Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project
Posted inRegional/National

A Call for State Sen. President to Resign

Friction inside the Senate Democratic caucus erupts as lawmakers prepare for special session.
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

State Sen. Mark Meek (D-Gladstone) has not cooled down since the 2025 legislative session ended June 27. Toward the end of the session, Meek, who chairs the Senate Finance and Revenue Committee and sat on the Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment, announced he would vote against House Bill 2025, an Oregon Department of Transportation funding […]

Posted inLocal News

Drazan Tests Waters for 2026 Run

Signs indicate she is considering a rematch against Gov. Tina Kotek next year.
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

House Minority Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) disclosed a $55,000 expenditure to the Virginia polling firm Public Opinion Strategies on Aug. 10. That’s the clearest sign yet that Drazan is considering a rematch against Gov. Tina Kotek next year.  Kotek, a Democrat, defeated Drazan 46.96% to 43.54% in 2022, with nonaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson taking 8.63% […]

Posted inNews

Ballot Initiative Seeks to Repeal New Permit Fees on Paddleboards & Kayaks

A new law levies fees on human-powered vessels to raise money to fight invasive species
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

A trio of petitioners aims to repeal a new law that would require paddle-boarders and flatwater kayakers to pay state permit fees starting in January. “I think it goes against our constitutional rights,” says Angela Epperson, a Hermiston resident who enjoys kayaking on the Columbia and Umatilla Rivers. “I just think they’ve gone too far.” In […]

Posted inNews

OBRC Says Big Layoffs at Glass Plant Will Not Imperil Bottle Bill

Despite a partial shutdown, Owens Brockway will continue taking Oregon’s glass for recycling.
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

Owens Brockway, the glass company that operates a recycling and manufacturing facility in Northeast Portland, announced this morning it will lay off 90 workers and close its bottle manufacturing line.  That’s bad news for the state’s wobbly economy and tough for a company that is crucial to Oregon’s iconic Bottle Bill. (Owens Brockway is part […]

Posted inNews

Kevin Mannix Files Ballot Initiative to End Estate Tax

Legislators have tried and failed to raise Oregon’s threshold, the lowest in the nation.
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

After another session in which some lawmakers tried again—and failed again—to raise the $1 million threshold at which Oregon’s estate tax kicks in, state Rep. Kevin Mannix (R-Salem) and co-petitioner Michelle Mhoon have filed a ballot initiative to do away with the tax completely. Initiative Petition 51, the “End the Death Tax Act,” would do […]

Posted inNews

As Kotek Scrambles to Save ODOT Union Jobs, Here Are Positions Being Cut and Vacated

The layoffs are slated for the end of July. ODOT would also erase vacant positions.
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

ODOT cut 22 jobs in Deschutes County including Transportation Maintenance Specialist, Professional Engineer, and Heavy Equipment Technicians to name a few. Read more about it below: As Gov. Tina Kotek works the phones in an effort to stave off hundreds of layoffs at the Oregon Department of Transportation July 31, the lists of proposed layoffs […]

Posted inBusiness

Big Pink Has a New Owner

Auto dealer Jeff Swickard places a big bet on Portland—and Oregon’s—future.
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

Jeff Swickard is betting that better days are ahead for Portland—and, by extension, Oregon. Swickard, 53, the founder and CEO of Swickard Auto Group, a large chain of car dealerships, closed on the purchase of the U.S. Bancorp Tower (also known as “Big Pink”) earlier this week in an all-cash offer, he said today. Swickard […]

Posted inBusiness

New Lawsuit Says Oregon’s Closed Primaries Violate the Constitution

The challenge comes as more Oregonians than ever are excluded from primary contests that decide many general elections.
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

A new lawsuit seeks to break the stranglehold Oregon’s two major political primaries have on legislative and statewide elections. The nonprofit Our Primary Voices and one of its members, Mark Porter, a resident of Clackamas County, filed the lawsuit on June 25 in Marion County Circuit Court against the state and the state’s top elections official, […]

Posted inNews

ODOT Layoffs Will Hit Key Democratic Constituency

SEIU represents half of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s nearly 5,000 employees.
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

To better understand the high stakes of the final days of the 2025 legislative session, it’s useful to consider one fact that was largely absent from the debate over House Bill 2025, the multibillion-dollar transportation funding measure that failed in numerous incarnations: The biggest immediate loser will be the members of Service Employees International Union […]

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