The estate of Paul Allen, which owns The Portland Trail Blazers, announced its begun a formal sales process for the NBA franchise. A post on Instagram states it was Allen’s wishes that his sports holdings eventually be sold, with all estate proceeds going to philanthropy. The sales process is expected to continue into the […]
Regional/National
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Higher Reimbursements for Primary Care Providers Would Exempt a Powerful Special Interest
Pediatricians in private practice get paid less than hospital doctors
One of the bonuses—and drawbacks—of a citizen Legislature made up of part-timers is that the lawmakers bring real-world expertise, but also their own financial interests, to Salem. Senate Bill 28 would require private insurers to pay independent primary care providers, such as pediatricians and internists, the highest rate their counterparts who work for hospitals receive—a […]
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The Gas Tax Already Hits Rural Oregonians Disproportionately. Lawmakers Want to Raise it 50%.
City motorists drive less but benefit from the gas tax’s distribution formula
Last week, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation released its long-awaited funding proposal for the Oregon Department of Transportation. The proposal, which would raise nearly $1 billion a year, includes a slew of ideas, such as higher title and registration fees, a sales tax on vehicles, a road-use charge on delivery vehicles and gradually moving […]
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ODOT’s Alternative to the Gas Tax Is Stuck in Neutral
Sen. Bruce Starr has a plan to fix that: Require electric vehicles to take part in the OReGO program
On March 25, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation discussed two related problems that could turn its future into roadkill. First, the Oregon Department of Transportation’s budget calls for spending far in excess of projected revenue. What’s more, ODOT over relies on revenue from the gas tax, which is vulnerable to inflation, greater fuel efficiency […]
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If You Want to Help Homeless People, Listen
ForJournalism reporter David Dudley offers lessons learned from his mother’s personal experience with homelessness, and shares that for those who want to help, the first step should be listening
The message arrived on a Tuesday morning, around 10:30am. It was early October 2021, and that year’s exceptionally hot weather had finally broke in St. George, Utah, where I was working. “A woman called to let you know that your mom has been evicted,” said Joseph Witham, my editor at the time. “She said your […]
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Judge Blocks Kotek’s Executive Order Requiring Union Labor for State Construction Projects
In December, the governor ordered state agencies to use union labor for construction contracts. Contractor groups objected.
Marion County Circuit Judge Thomas M. Hart issued a temporary injunction today blocking a December executive order by Gov. Tina Kotek. The December order decreed that state agencies “shall” enter into project labor agreements with labor unions for most state construction projects. Earlier this month, the Oregon-Columbia chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America […]
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New Oregon Department of Forestry Report Says PacifiCorp Wasn’t Responsible for Santiam Canyon Fire
The long-awaited report supports the utility’s version of the deadly blaze
Oregon Department of Forestry investigators have determined that the 2020 Santiam Canyon fire was not caused by downed power lines as plaintiffs’ attorneys have alleged but rather by hot embers drifting into the canyon from the nearby Beachie Creek fire. The report, released March 19 to the Oregon Journalism Project under a public records request […]
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Bill Would Create $1 Billion Fund to Aid Utilities in Paying Wildfire Victims
In a document circulated last fall, Oregon power brokers argue wildfires endanger the entire state’s economic health
After a series of low-profile meetings with Salem power brokers and utility officials, state Rep. Pam Marsh (D-Ashland) confirms to the Oregon Journalism Project that she has crafted legislation to create a $1 billion fund to help utilities pay damages to customers hurt by utility-caused wildfires. It is the second bombshell utility bill the moderate […]
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In Extraordinary Hearing, ODOT Explains Billion-Dollar Budget Blunder
The transportation agency failed to perform a basic accounting function
Agency presentations to legislative committees are typically routine affairs in which senior managers present unremarkable information to lawmakers whose committees have policy or budgetary oversight of them. Monday night’s presentation by the Oregon Department of Transportation to the Joint Committee on Transportation, however, was anything but routine, leaving one lawmaker sputtering in frustration. About one […]
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Rural Truckers Are Paying Too Much and Urban Car Owners Too Little
Highway costs are supposed to be allocated equitably — it’s not happening
A fundamental question lawmakers should ask about programs is who pays — and who benefits. Last week, the Oregon Senate Finance and Revenue Committee got the answer about who’s footing the bill for a public service that tops lawmakers’ to-do list this session: Oregon’s highways. Lawmakers are desperate to raise new money for the Oregon […]
