By KLCC NEWS EUGENE — Experts say a wolverine spotted in south Eugene on Thursday is likely the same animal that’s been sighted in Florence, Newport, and other communities along the coast. Beth Quillian, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said officials suspect the wolverine is from Mount Adams. She said it’s likely young, […]
Oregon News
Activists protest in trees, file lawsuit in court to block logging on BLM land in southern Oregon
An activist from Pacific Northwest Forest Defense protests the cutting of old-growth in BLM forests near Grants Pass by occupying a several-hundred-year old Douglas fir tree. (Courtesy of Pacific Northwest Forest Defense) By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle A coalition of environmental groups and regional activists are attempting to stop the U.S. Bureau of Land Management […]
Gov. Kotek will seek opinion from Oregon Ethics Commission on role of first spouse
By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle Gov. Tina Kotek on Wednesday said she will seek guidance from the state’s government ethics watchdog about what is appropriate for the role of the first spouse in the governor’s office. Kotek made the disclosure to reporters after a ceremonial bill signing for House Bill 4024, a campaign finance reform bill […]
Oregon governor signs sweeping drug addiction proposal into law — but says careful coordination needed
By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Gov. Tina Kotek made it official Monday — signing into law the sweeping measure the Oregon Legislature passed to combat the state’s fentanyl drug addiction and overdose crisis. Kotek previously had said she would sign House Bill 4002, which was a centerpiece proposal of the short session. The law […]
Oregon Public Broadcasting employees ask management to recognize their new union
By Jefferson Public Radio Reporters at Oregon Public Broadcasting have covered labor organizing in businesses from donut shops to strip clubs in recent years. Now it’s their newsroom doing the organizing. Workers at Portland-based OPB and KMHD Jazz Radio have joined the Screen Actors Guild -American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. In a press release, […]
Southern Oregon health care insurer urges state lawmakers to address homelessness crisis in rural areas
By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle A Medicaid insurer released a report this week on homelessness in southern Oregon that exposes the roots of the problem in rural communities. Based on its findings, AllCare is urging Oregon lawmakers to ease zoning restrictions so that it’s easier for rural communities with fewer than 10,000 people to build […]
PeaceHealth gets state’s OK to build $72 million rehab hospital in Springfield
By TIFFANY ECKERT/KLCC News SPRINGFIELD — PeaceHealth has received the green light from the Oregon Health Authority to construct a 67,000-square foot rehabilitation hospital in Springfield. The facility will include the region’s first brain injury unit. The new inpatient rehab hospital will provide physical, speech and occupational therapies for people who’ve experienced a catastrophic medical […]
Conservation group says it plans to sue Forest Service for endangering coastal martens in dune areas
By NATHAN WILK/KLCC News A conservation group says it’s going to sue the U.S. Forest Service for failing to protect a rare and endangered species in Oregon. There are fewer than 400 coastal martens in the wild, according to estimates from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The small, weasel-like animal was federally recognized as a threatened species in […]
Small Clatsop County school district School sues state in attempt to undo forest habitat conservation plan
By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle One of the smallest school districts in Oregon is suing the state in an attempt to send a landmark forest habitat conservation plan back to the drawing board. On behalf of the Jewell School District in the heart of the Clatsop State Forest in northwest Oregon, a Portland law firm filed the […]
Kotek’s wife gets aide, office space as governor considers creating ‘Office of the First Spouse’
By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Gov. Tina Kotek is hiring a temporary aide to assist her wife, Aimee Kotek Wilson, as the governor considers expanding Kotek Wilson’s role and creating a new “Office of the First Spouse.” Kotek spokeswoman Elisabeth Shepard confirmed that Meliah Masiba, the legislative director for the Department of Administrative […]