BY SARAH ROSS SALEM- Hundreds of citizen activists met on the steps of the state’s legislature Monday afternoon, calling for smaller government and less government spending. Between 10 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, rallies hosted by the activist groups Americans for Prosperity and Freedomworks drew a variety of participants and speakers, including [...]

BY JACOB SZETO PORTLAND- In his 2010 State of the City Address on Friday, Portland Mayor Sam Adams focused on jobs and sustainability as both his short- and long-term goals for Portland. “This year, of all my many years of public service, has been unique for its singularity; for the first time, almost everyone shares [...]

Update- This six week extension of benefits was passed on the House floor Thursday morning and passed through the Senate on Friday morning. BY SARAH ROSS SALEM- The House Committee on Business and Labor approved an extension of unemployment benefits Wednesday, passing the bill along to a later vote on the House floor. According to [...]

BY SARAH ROSS SALEM- Monday will ring in Salem’s test case for annual sessions, bringing state legislators to the state capital for the body’s Special Session. And what is on the agenda for the month-long meeting? Everything from a constitutional amendment declaring health care a right for all Oregonians, to the House Speaker’s repeal of [...]

BY SARAH ROSS SALEM- In preparation for February’s Special Session, the House Democratic Majority Office announced Thursday that recent staff changes have been made. Former Member Services Director, Amelia Porterfield has been named Legislative Director for the upcoming session, replacing Laura Terrill Patten who has taken a position with Portland State University. Katie Shriver will [...]

BY SARAH ROSS SALEM- Senate Republicans are calling for an override of Governor Ted Kulongoski’s veto of Senate Bill 897. This bill, introduced last March, passed almost unanimously in both the Senate and the House and was subsequently vetoed by Gov. Kulongoski in August. It covers a range of Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) protections, [...]

BY SARAH ROSS SALEM- From a recent press release,  Senate President Peter Courtney (D- Salem) announced his appointments of Senators Chip Shields (D- Portland) and Jeff Kruse (R-Roseburg) to the Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee for the 2010 Interim Session. The appointments of “a Portland Democrat and a Roseburg Republican”, as Courtney stated, “…will [...]

BY SARAH ROSS SALEM- The state’s unemployment situation remains bleak with 11 percent of Oregon workers out of jobs, the state reported this week. The report showed some gains in the private sector and the manufacturing sector but listed a total of 209,576 Oregonians unemployed in December, up from 173,121 unemployed in December 2008. Gov.Ted [...]

BY SARAH ROSS   VANCOUVER- One of Oregon’s transportation officials, Gail Achterman, told citizens tonight that without a toll, the Columbia River Crossing project will not be a reality. During the final meeting of the Columbia River Crossing’s Tolling Study committee, the Washington State Department of Transportation presented their findings on various tolling options for [...]