Should Oregon hand out free needles to drug users? A heated debate ends with a dead bill A bill that would have prevented mobile providers from distributing needles near schools and daycare centers won’t move forward.

There's a lot of disappointment over this failed bill, but also relief. My story: www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

Oregon’s ‘Hidden Homicides’ bill tries to catch domestic abusers who may have secretly committed murder Some Oregonians suspect their loved ones were murdered by abusers who staged their deaths as something else.

They believe their daughters died under suspicious circumstances or a murder staged as suicide. The sheriff reviewing two of these cases disagrees. But with no autopsies, questions remain. It's heartbreaking to hear what these families have been through. My story: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2026/0...

After streak of suicides by teen AI chatbot users, Oregon bill aims to restrict what chatbots can say or do The bill also would require the chatbots to remind people using them that the bots are not a real person.

The most eye-opening fact I learned yesterday? There are teddy bears embedded with AI technology, so they can have conversations with toddlers. Here's my story about a bill to regulate that and more. www.oregonlive.com/living/2026/...

‘A betrayal’: Southwest’s new plus size policy leaves some passengers unable to fly Some loyal customers say the airline’s new requirement that they buy an extra seat means that they can no longer fly as often or at all.

I interviewed three plus-sized passengers about how Southwest Airlines' new "customers of size" policy impacts them. My story: www.oregonlive.com/travel/2026/...

IRS tax filing season begins today. Expect confusion. Here’s what to know Millions of U.S. taxpayers will start filing returns today, which is their first chance at getting a refund.

Millions of tax returns are expected to stream into the IRS today, the first day U.S. taxpayers can file this tax season. With so many new rules, plenty of taxpayers have had and will have challenges in coming weeks filing out their tax forms. My story: www.oregonlive.com/business/202...

Have your kids watched YouTube? Deadline to claim your share of class-action settlement is days away Here’s what you need to do to get a slice of the settlement.

Given the HUGE number of children who've watched YouTube and are eligible for this settlement, who knows how much each will get. But the deadline to claim money is approaching in a few days. My story: www.oregonlive.com/business/202...

‘Snow drought’ hits Oregon as temps reach 60 degrees at Mt. Hood ski resorts. Skiers are irked Dry skies and a temperature inversion made Portland 15 degrees colder than the ski resorts on Mt. Hood.

Temps at Mt. Hood ski resorts reached an astonishing 60 degrees this week — in mid-JANUARY. Here's my story about this terrible, horrible, very bad ski season (so far) in Oregon. www.oregonlive.com/travel/2026/...

These celebrated new IRS tax breaks will save some taxpayers money. Do you qualify? Some widely talked about tax breaks will only benefit a sliver of Americans, while other changes will benefit far more people.

I've been hearing questions from readers about how likely it is that they'll be able to claim the new tax breaks in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. My story today provides answers: www.oregonlive.com/business/202...

Oregon to taxpayers: Don’t do this or you’ll have to wait an extra 2 months to get your kicker refund The Oregon Department of Revenue warned taxpayers Thursday that some old-school filers may experience long waits.

Oregon is warning taxpayers how to avoid an extra two-month delay in getting their tax refunds — including the much-celebrated kicker — this year. My story: www.oregonlive.com/business/202...

What we know: 2 people shot in Portland by Border Patrol A picture is emerging of what happened in a Portland parking lot Thursday, a day after an ICE agent in Minneapolis fatally shot a woman.

There are many conflicting details and unknowns about a Border Patrol agent shooting two people in Portland on Thursday. Here's what we know so far. My story: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2026/0...

IRS announces first day you can file your taxes in 2026, get a bigger refund Many taxpayers who are due refunds jump on filing taxes on this date.

The IRS this morning announced the opening date of tax season. Time to jump on filing, especially if you're getting a refund. My story: www.oregonlive.com/business/202...

Here’s what you need to do to get a bigger tax refund in 2026, under new IRS rules The average taxpayer might receive refunds that are $300 to $1,000 larger than last year’s.

The average U.S. taxpayer will likely receive a tax refund that's $300 to $1,000 larger than last year's, some analysts say. Here's what you need to do to get a bigger refund. My story: www.oregonlive.com/business/202...

USPS warns of postmark delays, but won’t say which parts of Oregon, U.S. will be most affected USPS postmark delays could impact Oregonians’ mail-in ballot, tax returns and other time-sensitive mail.

The U.S. Postal Service won't provide a list of post offices where customers mailing letters or packages might experience a day-long (or longer) delay in getting a postmark. This could cause problems for people mailing ballots and tax returns. My story: www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

Oregon fertility clinic inseminated woman with wrong sperm, $17M lawsuit alleges A wife, husband and their now-adult child say the mistake happened 44 years ago, but they only found out in recent years.

This is the second lawsuit that I've found that alleges a sperm mix-up at OHSU. In each case, a woman thought she was being inseminated with her husband's sperm. My story: www.oregonlive.com/health/2025/...

‘Are you responsible for your own mistakes?’ Some lawmakers say it’s too easy to sue in Oregon A coalition of Oregon legislators wants to raise the legal bar for lawsuits against ski resorts, rock climbing gyms, outdoor expedition companies and the like.

With Oregon's ski industry starting to say it is one large lawsuit away from collapse, I looked into the intense debate over how to solve this problem — or perceived problem, depending on your perspective. My story: www.oregonlive.com/pacific-nort...

Not everything in Oregon is getting pricier. Here’s what costs more and what doesn’t in 2025 While Oregonians forked over more cash for most goods and services in 2025, there were a few surprises, including for Portland renters.

It was illuminating to step back and look at what got more expensive in 2025. I found a few things, however, that didn't. My story: www.oregonlive.com/retail/2025/...

$224 for a lift ticket in Oregon? Where prices are rising or staying put, as ski resorts absorb insurance hikes The Oregonian/OregonLive compared last season’s prices to this year’s at the state’s 7 largest ski resorts.

I used the Wayback Machine and other information I could scour from the internet to compare how prices are increasing at Oregon's ski resorts this upcoming ski season. My story: www.oregonlive.com/pacific-nort...

Map shows where Oregon kids will get $250 gift from billionaires A billionaire couple from Texas made a splashy announcement this week that will benefit most U.S. children, including in Oregon.

My colleague and I mapped out 431 ZIP codes in Oregon to see where Oregon kids will be eligible for a $250 gift from tech billionaires Michael and Susan Dell. Hint: It's nearly every ZIP code in the state. Here's our map and story:

www.oregonlive.com/news/2025/12...

‘Nearly all’ AT&T customers could be eligible for a massive settlement. Are you? Deadline to claim cash nears A deadline is near for current and former customers to claim cash.

Though we don't know how much each AT&T customer will receive, a deadline is nearing for current and former customers to stake their claim in a $177 million settlement. My story today: www.oregonlive.com/business/202...

From salted duck eggs to durian ice cream: This Portland-area Costco caters to its Asian customer base The high share of customers of Asian heritage supports a diverse mix of food choices at this grocery in the heart of Washington County.

Earlier this year, when I walked into this Costco in Washington County for the first time in years, I noticed a striking difference from the other Portland-area Costcos I'd been to. There was far more Asian food. Here's my story that came from that: www.oregonlive.com/retail/2025/...

Oregon critics say new U.S. law will ‘wipe out 95% to 99%’ of hemp industry, take CBD gummies and oils off shelves Proponents say the new law will keep dangerous, candy-like THC products out of the hands of kids.

Oregon's hemp industry is reeling after passage of federal law with new restrictions on hemp-derived CBD gummies, oils and other products. My story: www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

Trump misleadingly said Walmart’s Thanksgiving meal is cheaper this year. Here’s what it costs at other Portland area stores Portland-area grocers are fighting inflation and tariffs, just like stores nationwide.

Trump says Thanksgiving groceries are much cheaper this year compared to last. I dug into 2024 prices vs. 2025 prices at area grocery stores, not just Walmart. My story: www.oregonlive.com/retail/2025/...

Feds told Oregon grocers they couldn’t offer 10% off to SNAP recipients, so they got creative The honor system is in place at three Oregon stores, now offering discounts to all who need it.

After federal rules nixed their plans to offer food-insecure people a discount, I found three Oregon grocery stores that are using the honor system to help SNAP recipients. My story today: www.oregonlive.com/business/202...

Trump administration keeps saying there are riots at Portland’s ICE building, but last one was 4 months ago Just two people have been charged with rioting, and that was back in June.

My story today: www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

What would troops do in Portland? Would they have guns? Accompany ICE agents on raids? After an appeals court removed a roadblock to troops arriving in Portland, many residents are anxious about what troops would do once here.

With the possible arrival of troops in Portland in the imminent future, many area residents are wondering what that would look like. The feds aren't answering questions. Here's what I've been able to find from other sources: www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

TriMet video shows MAX train closing on passenger’s coat seconds before train drags him, leads to his death TriMet fought the public release of the video, but the Multnomah County DA’s Office ruled portions of it must be made public.

After TriMet declined to release video of a MAX train passenger whose coat got caught in the doors and who then was dragged by the train, I appealed to the DA. The DA ruled the portions of the video were of public safety interest and must be released. My story:
www.oregonlive.com/commuting/20...

Portland protests 2025 vs 2020: Trump conflates the 2, but facts show no comparison Trump believes Portland has been “War ravaged” for years. Here’s a look at that history.

My stories today: A look at Portland's massive 2020 protests compared to the ongoing protests outside the ICE facility in 2025. And an interview with Multnomah County DA Nathan Vasquez. www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

Test ride an e-bike. Eat food cooked on an induction stovetop. ‘Electrify Portland!’ fair is Saturday The fair will give visitors a chance to learn about how to leave gas-powered appliances and devices behind — and possibly save some money.

If you've ever wanted to test ride an e-bike or if you just want some free ice cream, there's this option for your Saturday in Portland:
www.oregonlive.com/environment/...

Are you automatically due a $51 payout from Amazon’s massive Prime settlement? Or do you need to file a claim? Amazon must pay $1.5 billion to millions of customers the government says it tricked into signing up for Prime memberships.

Court documents in Amazon's settlement with the FTC reveal just how much money Prime members might get paid and how they can get their share. My story: www.oregonlive.com/retail/2025/...

$3,000, 12 hours, 3 flights, 1 rental car: What Oregon superfans will endure to see big game at Penn State Ducks superfans travel longer and harder now that UO is playing Midwest and East Coast universities.

I didn't wake at 3:30 a.m. today to head to the airport and catch a flight to Pennsylvania. But some Ducks fans did. Many more will in the next 36 hours. Here's my story about the extra effort it takes to get from the West Coast to this Saturday's Penn State game:
www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2025/0...