By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Legislative budget writers plan to trim many state agency budgets while increasing overall spending in the next two years. Co-chairs of the legislative budget-writing committee on Thursday shared the broad strokes of their $31.6 billion spending plan for the two years beginning July 1. It starts with 2.5% reductions to […]
Oregon Capital Chronicle
The big divide over guns and violence plays out in the Oregon Legislature on Wednesday
People with the gun violence prevention group Moms Demand Action listen to testimony about firearms legislation Wednesday in the Oregon House Judiciary Committee. (Ben Botkin/Oregon Capital Chronicle) By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregon lawmakers heard civil but sometimes emotional testimony Wednesday about firearms legislation to prevent gun violence and ban untraceable or detectable […]
Kotek targets behavioral health system crisis – and plans ahead
Gov. Tina Kotek is asking the Legislature for more behavioral health funding. The money would fund programs for people who need care in other settings besides the Oregon State Hospital in Salem. (Oregon Health Authority) By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Gov. Tina Kotek is asking lawmakers to put $74.2 million into behavioral health […]
Daily Covid-19 cases double this week in Lincoln County, bringing new warnings from health officials about New Years gatherings
By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com Confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Lincoln County have doubled in the past two days and public health officials believe it is due to holiday gatherings and the arrival of the omicron variant. Lincoln County Public Health also said Thursday that two people with Covid-19 are now hospitalized locally, breaking a string […]
Oregon schools have few limits on how to use millions in unexpected federal money and state still has $1 billion for aid
Freshmen head to classes at McKay High School April 2021. Schools in Oregon have access to more than a billion in pandemic aid, yet less than 8% of it has been awarded. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle In some Oregon school districts, turf fields and lawn mowers were necessities to overcome the […]
Oregon faces short staffing and not enough customers to inject 1 million booster shots as Oregon Health Authority works to tie pieces together to guard against omicron
The Oregon Health Authority is still working out the details of its plan to get Covid-19 booster doses into the arms of 1 million more Oregonians. (Getty Images) By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon officials are still working out details on how they will get 1 million booster doses into the arms of Oregonians by […]