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Oregon News
2026 ELECTION
Here's what your vote on Measure 120 means for Oregon taxes and transportation
KGW | By Jamie Parfitt
This year's May primary election features just one statewide ballot measure, and it's the product of at least a year of political acrimony in Salem. Measure 120 will decide whether tax and fee hikes passed by a narrow Democratic supermajority in the Oregon Legislature to rescue transportation funding in the state can finally take effect, or if voters will reject them wholesale.
Growth, immigration are key factors in race for Washington County chair
OPB | By Holly Bartholomew
In a county that became a battleground between the Trump administration’s deportation machine and Oregon’s immigrant communities — and could become a frontline in the fight over agricultural land in the Silicon Forest — two commissioners vie for the chance to lead the county forward.
POLITICS
Oregon settles lawsuit claiming it failed to properly police voter rolls
OPB | By Dirk VanderHart
A years-old lawsuit accusing Oregon of failing to proactively remove people from the state’s voter rolls is over after state elections officials signaled they would update their practices and agreed to regularly share information with a conservative activist group.
Under a settlement finalized last week, Secretary of State Tobias Read committed to send data annually for five years to the plaintiffs of the lawsuit: the national group Judicial Watch, the Constitution Party of Oregon and two individual plaintiffs. In exchange, the parties have dropped their suit.
“We go after low-hanging fruit, and Oregon was low-hanging fruit,” Robert Popper, an attorney with Judicial Watch, told OPB. “That being said, I applaud what Tobias Read has done.”
Business leaders warn vacancy fee sends 'wrong message' as Portland reviews study on fees
KATU | By Wright Gazaway
Portland city leaders are reviewing a report on what implementing a so-called vacancy fee could look in Portland, as property owners cite the effort as a waste of time and money and one more proposal sending the wrong message about the city.
Portland has more than 1,600 affordable housing units sitting empty, city says
KGW | By Blair Best
Mayor Keith Wilson said this week that 7.4% of the city's affordable housing portfolio is sitting empty — in part due to affordable rents still being too high.
‘Watershed moment for Oregon’: State’s landmark corporate medicine law passes first major test
The Oregonian | By Kristine de Leon
A bitter courtroom battle that put corporate control of medicine under an unforgiving spotlight in Oregon ended in a tentative settlement Wednesday, short‑circuiting what could have been a landmark ruling.
Oregon senators urge DHS, Social Security Admin not to comply with Trump’s election order
KOIN 6 | By Michaela Bourgeois
A group of senators – including some from the Pacific Northwest – are calling on two more federal agencies to not comply with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order surrounding elections.
Democrats question whether feds are prepared to respond to wildfires in Oregon
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Alex Baumhardt
Oregon’s congressional Democrats on Wednesday warned that federal agencies tasked with helping prevent and fight fires in the Northwest could be understaffed and underprepared going into the 2026 fire season.
CRIME, PUBLIC SAFETY, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Serious mental illness rarely leads to violence. Oregon should do more to keep it that way, doctor says
The Oregonian | By Lillian Mongeau Hughes, Austin De Dios, Isabel Funk
First responders said it came down to luck that the undetonated devices found in the detritus of the Multnomah Athletic Club attack did not harm anyone.
‘Heartbreaking’: Missing teen’s body found after suspected fentanyl overdose
KOIN 6 | By Becca Yanez
Authorities found the body of a teenager who likely died of an overdose after the teen was reported missing in March 2026, Portland Police Bureau announced Thursday.
Multnomah County Budget Proposal Would Mean Cuts To Oregon Youth Crisis Hotline
Willamette Week | By Andrew Schwartz
A recent study found that suicide rates, particularly among youth, were lower than expected as a result of the nationwide build-out of the 988 crisis hotline system.
HEALTH CARE
Legacy Health back in Regence BlueCross network with new contract
The Oregonian | By Kristine de Leon
Legacy Health and Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon have finalized a new contract that restores in-network access for thousands of patients after weeks of uncertainty.
Oregon Health Care Association Persuades Court to Temporarily Block Release of Job Applicant Names
Willamette Week | By Nigel Jaquiss
The state planned to give SEIU 70,000 names of people who want to work as caregivers.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Ashland hospital plans hundreds of layoffs amid budget troubles
OPB / Jefferson Public Radio | By Justin Higginbottom
Asante leadership said the hospital system could face a $50 million shortfall in 2027 without major changes.
It's getting more expensive to raise a child in Oregon. Here's how much
Statesman Journal | By Ginnie Sandoval
Oregon can be a great place to raise a family, offering a mix of outdoor activities, small-town festivities and nearby coastal access.
But as the cost of living continues to rise, where does Oregon stand when it comes to the cost of raising a child?
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