In which a state representative running for governor calls for an investigation because reporters… stayed by their computers and refreshed the state’s court records website anticipating a decision.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/11/j...
BREAKING: A recently passed law that moves a citizen vote on new taxes and fees to pay for transportation to the May primary instead of the November general election does not violate the Oregon Constitution, a judge ruled Wednesday. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/11/j...
ORESTAR defaults to a search for PACs, and you have to go to the candidate filing tab to see candidates. Not all people who form PACs end up running, and candidates sometimes take a little while to form PACs.
Elected officials routinely take months to respond to records requests, use tools like disappearing Signal and Snapchat messages to evade records retention laws and often refuse to turn over messages entirely. Public records, while important, are not a replacement for open meetings.
The whole point of public meetings is that the elected officials making decisions on behalf of the rest of us debate and discuss those decisions in public, not in smoky back rooms, text threads or serial emails. Would Portlanders cheerleading secrecy feel the same if they had a GOP council majority?
As a local government reporter, I counted on information shared in work sessions to help Bend residents keep up with their government. Sharing information behind closed doors and voting with barely any discussion may be how some legislative committees work, but it’s a terrible idea to replicate.
The #orleg session is over, but our work isn't. Your support helps us continue digging deep into how policies passed in Salem affect every Oregonian, ask tough questions of powerful people and get answers through records requests.
buff.ly/QKfUTjo
Thank you! Should have double-checked that yesterday, and I’ll correct now. Hoping she makes a full recovery soon 🤞
Keizer resident Michael Welsh filed to run as a Democrat this morning.
Nearly forgotten in today’s news rush: I took over as editor in chief of the @oregoncapitalchronicle.com exactly one year ago. Working with the talented team of @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social, @miamaldonado.bsky.social and @shaanthx.bsky.social to inform you is a dream I hope continues for a long time.
I went through hundreds of #orleg and #orpol candidate filings so you don't have to. Stay tuned to the @oregoncapitalchronicle.com as we roll out an issues-focused voter guide and profiles of key races ahead of the May primary.
The legislative session was especially exhausting for Fred, who is only capable of sleeping on top of his human
For the first time in years, Oregon lawmakers in Salem’s newly-reopened Capitol streamed out of the chamber floors into the rotunda to cap the end of a short legislative session that had both Republicans and Democrats claiming victories. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/06/a...
Thankful this Thursday for living in a capital city where I can meet good friends to craft at a neighborhood bar, and that this Legislature has far fewer late nights than some others.
Senators got punchy voting on this 70-page health care bill as the sun sets in Salem. Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, asked to clarify a section of it, then several senators voted against it before switching their votes to tease the House sponsor.
olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/M...
"I don’t know why we can’t do anything simply.” — Cave Junction Republican Sen. Noah Robinson with the quote that sums up the session/year/decade/history of #orleg
The #orleg session is drawing to an end in the next few days, and our live blog is up to help you keep up with the news. Follow along here for updates from reporters @miamaldonado.bsky.social, @shaanthx.bsky.social and @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social and editor @jmshumway.bsky.social buff.ly/9UymuGV
Republican leaders of a successful petition to pause gas tax and transportation fee hikes until a citizen vote are suing the state over a new law rescheduling that vote. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/03/r...
It joins the cross-stitched cats of autumn and summer, my personal favorite because it’s closest to my unhelpful crafting assistant.
Latest finished project! My real-life cat and I didn’t get to enjoy snow again this winter, but at least this stitched calico did.
Scooplet from @shaanthx.bsky.social: House Speaker Julie Fahey sent Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Scio and a candidate for governor, a letter chiding him for accepting campaign contributions during session because of a questionably legal House rule.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/27/o...
Today in editing a tiny newsroom: I photographed a protest our intern is covering, reached the unexpected high of having multiple middle schoolers (the world’s harshest critics) tell me they liked my dress, then had another media member ask if I was also an intern.
And I say this as a former legislative relief staffer who for years considered being an AP statehouse bureau chief a dream job. Turns out the actual dream job I’m doing now just didn’t exist yet.
We can’t cover everything the AP used to, but also AP coverage of state government here has been sparse for the past decade. The news service shifted focus from serving member papers to surfacing stories for a national/international audience, and local readers paid the cost.
One of the great values of @oregoncapitalchronicle.com and other @statesnewsroom.com sites is that we now function as a state government/politics wire service. Whether Oregonians are reading a tiny weekly paper or one of the state’s largest news outlets, chances are they’ll find OCC stories.
OUT: That one guy always wearing shorts who’s way too enthusiastic about writing tickets.
IN: Unnecessarily but delightfully adorable robots who might scare away the window-smashers and reckless teens doing donuts.
The new Salem parking robots look like WALL-E and EVE had a baby and I’m only a little obsessed.
I looked at a fellow Oregon journalist's LinkedIn once several weeks ago and my web browser decided to autofill the link to their profile page every time I use the site. It's getting awkward.
How are so many politicians still so confused that they don't get to pick the reporters who cover them?
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
🧵 from our colleagues in Kansas, who were covering their Legislature’s anti-trans moves long before national outlets noticed and will keep covering it long after the national news cycle moves on.
