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Oregon News
Phil and Penny Knight pledge $2 billion to OHSU to ‘revolutionize’ cancer care
The Oregonian | By Matthew Kish, Kristine de Leon
Oregon Health & Science University on Thursday announced a $2 billion gift for cancer treatment from the family of Nike co-founder Phil Knight.
The philanthropic donation is thought to be the largest in higher education and state history. It’s also a needed financial and morale boost for OHSU, the state’s leading research institution.
The $2 billion donation announced Thursday is thought to be the largest gift to higher education in history, topping the $1.8 billion that Michael Bloomberg gave Johns Hopkins in 2018.
POLITICS
Oregon lawmaker blames state GOP for killing bill limiting National Guard deployment
KATU | By Vasili Varlamos
Following the deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles in June, Oregon Representative Paul Evans (D - Monmouth) introduced a bill limiting when the Oregon National Guard can be called into federal active service.
Evans blamed "political gamesmanship" as the reason why this bill did not receive a vote.
"A couple of senators believed that it was an attack at the president instead of a protection of the National Guard," Evans said. "It is interesting to me that both of those senators never served in uniform. And I think, though I would never dispute their love of country, I think they don't understand what it means to serve in an organization that includes every sacrifice, up to including your life."
State Sen. Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles) and Senator Cedric Hayden (R-Fall City), the highest-ranking Republican Senators, voted against the bill in that committee. Bonham introduced a minority report just before the committee meeting, which is a different version of the bill written by the opposing party.
A minority report requires a 48-hour review. Since the minority report was filed two days before the end of the session, it essentially ran out the clock before the bill could receive a vote on the Senate floor.
"In this particular instance, in the last several days of the legislative session, a bill that, had it been moved a week before, would not have had the same fate. Unfortunately, it fell into a trap," Evans said. "When you have less than 48 hours in the entire legislative session, it's an easy way to basically put it on a permanent pause because the session will end before the minority report is drafted, much less before it's introduced."
Rep. Evans said he was certain that the bill would've passed the Oregon Senate. He even suggested that a Republican colleague was thinking about voting across party lines for the measure.
Senate Republican leaders are standing firm in their opposition to the bill. A spokesperson for Senator Bonham's office argued that this bill posed legal and operational problems, conflicting with federal law and interstate agreements.
Bonham's office said the bill could've undermined the Guard’s dual-state federal mission readiness and leadership stability, and criticized how vague standards in the bill would impact crisis decision-making.
"Senator Bonham voted against HB 3954 because it was not a serious attempt to improve emergency response readiness. It was a political statement aimed at President Trump. That intent was clear from the bill’s language and the rhetoric surrounding it," said the spokesperson.
Regarding the deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., Senator Bonham's office said he believes that "governors and presidents have a responsibility to ensure public safety and can lawfully use the National Guard to address serious threats like violent crime, when appropriate and in coordination with local authorities."
"Oregon is already short hundreds of Guard members. The last thing we should do is add legal uncertainty and administrative hurdles that could undermine readiness, jeopardize federal support, or politicize the Guard’s mission," said the spokesperson in a statement to KATU News.
Todd Nash talks transportation at La Grande town hall
La Grande Observer | By Isabella Crowley
Union County residents raised concerns about transportation Tuesday, Aug. 12, during a town hall with one of Oregon’s newest state senators.
Todd Nash, R-Enterprise, is no stranger to Eastern Oregon. Voters of Senate District 29 elected him in November 2024 after he served two terms as a commissioner in Wallowa County and two years as the president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association.
“There is no question that is off limits,” he said.
There was one topic that the crowd gathered in Eastern Oregon University’s Badgley Hall kept coming back to: transportation. Lawmakers will be back in Salem for a special session at the end of August, which aims to address the $350 million funding shortfall in the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Oregon ditches farm stand regulations after public outcry
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Claire Carlson
Some legislators are seeking solutions to mitigate the effect of agritourism in agricultural zones.
A recent rulemaking process from the Department of Land and Conservation Development could have limited what can be sold at farm stands, but an outsized public response to the potential rules put the process on an indefinite pause.
Legislators are still deliberating over how to move forward with the rulemaking — or if they should at all, considering the controversy it caused.
One of the groups at the center of the debate was 1000 Friends of Oregon, a nonprofit organization that advocates for land use planning. They participated in the rulemaking advisory committee that was meant to inform legislators on a number of agritourism issues, not just farm stand policies.
The group said the pause was the result of a misunderstanding about what the rulemaking was intended to do.
“It’s not about saying no to things like agritourism,” said Anna Kemper, membership experience manager of 1000 Friends of Oregon. “It’s about managing impact, making sure that one farm’s business model doesn’t negatively impact others.”
From March to July, the rulemaking advisory committee convened monthly to discuss one or two agritourism issues and then make a recommendation to the Land Conservation and Development Commission, which implements state land use rules.
But in recent months, the discussion focused primarily on farm stand regulations after one of the members of the committee — the Oregon Property Owners Association — sponsored a bill that would have expanded what’s sold at farm stands.
The group’s goal was to address “longstanding confusion” over farm stand policies, like a rule that says three-quarters of a farm stand’s products must be sourced from the farm, but is unclear on what exactly counts under that rule.
But one Yamhill County farmer said the group’s goal to expand farm stand allowances would have “blown out the sideboards on farm stands.”
These concerns led to the most recent feedback from the rulemaking advisory committee, which toned down the farm stand rules the Oregon Property Owners Association was pushing for. Notably, the feedback recommended an impact assessment on neighboring properties of any farm stand wanting to pursue agritourism activities.
DLCD was expected to release a draft rule to follow this feedback on Sept. 1. But in late July, several farms around Oregon rang alarm bells on social media about the potential rules, spurring more than 2,300 emails and phone calls from the public.
States trying partisan redistricting can learn from Oregon’s 2021 blunder
Oregon Capital Chronicle | Opinion by Randy Stapilus
The 5th District specifically drawn to elect a Democrat in 2022 instead elected Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, now a Trump Cabinet member.
Congressional redistricting sometimes has given reason for partisans to be regretful about what they asked for. Oregon has a few things to say about that.
Lincoln County reduces marine patrols after partial loss of federal grant due to Oregon’s sanctuary law
Lincoln Chronicle | By Quinton Smith
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has cut its marine patrols by more than half after the state agency that provides the bulk of its funding lost a federal grant over Homeland Security conflicts with Oregon’s sanctuary laws.
The Oregon State Marine Board lost a $2.2 million grant and was forced to cut its support of marine patrols to 32 agencies by 30 percent, according to boating safety program manager Brian Paulsen.
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
Historic southern Oregon hotel in foreclosure amid fraud and embezzlement allegations
Statesman Journal | By Rose Shimberg
The historic Prospect Hotel near Crater Lake National Park is in foreclosure amid allegations of fraud and embezzlement, according to multiple news reports.
Oregon tried to limit kids tallied in foster care abuse cases, but judge disagreed
OPB | By Lauren Dake
The state of Oregon is under a court order to lower the rate of mistreatment of children placed in its care.
Child welfare officials tried to argue that children who are legally in their custody, but who have temporarily been placed back with their biological parents and are abused, shouldn’t be included in the overall rates of abuse.
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed.
ECONOMY
Oregon’s unemployment rate hit 5% in July, the highest since 2021
The Oregonian | By Tristin Hoffman
Oregon’s unemployment rate hit 5% in July, its highest level in nearly four years.
The jobless rate hasn’t topped that threshold since 2021, when the state was still recovering from the mass layoffs and furloughs of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The national unemployment rate in July was far below Oregon’s, at 4.2%, signaling that Oregon’s workforce is falling behind other states.
Why is Salem Health and other Oregon hospitals facing big financial losses?
Statesman Journal | By Whitney Woodworth
Oregon's hospitals have taken big financial hits in recent years — and Salem Health is no exception.
Salem Health leaders attribute the losses to inflation, what they described as Oregon's onerous regulatory system, and low reimbursement rates for Medicaid and Medicare patients.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & HEALTH CARE
‘A big step’: Record rate of Oregon mental health workers seek anti-suicide trainings
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Shaanth Nanguneri
Oregon continues to struggle with rates of suicide higher than the national average, but more behavioral health workers than ever are training in prevention when they receive professional licenses from the state, according to a new state report.
Forcing mental health treatment will become easier in Oregon. Here's how
KATU | By Christina Giardinelli
The state's current statutes require the danger to be imminent for civil commitment to occur, a process that many mental health advocates believe has stopped people from getting consistent help, especially with chronic mental health conditions.
Oregon lawmakers changed the state's civil commitment laws to make treating someone against their will when they are deemed a danger to themselves or others more accessible.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Oregon seeks public input on state’s first Energy Strategy report
OPB | By Monica Samayoa
As Oregon cools down after multiple days of abnormally high temperatures, the state is releasing a draft version of a first-of-its-kind report about how to achieve state climate goals.
On Thursday, the Oregon Department of Energy released the draft version of the Oregon Energy Strategy Report. It provides more than three dozen policy recommendations about how state agencies can work together to reach the currently enacted carbon reduction and renewable energy laws.
When does window to qualify for Oregon EV rebates close? What to know
Statesman Journal | By Dianne Lugo
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality will suspend its Standard Electric Vehicle Rebate Sept. 9 because of limited funding.
Buyers will have until 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 8 to purchase or lease a new, eligible electric vehicle and get a rebate from the state. The agency expects the Charge Ahead Rebate for low and moderate-income households to stay open.
Annual algae bloom forms on Willamette River. A bill to stop it died in the Oregon House
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Alex Baumhardt
The thick, green layer of toxin-producing algae currently growing on the Willamette River south of downtown Portland is not just a public health issue but a reminder to Willie Levenson of “a total bureaucratic failure.”
How one Oregon activist is using a decades-old liberal policy to stall green energy projects
OPB | By Tony Schick
Irene Gilbert is a 76-year-old retired state employee on a mission, fighting energy projects like large wind farms in Oregon’s rural communities.
Conservationists again sue U.S. Fish and Wildlife for denying Oregon red tree voles protection
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Alex Baumhardt
Conservation groups are again going to court as part of a nearly two-decade-long fight to protect a small forest-dwelling rodent native to the Oregon Coast.
WILDFIRE
BottleDrop offers $20k donation match for Oregon wildfire relief
KEZI
BottleDrop has activated its emergency fund to support wildfire relief efforts across the state. The initiative aims to match up to $20,000 in bottle and can donations through October 7.
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