March 2024 - Page 3

By Oregon Public Broadcasting Aimee Kotek Wilson, the Oregon governor’s wife, will get a state-funded adviser this week as the governor considers establishing the “Office of the First Spouse” in a move some have linked to the departure of three top aides. Meliah Masiba, a staffer currently with the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, will join the governor’s office

By BEN BOTKIN/Oregon Capital Chronicle It their recently-completed legislative session, Oregon lawmakers culminated months of discussions and debate that roped in everyone from police officers to addiction specialists with a bill that sets the state on a new path to tackle drug addiction. House Bill 4002, which Gov. Tina Kotek said she’ll sign, directs local agencies to build a new

By LAUREN DRAKE/Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon state lawmakers largely aligned this legislative session when it came to housing: the state needs more. They made it easier for some cities to sidestep laborious land-use laws and expand their urban growth boundary. They created a fund for cities to allow them to make interest-free loans to local governments to finance affordable housing projects. And they took