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Oregon News
TRANSPORTATION
With new road funding suspended, Oregon lawmakers spar over winter maintenance
OPB | By Dirk VanderHart
Less than a week after a Republican-led campaign put new money for state roads on ice, lawmakers are in a partisan squabble over how to fund winter road maintenance throughout Oregon.
A trio of GOP lawmakers on Wednesday said state emergency funding might be necessary if the Oregon Department of Transportation finds itself tapped out this winter. Those legislators – Reps. Mark Owens, R-Crane, Vikki Breese-Iverson, R-Prineville, and Sen. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte – all sit on the legislative Emergency Board that approves such spending.
“Across Oregon, rainstorms and years of deferred maintenance have led to worsening road conditions, including potholes, failing shoulders, damaged guardrails, and drainage problems,” read a statement urging ODOT to be prepared to seek emergency money. “With winter approaching, lawmakers warn that conditions will quickly become more dangerous without immediate action.”
The release immediately generated outrage from Democrats, who were incredulous that Republicans would paint road funding as an emergency after ensuring new money would not flow to ODOT beginning in January, as scheduled.
“It’s rich to see Republicans suddenly discover that safe roads require money,” state Rep. Travis Nelson, D-Portland, said in a statement released alongside three other House Democrats on Wednesday. “The very lawmakers now urging ODOT to seek emergency funding were happy to support referring stable transportation funding to the ballot, putting road maintenance on ice for years.”
The latest back-and-forth centers on a transportation funding bill Democrats passed in a special session earlier in September.
It’s not unprecedented for the state to use one-time cash for winter road work.
In late 2023, lawmakers reached a deal to set aside $19 million to ensure roads were clear and to pay for other upkeep.
Republicans told OPB on Wednesday they had not had a moment of clarity over road safety. Owens and McLane, two of the lawmakers calling for emergency funding, said they always supported winter road maintenance – they just disagreed with the tax hikes Democrats used to pay for them.
“The Democrat supermajorities have created the narrative that there were only two choices: Give us more money or we can’t keep roads safe,” said McLane, who signed the petition to suspend new transportation taxes. “I believe there are more choices.”
Both McLane and Owens said they support the idea of shuffling money within ODOT to support maintenance work like plowing and paving roads and highways. Such a shift might require legislative approval during next year’s month-long legislative session.
What’s still unclear is how much of a funding hole ODOT currently has.
Governor Pauses ODOT Funding Plan After Signature Campaign
KTVZ | By Spencer Sacks
When legislators met for a special session earlier this year, they thought it would be the end of ODOT funding discussions. On Thursday, the governor’s office told KTVZ News it is pausing the plan the legislators passed earlier this year.
This comes after a massive campaign led by Senator Bruce Starr to gather 75,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot, and leave it up to the people. The campaign submitted 200,000 signatures to be verified.
“The governor should work, across the aisle with myself and my colleagues to, rebalance ODOT budget using existing resources, ensuring that our maintenance is done," Senator Starr told KTVZ News. "We got to keep the roads open during the winter time. We can do that with existing resources. We don't need to raise taxes to do that.”
Oregon Republicans push to use emergency funding for ODOT maintenance
Statesman Journal | By Anastasia Mason
Some Oregon Republicans say emergency funds should be used to prevent potential cuts to winter road maintenance funding as the Oregon Department of Transportation risks losing out on it because of a referendum effort.
Sen. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, and Reps. Vikki Breese-Iverson, R-Prineville, and Mark Owens, R-Crane, issued a joint statement Dec. 17 urging ODOT to ask for funding from the legislature's emergency board to fund road maintenance throughout the winter.
House Republicans proposed allocating emergency funds to the department over the summer to prevent a special session and delay service cuts.
ODOT needs money to maintain roads vital for public safety and "conditions will quickly become more dangerous without immediate action," the lawmakers said.
“The plan that they (Democrats) had was never a plan that Oregon wanted," House Minority Leader Rep. Lucetta Elmer, R-McMinnville, told the Statesman Journal.
Lawmakers should return to discussions to find a solution together, she said.
Using emergency funds might not be necessary, Elmer said, but House Republicans in eastern Oregon were raising the possibility in case snow removal and other maintenance was at risk of being cut.
POLITICS
Oregon county doubles down on sanctuary policy, approves $250K for immigrant aid
The Oregonian | By Austin De Dios
As federal immigration crackdowns continue to impact Oregon families, Multnomah County has joined other local governments in funneling support to immigrant communities.
The county Board of Commissioners on Thursday made a refreshed commitment to uphold its sanctuary status and approved the use of $250,000 in rainy-day money to fund local organizations supporting immigrant families. Both items passed unanimously.
Conservatives File Federal Civil Rights Complaint Against PPS’s Center for Black Student Excellence
Willamette Week | By Joanna Hou
The district maintains that it complies with the law, noting the CBSE and its resources will be available to all students.
Multnomah County jail health director exits after less than a year
The Oregonian | By Austin De Dios
Multnomah County’s jail health director departed from the role after less than a year on the job, officials confirmed Thursday.
Michael Crandell has been on paid administrative leave since Aug. 29. His last day was Tuesday, according to spokesperson Sarah Dean. The county provided no details as to why Crandell left the role.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Award-winning North Portland bakery to close original location
KOIN 6 | By Jashayla Pettigrew
“We’ve been searching for a new home for JinJu Patisserie for quite some time,” JinJu Patisserie wrote on Instagram. “We almost signed a seven-year lease on a state-of-the-art facility, but uncertainty around the economy, our health, and the steep financial obligations made us reconsider such a significant commitment. We believe that by staying true to our core values, in a city we love so much, we need to remain boutique and flexible. We are passionate about [bringing] our delicious products to you and controlling the quality of everything we create.”
HOMELESSNESS
372 people facing homelessness in Multnomah Co. died in 2024; decrease from previous year
KATU
Multnomah County said 372 people facing homelessness died through 2024, marking an 18% decrease from a record high in its previous Domicile Unknown report for 2023.
Trump administration funding changes likely to make homelessness worse in 2026
The Oregonian | By Lillian Mongeau Hughes
Federal money that covers housing for about 2,300 formerly homeless people in Multnomah County would be at risk under new rules introduced by the Trump administration last month, county officials said this week.
HEALTH CARE
Another big Oregon clinic surprises patients by dropping women’s care services
The Oregonian | By Kristine de Leon
A major health provider in the mid-Willamette Valley plans to end maternity and women’s health services early next year, leaving many patients worried about where they will turn for care.
TRUMP ADMIN VS. OREGON
As Trump Escalates Assault, OHSU Says Transgender Care Program Marches On
Willamette Week | By Andrew Schwartz
OHSU president says he stands with LGBTQ+ community. As to how to proceed? He says he defers to the judgment of clinicians at the university’s transgender health program.
How Oregon pushed back against Trump
Axios | By Meira Gebel
Portland was thrust into the national spotlight once again this fall when President Trump announced plans to send National Guard troops to the city to respond to ongoing — albeit small — protests outside the local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.
We spoke with Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield about how Portlanders' response helped shaped the moment, what it signaled about confidence in government, and the ongoing court battle.
Judge to decide whether to force ICE to allow attorney access to detainees in Oregon
KATU | By Christina Giardinelli
Immigration lawyers and immigrant rights groups are asking a federal Judge to force ICE field offices in Oregon to grant attorneys access to their clients prior to out-of-state transfers.
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