Oregon snowpack jumps to 172% of normal, best since 2008 — which could delay wildfire season

April 5, 2023

By ZACH URNESS/Salem Statesman Journal Oregon’s mountain snowpack ballooned to its highest levels since 2008 after a blizzard slammed the Cascade Range with 20 to 30 inches of snow last weekend. The state’s snowpack reached 172% of normal on Tuesday, a metric that takes into account how this year’s snow stacks up against the last 30 years. In the Willamette

Oregon Senate committee passes out gun legislation Tuesday on 3-2 vote

April 5, 2023

By PETER WONG/Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — An Oregon Senate committee has inserted the provisions of a voter-approved measure for gun regulation – a measure that is tied up in court – into pending legislation. The Senate Judiciary Committee, on a 3-2 vote Tuesday, April 4, sent the amended Senate Bill 348 to the Legislature’s joint budget committee. The bill

5 Questions and A Secret: Green Salmon coffee roaster Adrian Beatty

April 5, 2023

By JORDAN ESSOE/YachatsNews.com In the summertime, when tourist traffic is at its peak, Adrian Beatty sometimes shows up to work at the Green Salmon Coffee Company as early as midnight to roast coffee beans. Alone, hour after hour, batch after batch, his smokestack fills the night streets of Yachats with the beguiling, caramelized aroma that many residents have grown

Skeleton found by citizen determined to be that of missing Toledo man

April 4, 2023

On 03/24/2023, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to a remote area off the 1000 Line Rd outside of Toledo after a citizen reported finding bones consistent with a human skeleton. The area the bones were located in is steep, brushy and heavily forested, leading the Sheriff’s Office to call out its volunteer-based Search and Rescue Team to safely access

Oregon Senate passes 2025 ban of foam containers for prepared food; now goes to House

April 4, 2023

The Oregon Senate on Monday passed a bill that would ban prepared food vendors from using foam containers that can take centuries to decompose. (Amanda Loman/Oregon Capital Chronicle) By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — The Oregon Senate on Monday passed a bill that would ban prepared food venders from using foam containers, which take centuries to decompose. Senate Bill

Kotek announces that Oregon will end travel reimbursements for remote state employees

April 4, 2023

By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregon will stop reimbursing remote state employees this fall for traveling to their offices, Gov. Tina Kotek announced Monday. Reimbursements will stop on Sept. 1, though employees will still be allowed to work remotely – even from other states. Lawmakers have taken aim at the practice after learning through news coverage that some senior managers

Researchers will give first ocean hypoxia report April 14 in Newport

April 4, 2023

NEWPORT – Two years ago, the Oregon Legislature allocated $1.9 million to fund research to help understand the changing ocean. On Friday, April 14 the public can hear about research progress and findings funded by House Bill 3114 at a free event at the Hatfield Marine Science Center auditorium, 2030 S.E. Marine Science Drive. The first Oregon ocean acidification and

Ocean researchers in Newport find that upwelling, heat waves are biggest factors in whale entanglement in crab gear

April 4, 2023

By SEAN NEALON/OSU News Service NEWPORT – New research by an Oregon State University-led team is beginning to unravel the times of year and locations where whales are at greatest danger of entanglement in fishing gear on the Oregon Coast. “We’ve been able to geographically locate some areas where the risk of entanglement for whales is higher,” said Solene

Oregon starts review of 1.5 million people on Medicaid to determine who qualifies for free coverage

April 3, 2023

By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle The Oregon Health Authority starts a months-long review of the state’s 1.5 million Medicaid members this week to determine who still qualifies for the health insurance. Normally, states review the financial eligibility of members annually, but during the pandemic, the federal government expanded benefits to states that kept members insured. Medicaid, known as the Oregon

Amid a judicial crisis, Oregon lawmakers consider reshaping public defender system

April 3, 2023

A legislative proposal would boost rates and put some public defenders on state staff to bolster their ranks. More are sorely needed to represent hundreds of people facing criminal charges who can’t afford a lawyer. (Getty Images) By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregon lawmakers are working on a plan to address the state’s dire need for public defenders