By GARY A. WARNER/Oregon Capital Bureau Nicholas Kristof’s relationships formed over decades as a journalist are showing up in a strong wave of “red letter” giving to his campaign for governor of Oregon. The Oregon Secretary of State website lists campaign contributions from outside Oregon in all-red lettering. It’s an intentional highlight to make the […]
Archives for November 2021
Amid staff shortages, some Oregon students with disabilities may be getting short shrift
Special education teachers have been particularly hard to find this year, causing reduced class offerings and school days that could be a violation of students’ civil rights. (Malheur Enterprise/Rachel Parsons) By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle In a recent Senate Education Committee meeting dominated by conversations around school staff shortages, state Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis, […]
Roving sea lion wanders through streets of Lincoln City, refuses fish, returns to ocean
LINCOLN CITY — Lincoln City residents had an extra guest for Thanksgiving weekend: a sea lion who spent Friday evening wandering a residential part of town. The sea lion came out of the Siletz River onto Southeast 51st Street, according to Lincoln City police, who arrived on the scene and set up a barrier around […]
Despite tragedy of wife’s death a year ago, Republican Bud Pierce of Salem presses to be Oregon governor
By PETER WONG/Oregon Capital Bureau When Selma Pierce died Dec. 1, 2020, after a car struck her while she was walking near their home in West Salem, Dr. William “Bud” Pierce took several days off before he resumed his medical practice in Salem. He was “shell-shocked” after his wife’s death, but received support from his […]
Bend real estate group goes to federal court over Oregon Legislature’s ‘love letter’ ban
By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle The Oregon Legislature violated free speech rights when banned Realtors from passing so-called “love letters” from potential homebuyers to sellers, a federal lawsuit filed by a Bend real estate group contends. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Portland late last week, asks the court to block the […]
Oregon is losing female school superintendents — and new study highlights why
The report found that Oregon lost more than 50% of its female school superintendents last year. Hiring bias and retention remain major issues. Salem-Keizer superintendent Christy Perry is seen in the reflection of a mirror in her office. Despite overseeing a teacher workforce that is overwhelmingly made up of women, just 25% of Oregon superintendents […]
Panel of judges upholds Oregon congressional maps, dismisses gerrymandering claims
Ruling joins earlier decision that redrawn legislative maps don’t unfairly favor Democrats By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon is closer to moving ahead with its new Congressional district and new boundaries for five others after a panel of judges ruled Wednesday that work to draw the new boundaries didn’t illegally favor Democrats. Most independent analyses […]
Republican legislator from Canby announces her run for Oregon governor
Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, speaks during a legislative special session on Monday, Sept. 20. By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — House Minority Leader Christine Drazan plans to run for governor, becoming the highest-profile Republican official to enter an increasingly crowded race. Drazan, a two-term state representative from Canby, plans to officially launch her campaign […]
Two Samaritan clinics will close Dec. 3-5 for move to new building
NEWPORT — Samaritan Health Services’ occupational medicine clinic and walk-in clinic will close the weekend of Dec. 3-5 as they move into a newly remodeled building at 705 S.W. Coast Highway. During the move, it will be necessary to close both clinics temporarily, including: Samaritan Walk-In Clinic will close at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3 […]
Regional economist puts awful numbers to pandemic’s 2020 decimation of coastal tourism, but says rebound is under way
By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The state economist who focuses on the Oregon coast has come up with a number that documents the hit that the tourism industry and its workers took during the coronavirus pandemic last year. And as you might expect, it’s not pretty. The good news – it’s improving rapidly, but not fully. […]