Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries has reversed an earlier finding that the Port of Newport should pay prevailing wages for the removal and disposal of derelict boats from port waters. “On December 11, 2025, BOLI issued a determination that the prevailing wage rate (PWR) laws would apply to the project. The purpose of […]

In addition to a host of other legal challenges, Dr. Robert Pamplin Jr. now faces a demand from the Oregon Department of State Lands to pay $13.9 million for his neglect of one of Oregon’s iconic rivers. The state notified Pamplin of that hefty tab in an 18-page letter on Feb. 19. It described a […]

One of the most contentious issues in the current legislative session revolves around an issue called “bonus depreciation.” It’s a tax break that business groups hope could spur purchases of everything from tractors and commercial fishing boats to high-tech machinery and new housing. To progressive groups, it’s a giveaway to businesses that were going to […]

Oregon lawmakers are currently wrestling in Salem with federal cuts for health care and food assistance programs. At the same time, some legislators are also trying to expand retirement benefits for some public employees. Senate Bill 1569 would significantly boost benefits for juvenile court counselors, police fingerprint technicians, deputy attorneys general doing criminal work, and […]

When the Oregon Legislature convenes for the 2026 session on Feb. 2, the Senate’s No. 2 leader on housing and development will introduce legislation to make small but significant changes to Oregon’s prevailing wage laws. Sen. Dick Anderson (R-Lincoln City) says he has seen builders in his coastal district and across the state struggle with […]

A 90-year-old legal opinion could jeopardize Gov. Tina Kotek’s desire to repeal House Bill 3991, the controversial Oregon Department of Transportation funding package she backed and lawmakers passed in a September special session. The opinion, dated Nov. 13, 1935, is about a bill lawmakers passed that year related to student fees at Oregon colleges. Before the […]

At a Dec. 15 public hearing on the Interstate Bridge Replacement project, government employees who have been working for years to replace the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River told a bistate committee of lawmakers they did not have new cost estimates for the project. Project staffers first said back in January 2024 they planned […]

At politically oriented holiday parties all over the state, the hot topic is what Democrats will do in the face of a remarkably successful Republican effort to refer a gas tax increase to the November 2026 ballot that lawmakers passed in September. The option that’s getting the most serious consideration, according to numerous Democrats speaking […]

Phil Knight has broken his own record for political spending. The 87-year-old Nike co-founder wrote a $3 million check to the Bring Balance to Salem PAC on Oct. 22, according to a new filing with the Oregon Secretary of State. Bring Balance was formed in 2021. The PAC spent nearly $5 million in 2022 and […]