|
Americans’ optimism about future hits new low, poll finds
Associated Press
Americans’ hope for their future has fallen to a new low, according to new polling.
Oregon News
Oregon man planned to kill, behead ICE agents, use separatist outfit to start civil war, prosecutors allege
The Oregonian | By Tatum Todd
Authorities have arrested a St. Helens man, accusing him of plotting to kill ICE agents and cut off their heads.
Rayden Tanner Coleman, 18, faces charges of second-degree assault and unlawful possession and manufacture of a destructive device after he allegedly told acquaintances about his violent plans, bought an assault rifle and started making Molotov cocktails, court records show.
People who know Coleman told police he was “always a good person,” but that in the last month he’d become increasingly upset about the actions of ICE agents during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
In January, federal agents shot and killed two people in separate incidents in Minneapolis, and they shot and injured two people in Portland. This prompted Coleman to write a manifesto and launch plans to form a separatist state of “Cascadia,” prosecutors allege.
Coleman also allegedly began to assemble an arsenal, including Molotov cocktails and an assault rife, and to try to recruit people to join him.
Don't fall for scam texts about fake fines and tolls, Oregon DMV says
Statesman Journal | By Bill Poehler
The Oregon Department of Transportation is warning people of scams being sent by text message to about unpaid fines and tolls.
The scams are being sent by a fake phone number that claims to come from ODOT or Driver and Motor Vehicle Services, according to a spokesperson.
Oregon’s record snow drought could mean less water, more wildfires
Associated Press
A record snow drought with unprecedented heat is hitting Oregon, along with most of the American West, depleting future water supplies, making it more vulnerable to wildfires and hurting winter tourism and recreation.
POLITICS
Thousands submit testimony against moving vote on Oregon gas tax
Statesman Journal | By Anastasia Mason
Thousands testified in writing and in person for a Feb. 9 public hearing on a bill that would move a referendum vote on increased transportation taxes and fees from the November ballot to the May primary.
The potential move has faced heavy criticism from supporters of the referendum, including Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee. He has pointed to lower primary turnout and Democrats not wanting to be on the same ballot as reasons the bill was introduced.
Advocacy groups halt effort to enshrine abortion, transgender health care rights in Oregon Constitution
The Oregonian | By Carlos Fuentes, Jamie Goldberg
Advocacy groups that had aimed to enshrine the rights to abortion, transgender health care and same-gender marriage in the Oregon Constitution have dropped their effort to get a measure on the November ballot.
The campaign never gained enough traction.
Strip clubs on farmland? Critics assail Oregon ‘farm store’ bill
Capital Press | By Mateusz Perkowski
A bill meant to clarify legal ambiguities surrounding Oregon “farm stands” would instead create rules for “farm stores,” but it’s already under fire for being too permissive.
Oregon lawmakers debate bill allowing larger 'farm stores'
Statesman Journal | By Tracy Loew
House Bill 4153, along with two proposed amendments, also would allow temporary structures or mobile vending units in conjunction with agri-tourism. And it would ban counties from applying siting standards in a way that prohibits farm stores.
Supporters, including the Oregon Farm Bureau, say struggling farmers need to diversify to make ends meet. They argue that the current rules are too restrictive.
Oregon outdoor rec bill gets wide support but could die in committee
Statesman Journal | By Zach Urness
A bill meant to save outdoor recreation and fitness businesses in Oregon enjoyed widespread support at a hearing on Feb. 9 but may still come up short for a fourth time in the state legislature.
Here’s how much Oregon’s congressional delegation raised at the end of 2025
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Mia Maldonado
Oregon’s candidates for Congress raised nearly $3 million between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 — half a million more than they had in the previous quarter, federal campaign finance records show.
Oregon attorneys, lawmakers warn of trauma to children during ICE detentions
KGW | By Libby Dowsett
Local attorneys and lawmakers are raising concerns about the emotional toll immigration enforcement actions in the U.S. are taking on children, following recent cases involving families from the Portland metro area.
City, mayor say governor’s office never asked Salem leaders to sign immigration letter
Salem Reporter | By Joe Siess
Gov. Tina Kotek didn’t include Salem’s mayor in a recent request to sign a letter demanding the federal government temporarily pause federal immigration enforcement in the state, Mayor Julie Hoy said.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Oregon’s unemployed outnumber job openings by 2 to 1
The Oregonian | By Mike Rogoway
The number of open jobs in Oregon declined last fall to the lowest number in more than five years, another discouraging signal from the state’s declining labor market.
HOMELESSNESS
Which American city spends the most on homelessness? Spoiler: The answer is unsatisfying
The Oregonian | By Lillian Mongeau Hughes
Metro, the Portland area’s regional government, has raised $1.4 billion in tax revenue since 2020 specifically to provide homeless services in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.
That’s a ton of money. Added to all the other homelessness spending in the region – including federal, state and city funding – it equated to roughly $300 per resident in fiscal year 2024. That figure was calculated by dividing the $724 million local economics consulting firm ECONorthwest calculated was spent that year by the tri-county region’s population.
But is it the most spent on homelessness anywhere in the United States?
Probably not, said Dan O’Flaherty, a Columbia University economist who has studied homelessness interventions for 30 years. O’Flaherty thinks that honor might belong to New York City, which spent $3.9 billion on homeless services just in the past fiscal year. That means that even with its much larger population, the city spent about $464 per resident. (Again, we simply divided the total spent by the city’s population.)
| 
