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Oregon News
TRANSPORTATION
Capital Chatter: The road to bipartisanship
Oregon Capital Insider | By Dick Hughes
Sometimes, the simple solution is the best solution.
At the east end of McMinnville, near the municipal airport, sat an intersection of dangerous repute. Four lanes of heavily traveled Highway 18 narrowed to two lanes, with adjoining roads on either side connecting at odd juxtapositions. Severe traffic collisions, including fatalities, were too common.
Generations of motorists suffered the consequences. Engineers eventually proposed a safely solution: construct a big highway interchange.
That didn’t happen. Instead, the transportation folks devised a simpler, relatively inexpensive yet effective solution.
A middle turn lane was added on Highway 18 for traffic heading west to the coast. A right-turn lane was added for eastbound traffic turning south toward Salem. Simple barriers demarcated the proper lanes. The number of crashes dropped significantly, at a fraction of the price for a full-fledged interchange.,
I’ve been thinking about that intersection as Oregon legislators struggle along the bumpy road of transportation financing.
The supermajority Democrats began 2025 by seeking a massive transportation-funding package to address many demands made by competing interest groups during last year’s statewide hearings.
Alas, where were the authoritative voices of reason, of simplicity, of collaboration, within those discussions? The continuing political debacle — highlighted by the ongoing special legislative session for which lawmakers are getting paid per diem despite meeting rarely — speaks highly of neither Democrats nor Republicans.
The fault ultimately lies with us, voters. We are the ones who chose most of the 90 legislators. A few were appointed to fill vacancies.
It’s not, depending on one’s perspective, that we failed to elect enough Republicans or enough Democrats. It’s that we are hypocrites, decrying partisanship while simultaneously urging our favorite politicians to hold firm to partisan positions. Individually and collectively, we have lost sight of the common good in which all sides can find a way to declare victory.
My viewpoint is not popular. I will hear from readers telling me the fault lies with the Democrats — the party of extremists — or with the Republicans — the party of extremists. I will hear from a few folks who say they are willing to tell their favorite politicians — the ones they support with their votes and campaign donations — to tone down the partisanship and find compromises that enable all sides to claim victory.
Statesmanship is a lost art. Meanwhile, Oregon Department of Transportation workers are left adrift in uncertainty, wondering about their own jobs and those of their colleagues. No one knows for sure who will maintain our roads and bridges, and how.
I’ll close with another Salem-related transportation tale.
My wife and I moved to West Salem from McMinnville in 1981. The main thoroughfare into Salem, Wallace Road/Highway 221, was a delightful, oak-lined two-lane road but increasingly congested. ODOT engineers privately told me that projected traffic volumes called for an eventual 10-lane highway, which would never happen.
Instead, trees were removed, and Wallace Road was widened to a four-lane road with a center turn lane.
Traffic still backs up.
The reality is we must plan for a transportation future without knowing what the future will bring. How will driving modes and habits change?
We do know we can never build our way out of congestion. But we would reduce it substantially if state offices and other employers staggered their work hours, so fewer commuters hit the road at the same time.
And if public and private employers re-embraced “work from home” as the preferred job arrangement.
And if we could make public transit as convenient and fast as driving, even though buses might look empty on their return routes.
And if our government bodies didn’t take so long to make transportation decisions, sometimes only to reverse those decisions when new people took office.
And if politicians and traffic planners alike could find agreement, starting with simple yet effective solutions.
POLITICS
US Rep. Cliff Bentz on town halls decision, budget bill and more
KOIN 6 | By Ken Boddie
Oregon Republican Congressman Cliff Bentz held his most recent town hall — but like other Republicans in Congress, it wasn’t in person.
As the only Republican in Oregon’s congressional delegation, the representative of Oregon’s 2nd District joined Eye on Northwest Politics to talk about this decision, calling it “enormously successful” in its ability to reach thousands of his constituents.
ECONOMY
A third of Oregonians say they couldn’t cover a $400 emergency
The Oregonian | By Mike Rogoway
Oregonians are feeling a bit gloomier about their finances, with more saying they would struggle to afford a significant, unexpected expense.
One-third of people say they would have to borrow money to cover a $400 emergency, according to a new poll from Oregon Consumer Justice and the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center. That’s up from about 25% in the fall of 2023 but down a smidge from 35% last fall.
Housing and utility costs represent Oregonians’ biggest financial stressors, according to the poll. Thirty-nine percent of respondents listed each of those as areas of deep concern.
Readers Respond to Oregon’s Stagnation
Willamette Week
The late Gov. Tom McCall famously wanted people to visit Oregon but not stay. It took a while, but his wish came true. In an interview with the Oregon Journalism Project, economist John Topogna described a state whose good looks reliably attracted newcomers, but is lately finding that its mountains and forests don’t rate compared to high housing costs and poorly performing schools (“Hotseat: John Tapogna,” OJP, Sept. 10). Topogna argues that Oregon is stalling out in part because that’s exactly what its leaders wanted: to control growth. But with those pretty forests catching fire, maybe it’s time to stop playing hard to get. One-night stands are no way to build a home. Here’s what our readers had to say:
DRUGS & HOMELESSNESS
Portland Police ramp up Measure 110 ticketing for public drug use
KATU | By Wright Gazaway
There’s been a dramatic uptick in the number of tickets Portland Police officers are handing out for public drug use.
A KATU investigation found officers in the county wrote an average of five times as many tickets per month this year, compared to the first two years Measure 110 was in effect.
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
Why this Portland library is a flashpoint in the debate over downtown safety, and what can be done
The Oregonian | By Austin De Dios
On a recent Friday afternoon, children and parents attended a playtime event in the vibrant first-floor youth section of Portland’s Central Library. Meanwhile, a pair of medical responders carried a stretcher up to the third floor to assist an adult in crisis.
Elsewhere, a patron lamented to a librarian about their lack of culinary talent while picking out a new cookbook. A man sitting on a bench outside the bathroom changed his clothes in the open. Security guards stood stationed on every floor. More patrolled outside, along with an employee, who picked up litter.
It was a typical day at Multnomah County’s flagship branch, which has increasingly been called on to serve dual roles as both a central information hub and a stopgap refuge for people experiencing homelessness in a city where such spaces are scarce.
It has also recently become a flashpoint in debates over downtown safety following two violent incidents outside its doors.
EDUCATION
Oregon’s first licensed outdoor preschool opens in Phoenix
Jefferson Public Radio | By Jane Vaughan
Blue Heron Park in Phoenix has playgrounds, a pollinator garden and access to Bear Creek.
Now, an area among the trees has become a classroom for preschoolers.
Oregon recently began licensing outdoor, nature-based child care programs, one of only a few states to do so.
Yessie Joy Verbena recently opened the first one, called Blackberry Academy.
HEALTH CARE
Kaiser Permanente Oregon, SW Wash. health care workers authorize potential strike
KATU | By Jennifer Singh
Nurses and health professionals at Kaiser Permanente in Oregon and Southwest Washington have voted to authorize a strike.
Union leaders say 97 percent of members supported the move, with contracts set to expire on Sep. 30.
In 2024, Oregon’s Medicaid Insurers Got a 3.4% Rate Bump. Their Costs Jumped 10%.
Willamette Week | By Andrew Schwartz
A new report documents declining incomes for insurers. In Lane County, one is dropping out entirely for 2026, but the state says coverage won’t be affected for now.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Alternative proposed to Harney basin groundwater restrictions
Capital Press | By Mateusz Perkowski
Irrigators and other water users are advocating for alternative groundwater restrictions to be adopted in Oregon’s Harney basin rather than those proposed by state regulators.
The coalition, which also includes tribes and local governments, recently submitted a formal petition asking the Oregon Water Resources Commission to consider a rival set of regulations meant to stem aquifer depletion in the region.
National News
Erika Kirk says she forgives husband’s accused killer
The Hill
Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, said Sunday that she forgives the man accused of killing her husband.
“On the cross, our savior said, ‘Father, forgive them. For they not know what they do.’ That man. That young man. I forgive him,” Erika Kirk said at her husband’s memorial, with her voice softening and tears streaming down her face.
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