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Washington Supreme Court upholds ban on large ammo clips
OPB | By Troy Brynelson
The Washington Supreme Court has upheld the state’s ban on high-capacity magazines, the latest in a two-year-long saga that has largely played out in Southwest Washington.
Lawmakers in 2022 banned the sale of ammo clips holding more than 10 bullets in an effort to thwart deadly mass shootings. However, a gun store in Kelso continued to sell the clips and drew a fine from the Washington State Attorney General in July 2023.
A Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge later sided with the gun store and deemed the new law violated the Second Amendment.
Washington Supreme Court justices ruled 7-2 that the new state law doesn’t violate Americans’ right to bear arms because “large capacity magazines are not ‘arms.’”
31 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested after occupying UW building, police say
Tribune News Service
Thirty-one protesters were arrested after occupying a new engineering building at the University of Washington on Monday night as they called for the school to cut ties with Boeing and end what they called a “targeted assault” on “pro-Palestine activism and activists.”
Oregon News
Southern Oregon landmark named one of the ‘most endangered’ places in America
The Oregonian | By Jamie Hale
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is urging people to “get to work” restoring a beloved landmark that for years has been sitting in a state of disrepair.
The Oregon Caves Chateau, a six-story chateau completed in 1934 beside the ancient marble cave system, closed in 2018 for much-needed repairs that have not yet materialized — in part due to rising costs and the discovery of new, more serious issues with the building.
On Wednesday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation included the chateau on its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2025, a move that proponents hope will finally spur some action at the dilapidated landmark.
POLITICS
Oregon Rep. Courtney Neron appointed to Senate
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Julia Shumway
State Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, will move to the Oregon Senate after county commissioners tapped her to finish the remainder of Sen. Aaron Woods’ term.
Neron’s appointment, at the end of a nearly two-hour meeting with Clackamas, Washington and Yamhill county commissioners Wednesday evening, comes after Woods’ April death from cancer. It will trigger a new appointment process for someone who will finish her House term.
Both Neron and whoever replaces her in the state House will serve until January of 2027, with the ability to run for a full term in 2026.
Oregon’s public transit could face cuts as lawmakers debate funding priorities
OPB | By Lillian Karabaic
As Oregon lawmakers debate a sweeping transportation funding package, a key question is how much should go to public transit.
Some Democrats are backing a proposal to gradually raise the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF) payroll tax to keep buses running and expand service. But a competing house Republican proposal would eliminate transit funding entirely and redirect the tax revenue to roads and bridges.
Oregon’s 0.1% payroll tax for public transit hasn’t increased since it was enacted in 2017. In addition, pandemic-era federal grants for transit are ending, and inflation is pushing up operating costs.
“Unless we are able to increase transit funding, they’re going to have to make major cuts to service,” said Sen. Khanh Pham, D-Portland, who is sponsoring legislation that would phase in an increase of the STIF tax over eight years — ultimately reaching 0.5%.
“Public transit is a lifeline for communities,” she said. “It offers access to opportunity that Oregonians really appreciate and depend on,” adding that one-quarter of Oregonians don’t drive.
Because Oregon has no sales tax and limited property taxes, Rep. Mark Gamba, D-Milwaukie said the payroll tax is one of the few available tools to get funding to transit.
“In our infinite wisdom, we chose not to have a sales tax,” Gamba said. “Then we capped property taxes with Measures 5 and 50. And then we added the kicker to make everything even worse.”
Gamba said his colleagues are open to other ideas, such as a one-time road use fee on new vehicle purchases. But for now, he said, increasing the STIF tax is the most straightforward option.
The proposed increase would cost an Oregon worker making the median salary about $16.66 more per month.
But House Republicans, including Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis of Albany, said that the current STIF payroll tax is too high. Their proposed transportation funding framework would redirect STIF from transit entirely.
“We want ODOT to get back to repairing and maintaining safe and reliable roads and bridges,” Boshart Davis said. “And stop using Oregonians as a bank when they run out of money.”
House Republicans argue that local governments should fund public transit services themselves.
Transit operators warn that without more funding, service cuts could ripple across the state. The transportation package is still under negotiation, and lawmakers are expected to make key decisions in the coming weeks.
Salem 'snack-in' urges lawmakers to extend food benefits to all young Oregon kids
KGW | By Daisy Caballero, Jamie Parfitt
Parents, children and advocates gathered at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem for a "snack-in" on Wednesday to push for a bill that would extend food benefits to all young children in the state, regardless of immigration status.
Kids and parents went door-to-door inside the capital, passing out applesauce packets to legislators as they tried to rally support for Senate Bill 611, what supporters call "Food for All Oregonians."
New DEI conditions put Oregon's access to election security funds at risk
Statesman Journal | By Anastasia Mason
Oregon could lose out on $272,727 in election security funding from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission following updated requirements that states agree to follow an executive order from President Donald Trump on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Secretary of State Tobias Read said he has not yet decided whether he will sign the agreement.
"We really can't make a decision until we know more, because the Trump administration has not done a good job of writing these requirements in a way that's understandable," Read told the Statesman Journal. "It's not clear what they mean by 'DEI,' for example."
A Legendary Oregon Investigative Reporter Puts Down His Pen
Willamette Week | By Nigel Jaquiss
When the Malheur Enterprise closes at the end of May, Les Zaitz says he will have written his last investigative story.
Zaitz, 69, bought the 115-year-old Enterprise in 2015 along with his wife and business partner, Scotta Callister, after a long and distinguished career as an investigative reporter at The Oregonian. Zaitz edited and reported for the paper while Callister initially served as publisher.
Zaitz announced the paper’s closure on May 6.
Over the past five years, Zaitz has investigated the state’s longest-serving legislator, state Rep. Greg Smith (R-Heppner). Drawing on a ceaseless flow of public records requests, Zaitz investigated Smith’s business dealings throughout Central and Eastern Oregon.
On May 5, Zaitz won this year’s Bruce Baer Award, Oregon’s top journalism prize, for his reporting on Smith. He’s now won the honor six times, more than any other journalist.
In an interview, Zaitz says he’ll keep his hand in journalism at Salem Reporter and Keizertimes, but he’s finished with investigations: “I’m going to spend more time on a horse than on a courthouse bench.”
Curry County flirts with flouting Oregon’s sanctuary law amid statewide tensions
OPB | By Conrad Wilson, Bryce Dole, Michelle Wiley
Curry County’s Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday night caused an uproar over a proposed resolution supporting cooperation with federal immigration officials — a move that would directly contradict Oregon’s decades-old sanctuary law that prohibits using local resources for immigration enforcement.
The southwest Oregon county’s three-member governing body considered a non-binding proclamation that states the commissioners’ disagreement with state law. The draft resolution also argues it’s in the best interests of the community to honor requests known as detainers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold people in jail who are also wanted for immigration violations.
“We acknowledge the complexities faced by our Sheriff’s department due to the conflict between state sanctuary policies and federal immigration laws,” the document states.
The proposal in Curry County comes as tensions around Oregon’s immigration laws are ramping up, both locally and nationally. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week that would target federal funds to cities and states “that obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws.”
Multnomah County overpaid $78,000 for executive recruiting services, audit finds
KATU | By Bobby Corser
Multnomah County Auditor Jennifer McGuirk has released an investigative report revealing that the county overpaid more than $78,000 for executive recruiting services.
The report highlights deviations from contract terms and a failure to identify overbilling as the primary reasons for the overpayments.
Congresswoman Bynum criticizes Gulf of America Act as waste of time
KATU | By Bobby Corser
Congresswoman Janelle Bynum of Oregon's 5th District voiced strong opposition to H.R. 276, the Gulf of America Act, after voting against the bill.
Bynum criticized the legislation, stating it fails to address key issues such as lowering costs, creating jobs, or improving Americans' quality of life.
"This is a priority for y’all right now? Seriously?! This bill is a waste of my and the American people’s time in an attempt to stroke this President’s fragile ego," Bynum said. "I have a hard time thinking of a less important issue for Congress to be working on right now."
Oregon senator leads bill banning presidents, lawmakers from selling cryptocurrency
KOIN 6 | By Michaela Bourgeois
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are leading an effort to stop “cryptocurrency corruption,” by those elected to public office.
Merkley and Schumer announced their effort leading the End Crypto Corruption Act which would ban the president, vice president, senior executive branch officials, members of Congress and their immediate families from issuing, sponsoring or endorsing crypto, such as meme coins and stablecoins.
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
Attorney General vows harsh penalties for drug ring leader caught in Salem, Oregon
KATU
Federal officials have arrested a man in Salem who they say is the leader of a multi-state drug trafficking operation with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.
During the investigation, officials say they seized millions of dollars in cash, jewelry, and two cars.
Heriberto Salazar Amaya, 36, is accused of leading a drug trafficking ring with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel that was operating in five states, including Oregon and New Mexico. He's one of more than a dozen people charged in this operation.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says Salazar Amaya is in the U.S. illegally.
According to court documents, he’s been deported from the U.S. twice, once in 2010 and again in 2012. A.G. Bondi has vowed to hold him and the others involved accountable.
"He's the leader. He's the number one guy, and I want them to stay in our prisons as long as possible. I have no desire to send them back to Mexico because they were coming across our border illegally,” Bondi said of the bust. "No longer will they be able to do that, but the amount of drugs, the amount of money, the amount of weapons, most of these individuals, if convicted, will remain in American prisons, perhaps Alcatraz."
Salazar Amaya faces a dozen criminal charges, including conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and violating U.S. immigration laws.
KATU reached out to the Department of Homeland Security. We were told they couldn't comment past the initial details that were given.
The DOJ alleges that Salazar Amaya is the leader of a multi-state trafficking ring, not the leader of the entire Sinaloa Cartel.
According to the DEA, the Sinaloa Cartel is one of Mexico's oldest criminal organizations. It calls the cartel one of the most violent and prolific drug-trafficking cartels in the world.
The report suggests that the group does not have a single leader, and instead the cartel "umbrella" covers four separate-but-cooperating criminal organizations. Notably, one of them is called "Los Chapitos" - the collective name for the sons of El Chapo. Another is El Guano, El Chapo's brother.
The state department declared the Sinaloa Cartel a "foreign terrorist organization" earlier this year.
Oregon violence prevention projects hit by Trump cuts
The Oregonian | By Zaeem Shaikh
Wide-ranging Trump administration cuts also have hit Oregon organizations seeking to reduce community violence.
Among the five Portland and Eugene groups that saw their U.S. Department of Justice grants eliminated on April 22 is one that only recently launched its federally funded work.
EDUCATION
Fixing Chronic Absenteeism Could Start With Full School Weeks
Willamette Week | By Joanna Hou
Reducing chronic absenteeism at Portland Public Schools could start with expanding the number of full-length school weeks, a community budget review committee report suggests.
The report, submitted to the School Board on May 6, presents a shocking statistic: This academic year, the district’s decision to chop up many school weeks with either early-release or noninstructional days means PPS students attend just 16 five-day weeks out of 38. That means just 42% of school weeks in a PPS student’s school year are full weeks.
NATURAL RESOURCES & WILDFIRE
Oregon’s in store for a bad wildfire season. But state officials aren’t worried about federal staffing
OPB | By April Ehrlich
Oregon is expected to have an extremely hot and dry summer, setting the state up for a potentially devastating wildfire season ahead.
That was the message from Gov. Tina Kotek during a press conference on Wednesday.
While parts of the state benefited from decent snowpack and rainfall this winter, Kotek said, that could actually make wildfires even worse. More precipitation could mean more grasses, brush and other vegetation that can dry out in the dead of summer, becoming wildfire fuel.
That’s bad news for a state that had one of its worst wildfire seasons on record last year when almost 2 million acres burned, mostly affecting rangeland in Eastern Oregon.
“In summary, we are preparing for what is likely to be even more aggressive and increasingly difficult-to-control wildfire season this year,” Kotek said.
While there may be chilly days ahead this spring, Kotek warned: “Fire season is here.”
“We are already hearing callouts for debris burns on private property that have gotten out of control,” Kotek said. “People need to understand the fire season has begun.”
Last week, the Oregon Department of Forestry announced an uptick in escaped debris burn piles, with multiple fires burning up to 30 acres this spring.
Meanwhile, the federal government has slashed staffing nationwide, including employees who help fight fires on federal lands — which make up over half of Oregon’s land base. Democratic U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Patty Murray, from Oregon and Washington, are convening a conference Thursday to highlight how federal staffing cuts “are seriously undermining wildfire preparedness and response” in the Pacific Northwest.
But during Wednesday’s conference, Kotek didn’t seem too concerned about firefighting resources.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Oregon, other states sue to overturn Trump administration’s rollback of billions for EV chargers
Associated Press
Oregon is part of a coalition of states that is suing President Donald Trump‘s administration for withholding billions of dollars for the buildout of electric vehicle chargers, according to a federal lawsuit announced Wednesday.
National & World News
Bill Gates says he’ll donate almost all his money to his foundation, and set a deadline for spending it
Associated Press
Bill Gates says he will donate 99% of his remaining tech fortune to the Gates Foundation, which will now close in 2045, earlier than previously planned. Today, that would be worth an estimated $107 billion.
The pledge is among the largest philanthropic gifts ever – outpacing the historic contributions of industrialists like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie when adjusted for inflation. Only Berkshire Hathaway investor Warren Buffett’s pledge to donate his fortune — currently estimated by Forbes at $160 billion — may be larger depending on stock market fluctuations.
Gates’ donation will be delivered over time and allow the foundation to spend an additional $200 billion over the next 20 years — at which time Gates says the foundation will close.
White smoke from Sistine Chapel signals new pope has been elected
Associated Press
White smoke poured from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and the great bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled Thursday after cardinals elected the 267th pope to lead the Catholic Church on the second day of their conclave.
The crowd in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers, priests made the sign of the cross and nuns wept as the crowd shouted “Viva il papa!” after the white smoke wafted into the late afternoon sky at 6:07 p.m. Waving flags from around the world, tens of thousands of people waited to learn who had won.
The smoke signal means the winner secured at least 89 votes of the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis.
The name will be announced later, when a top cardinal utters the words “Habemus Papam!” — Latin for “We have a pope!” — from the loggia of the basilica. The cardinal then reads the winner’s birth name in Latin and reveals the name he has chosen to be called.
The new pope is then expected to make his first public appearance and impart a blessing from the same loggia.
Trump agrees to cut UK tariffs on autos, steel & aluminum as part of planned trade deal
KATU National News Desk
President Donald Trump agreed on Thursday to cut tariffs on U.K. autos, steel and aluminum as part of a planned "full" and "comprehensive" trade deal with the United Kingdom.
It is the first bilateral trade deal since Trump began slapping tariffs on U.S. trading partners in February.
Trump described the deal as "fast-tracking" American goods, adding that "the final details are being written up."
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