The Oregon Capitol building in Salem. Photo: Chas Hundley Higher wages for workers and more income for businesses is driving up state tax collections, creating the prospect for even more state government spending and then credits in two years for those paying income taxes, state economists announced Wednesday. The economists[Read More…]
Politics
In final State of the State address, Brown touts victories, pushes spending plan
Gov. Kate Brown delivers her State of the State address from her office on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022 Gov. Kate Brown’s final State of the State address on Thursday served largely as a victory lap, while she challenged legislators to approve her plans to spend $700 million on job training,[Read More…]
Local legislators introduce bills for short session beginning Feb. 1
The Oregon Capitol building in Salem. Photo: Chas Hundley The Oregon Legislature began the 2022 short session today, February 1, and these are some of the bills that the region’s five legislative representatives signed onto as chief sponsors. To read more about each bill, visit olis.oregonlegislature.gov and click on the[Read More…]
Rachel Armitage appointed to vacant Senate District 16 seat
Rachel Armitage, photo courtesy Armitage campaign website County commissioners from the six counties in Senate District 16 appointed Rachel Armitage to fill the remaining year of former State Senator Betsy Johnson’s empty seat. Armitage, a former legislative assistant in 2016 and 2017, according to her campaign website, is a Warren[Read More…]
County to fill vacant state senate seats Friday
The Oregon Capitol building in Salem. Photo: Chas Hundley Washington County Commissioners are meeting virtually Friday, January 14 at 9 a.m. to interview candidates to replace District 16 Sen. Betsy Johnson who resigned Dec. 15 to focus on her run for Oregon’s governorship, and at 1:30 p.m. to interview candidates[Read More…]
From the newsroom: Writing a letter to the editor, more statehouse news, and more local news
A typewriter. File photo: Chas Hundley What a year 2021 was to run a newspaper in Oregon. I said something similar at the end of 2020, and little has changed. Like any small business, running a newspaper during a pandemic is hard. We’ve grappled with staffing issues due to the[Read More…]
Sen. Betsy Johnson will resign to focus on run for governor
State Senator Betsy Johnson in the Banks BBQ Parade on Sunday, August 22, 2021. Photo: Chas Hundley Betsy Johnson will end her 20-year career in the state Legislature on Wednesday to focus all her attention on her non-affiliated run for governor. Johnson, who left the Democratic Party in October to[Read More…]
Legislature passes rent relief extension, targets cartel cannabis grows during special session
The Oregon Capitol building in Salem. Photo: Chas Hundley Oregon lawmakers during a special session on December 13 voted to pass a series of bills approving more than $400 million in spending to protect farmers, tenants and landlords, and to increase law enforcement in rural areas. Senate President Peter Courtney[Read More…]
Redistricting draws most rural far western Washington County communities into House District 31
A zoomed-out view of the entire newly drawn House District 31, which will be used for the 2022 election. Map courtesy Oregon Legislature Thanks to the 2020 Census, new legislative maps have been drawn, approved, and signed into law to be used for the 2022 election. And while there is[Read More…]
State Senator Betsy Johnson announces unaffiliated run for governor
State Senator Betsy Johnson in the Banks BBQ Parade on Sunday, August 22, 2021. Photo: Chas Hundley State Senator Betsy Johnson, a Democrat who serves the northwest corner of Oregon in the state legislature, including Gales Creek and Banks, will run for governor under no party’s banner in 2022, Johnson[Read More…]
The groceries your family needs!
New patients only, no cash value, cannot be combined with any other offers