Oregon leaders were scrambling Tuesday morning after an announcement from the Trump administration that it was at least temporarily freezing many federal funds.
State budgets rely heavily on federal funding: In Oregon, they make up about 30% of the two-year budget — nearly $40 billion — with certain big-ticket programs, like Medicaid, receiving the biggest chunks of the funding.
OREGON
Dr. Robert Pamplin concedes he raided his employees’ pension fund
On Dec. 26, Dr. Robert Pamplin Jr., 83, settled a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Labor to resolve allegations he treated his company’s pension fund like a piggy bank, selling overvalued company real estate to unwitting pensioners.
New Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield takes office early
Oregon’s new attorney general took office a few days early on New Year’s Eve, repeating his oath of office before the same federal judge who presided over his criminal mischief and reckless endangerment case nearly three decades earlier.
State regulators approve more electricity rate hikes for Oregonians in 2025
Most Oregonians in 2025 will see residential electricity rates nearly 50% higher than they were just five years ago.
Oregon Legislature approves $218 million in additional wildfire funding in emergency session
The state spent more than $350 million responding to more than 2,000 wildfires in 2024, far exceeding projected costs and leaving some contractors unpaid.
Sen. Wyden calls on Oregon’s largest electric utility to detail true drivers of massive rate hikes
Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, issued a public letter Monday to Portland General Electric CEO Maria Pope requesting she provide documentation within 30 days of customer use and load growth, as well as details about how the company has spent historic federal subsidies meant to reduce ratepayer burden
Emergency legislative session called over wildfire costs
The Oregon Legislature will meet for an emergency session in December to approve emergency spending to cover the cost of 2024’s wildfire season.
Oregon agencies renew campaign urging people against excessive drinking
With the holidays coming up, Oregon officials are again running a social media, website, audio and TV campaign aimed at curbing excessive drinking.
Oregon confirms first human case of bird flu out of Clackamas County
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday confirmed that a person contracted bird flu in a case linked to an outbreak that sickened thousands of birds in a Clackamas County commercial poultry operation.
Voters in Gales Creek, USA have their say
Oregon voters had their say in the 2024 election, and from top to bottom, change is on the way. Locally, more than 100,000 voters supported a Gales Creek resident.