ballot drop box in Forest Grove. Photo: Chas Hundley Washington County voters have turned in 243,120 ballots as of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, October 29, according to the Washington County Elections office, which represents about 63.01% of eligible voters in the county. Broken down by the four largest[Read More…]