Lawmakers Hamstrung in Overseeing Travel Oregon’s Spending
Gov. Tina Kotek avoids saying the agency needs more oversight.
By James Neff
May 30, 2025
New Oregon Department of Forestry Report Says PacifiCorp Wasn’t Responsible for Santiam Canyon Fire
3/19/2025 - The long-awaited report supports the utility’s version of the deadly blaze.
3/12/2025 - Letter submitted by Megan Hill, Senior Manager of Environmental Science, PGE.
Bill Would Create $1 Billion Fund to Aid Utilities in Paying Wildfire Victims
3/1/2025 - In a document circulated last fall, Oregon power brokers argue wildfires endanger the entire state’s economic health.
Kotek’s Gift to Trade Unions Contradicts Her Own Agency’s Analysis
1/29/2025 - The Oregon Department of Transportation found that it will be costly and disproportionately hit rural Oregon.
1/8/2025 - Oregon’s new electric truck rule is disrupting the state’s transportation industry.
12/18/2024 - People who love an iconic Oregon river say an electric utility is harming it.
2/5/2025 - PacifiCorp was grossly negligent in Oregon’s 2020 wildfires. Now it’s asking lawmakers for protection.
1/15/2025 - Dr. Robert Pamplin concedes he raided his employees’ pension fund. Properties all over Oregon will now be sold so he can pay back tens of millions of dollars.
1/22/2025 - Raymond Parenteau built a fortune from one of the fastest-growing government programs in Oregon.
2/12/2025 - Letter submitted by Erin Isselmann, Vice President Communications, PacifiCorp.
The State’s Largest Union Wants to Assist Caregivers—and Grow Its Own Ranks
3/5/2025 - Senate Bill 1138 would create a board to oversee working conditions in the direct care industry and give that board extraordinary authority.
The State Failed to Set Aside Sufficient Money to Cover Legal Liabilities Even as Risks Increased
3/26/2025 - Self insurance requires state agencies to kick money into the state risk pool. They haven’t done enough.
Are Oregon’s Top Democrats More Interested in Housing the Poor or Helping Their Campaign Donors?
4/2/2025 - Examples in Astoria point to a state government that says it wants more affordable housing but places costly roadblocks in the way.
The Oregon GOP’s New Chairman Brings Some Baggage to His Role
4/9/2025 - Court records provide details from a long-running divorce and custody case that raise questions about Gerald “Jerry” Cummings.
The Gas Tax Already Hits Rural Oregonians Disproportionately. Lawmakers Want to Raise it 50%
4/9/2025 - City motorists drive less but benefit from the gas tax’s distribution formula.
Oregon GOP Chairman Resigns After Oregon Journalism Project Report About His Past
4/9/2025 - Jerry Cummings won election to lead his party in February.
4/22/2025 - He has a plan to stop Oregon from burning. Think Moneyball for forests.
State Policy Stands in the Way of a Major Housing Expansion on the Eugene Waterfront
5/14/2025 - Developers aligned with the city of Eugene are challenging a state ruling that threatens their plan to transform an industrial property into 1,300 units of new housing.
Longtime Travel Oregon CEO Steps Down Amid Oregon Journalism Project Investigation
5/22/2025 - Todd Davidson led the lodging tax-funded agency since 1996.
5/24/2025 - But nobody’s minding the state agency that promotes Oregon tourism.
Trump’s New Tax Bill Could Penalize Oregon for Providing Health Care to All Undocumented Immigrants
5/28/2025 - Oregon was the first to provide such coverage and remains the most committed. Hard decisions loom.
Haines, Oregon