Despite tragedy of wife’s death a year ago, Republican Bud Pierce of Salem presses to be Oregon governor

November 28, 2021

By PETER WONG/Oregon Capital Bureau When Selma Pierce died Dec. 1, 2020, after a car struck her while she was walking near their home in West Salem, Dr. William “Bud” Pierce took several days off before he resumed his medical practice in Salem. He was “shell-shocked” after his wife’s death, but received support from his staff and patients, “and this

Bend real estate group goes to federal court over Oregon Legislature’s ‘love letter’ ban

November 26, 2021

By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle The Oregon Legislature violated free speech rights when banned Realtors from passing so-called “love letters” from potential homebuyers to sellers, a federal lawsuit filed by a Bend real estate group contends. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Portland late last week, asks the court to block the new law from taking effect

Oregon is losing female school superintendents — and new study highlights why

November 25, 2021

The report found that Oregon lost more than 50% of its female school superintendents last year. Hiring bias and retention remain major issues. Salem-Keizer superintendent Christy Perry is seen in the reflection of a mirror in her office. Despite overseeing a teacher workforce that is overwhelmingly made up of women, just 25% of Oregon superintendents are women. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Panel of judges upholds Oregon congressional maps, dismisses gerrymandering claims

November 24, 2021

Ruling joins earlier decision that redrawn legislative maps don’t unfairly favor Democrats By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon is closer to moving ahead with its new Congressional district and new boundaries for five others after a panel of judges ruled Wednesday that work to draw the new boundaries didn’t illegally favor Democrats. Most independent analyses have Democrats winning at least

Republican legislator from Canby announces her run for Oregon governor

November 24, 2021

Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, speaks during a legislative special session on Monday, Sept. 20. By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — House Minority Leader Christine Drazan plans to run for governor, becoming the highest-profile Republican official to enter an increasingly crowded race. Drazan, a two-term state representative from Canby, plans to officially launch her campaign before the end of the

Two Samaritan clinics will close Dec. 3-5 for move to new building

November 24, 2021

NEWPORT — Samaritan Health Services’ occupational medicine clinic and walk-in clinic will close the weekend of Dec. 3-5 as they move into a newly remodeled building at 705 S.W. Coast Highway. During the move, it will be necessary to close both clinics temporarily, including: Samaritan Walk-In Clinic will close at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3 and reopen at 9 a.m.

Regional economist puts awful numbers to pandemic’s 2020 decimation of coastal tourism, but says rebound is under way

November 24, 2021

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com The state economist who focuses on the Oregon coast has come up with a number that documents the hit that the tourism industry and its workers took during the coronavirus pandemic last year. And as you might expect, it’s not pretty. The good news – it’s improving rapidly, but not fully. Spending by visitors to the

Unemployment rate in Lincoln County continues to slowly inch down

November 24, 2021

Lincoln County’s unemployment rate inched down again in October to 6.1 percent, dropping from 6.5 percent in September – and far below the 8.6 percent rate the previous year. The county’s unemployment rate was 6.9 percent in August, 7.2 percent in July and 7.7 percent in June. But the county’s unemployment rate remains much higher than October’s statewide rate of

Oregon Health Authority drops outdoor mask mandate and announces COVID-19 tests for public schools

November 23, 2021

By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle The heads of the Oregon Health Authority and the Department of Education on Tuesday announced loosened Covid-19 requirements for students and the public. Students who are vaccinated will no longer need to quarantine or be tested when exposed to someone with Covid-19, and the statewide mask mandate for large outdoor crowds has been lifted. The

Oregon coronavirus report for Tuesday, Nov. 23: 869 new cases statewide, 11 in Lincoln County

November 23, 2021

Oregon reports 869 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 51 new deaths PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 51 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,066, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today. OHA reported 869 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 386,634.