Latest Oregon state government News
Decision not to redo death penalty law met with anger, joy
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Republican lawmakers were left fuming and justice reform advocates elated after Oregon's governor decided against calling a special session of the Legislature to have lawmakers review a new law narrowing death penalty cases. Despite assurances by Democratic lawmakers during the 2019...
Oregon sees push for strictest gun storage law in US
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Carol Manstrom says she lost her 18-year-old son when he grabbed his father's unsecured pistol and shot himself. Paul Kemp lost his brother-in-law when a man opened fire with a stolen AR-15 assault-style rifle at a shopping mall. On Wednesday, Manstrom and Kemp helped deliver 2,000...
Oregon Governor: No special session on death-penalty law
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown says she will not call a special session of the Legislature because of questions raised about whether a new law which narrows death penalty cases is retroactive. Brown said Wednesday that while it's clear there's a misunderstanding regarding the intent of the words...
Editorials from around Oregon
Selected editorials from Oregon newspapers: ___ The Medford Mail Tribune, Sept. 18, on federal financial support: Rural counties in Western states have fought for years to receive reasonable compensation for the vast swaths of federal land within their borders. Members of Congress spend considerable time...
Governor's lawyer declines court nod amid uproar
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown's general counsel declined an appointment to the Court of Appeals after the state's public records advocate accused him of unethical behavior, a situation Brown said she deeply regretted and took responsibility for on Tuesday. Public Records Advocate Ginger McCall...
Teen murder sentences: Oregon asks high court to step in
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Department of Justice is taking the Salem case of twin brothers sentenced as teenagers to almost 67 years in prison to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Statesman Journal reports that Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is asking the highest court to review and place a hold on...
Rep. Wilson says he's out as GOP House minority leader
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Oregon House Minority Leader Carl Wilson says he's been deposed as leader of the House Republican caucus and he's not going to seek re-election in 2020. Wilson, a Republican from Grants Pass, said he lost a battle over leadership of the GOP caucus to Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby,...
State inspections of funeral homes fall short in Oregon
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon mortuaries and crematories are supposed to be inspected by state regulators at least every two years. State law requires it. But Oregon doesn't come close. Oregon has nearly 200 mortuaries, 66 crematoriums and more than 400 operating cemeteries. But only about 10 percent of...
In Oregon, the 2020 election season is officially underway
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — In Oregon, the 2020 election season is officially underway. Thursday marked the first day for major party or nonpartisan candidates to file declarations of candidacy with the secretary of state's office. One of the top state races is for secretary of state, the second-highest statewide...
Resignation of Oregon public records advocate stirs doubts
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown came to office pledging greater government transparency, and in 2017 pushed the Legislature to create a first-ever public records advocate. Now, the abrupt resignation of advocate Ginger McCall, who accused Brown's general counsel of undue influence and unethical...
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