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 to replace Sen. Chuck Riley (D-Hillsboro) who announced last[Read More…]
Salem
Sen. Betsy Johnson will resign to focus on run for governor
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 launch her campaign, said in a video shared Tuesday that she would resign as state senator to[Read More…]
Legislature passes rent relief extension, targets cartel cannabis grows during special session
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 (D-Salem) said Oregonians can be proud of their legislature. “We[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…]
Brown calls special legislative session to tackle redistricting
The Oregon Capitol building in Salem. Photo: Chas Hundley Oregon’s legislators will head back to Salem following Governor Kate Brown’s call to convene a special legislative session to tackle congressional and legislative redistricting. Following the decennial census, held last in 2020, the Oregon Constitution requires the legislature to draw new[Read More…]
Board of Forestry to meet July 12 in state forester search process
Nancy Hirsch, pictured here with departing Oregon Department of Forestry State Forester Peter Daugherty in December of 2018 at her retirement as deputy state forester. Photo: ODF The Oregon Board of Forestry will meet virtually on Monday, July 12 to continue the search for Oregon’s next state forester. The meeting[Read More…]
‘Sine Die’: The highlights of Oregon’s historic 2021 legislative session
The Oregon Capitol building in Salem. Photo: Chas Hundley The Oregon Legislature wrapped up Saturday, marking the end of an eventful session that included high profile legislation, a resignation and the first expulsion of a legislator in state history. The session, which began Jan. 21 after a two-day delay from[Read More…]
Oregon House expels State Rep. Mike Nearman over Dec. 21 Capitol incursion
The Oregon Capitol building in Salem. Photo: Chas Hundley Rep. Mike Nearman (R-Independence) became the first House member expelled in state history for his role in the Dec. 21, 2020 breach of the Oregon Capitol on Thursday. A bipartisan House Special Committee on Dec. 12, 2020, established Monday by Oregon[Read More…]
Rep. Brad Witt removed from chair position following harassment complaint
A campaign sign for Rep. Brad Witt in Manning on October 28, 2020. Photo: Chas Hundley Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland), officially removed Rep. Brad Witt (D-Clatskanie) from his role as chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Monday, in the latest development after Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson[Read More…]
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