January 2024 - Page 8

By GRANT STRINGER/Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon’s tax system favors the wealthy but not as much as most other states, according to a new national analysis. The Washington, D.C.-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that Oregon’s tax system, including property taxes, is one of the least regressive in the country, ranking 42 among all 50 states and the District

By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, said Wednesday he’ll back former President Donald Trump’s campaign for president. Trump leads the small pack of candidates vying for the Republican nomination, which will be decided in state primaries between January and June. Oregon’s primary will be held May 21, and the Oregon Supreme Court is weighing a challenge to

By DIRK VANDERHART/Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon lawmakers are considering introducing a bill to make possession of small amounts of drugs a low-level crime in the state, a move that would weaken a major piece of 2020′s ballot measure 110. As the Legislature prepares to convene Feb. 5, two Democrats with a central role in the state’s response to the addiction

 Fighting wildfires has grown significantly more expensive in the last few years, and the state’s general fund has absorbed much of the excess cost, along with landowners who’ve seen their fees to the forestry department rise. (Oregon Department of Forestry) By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Timber companies appear to have played an influential role in a new legislative

 First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson, left, and Gov. Tina Kotek listen to Kris McAlister, executive director of the homelessness nonprofit Carry It Forward, in Cottage Grove on Dec. 14.  By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle COTTAGE GROVE – Tina Kotek peered into a metal microshelter on a brisk December afternoon, turning with a question to Kris McAlister, executive director of the