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Oregon’s governor has effectively issued a moratorium on new data centers and data center expansions in the state by ordering environmental regulators to pause approving new state and federal air and water pollution permits for data center projects until next July.

General election ballots are being dropped into the mail Wednesday to millions of Oregon voters. But slow mail delivery means completed ballots must be in the mail by Tuesday, Oct. 27 to be counted in the Nov. 3 election, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said Tuesday. If a ballot is not in the mail by then, Read urged Oregonians to take it to a ballot drop box or county elections office.

Short-term rentals in the coastal vacation town of Dunes City, south of Florence, would be more regulated and held accountable under a proposed ordinance going before voters in November.

The vote means that Oregon is the 25th state nationwide to officially add girls flag football, a noncontact form of football that involves pulling flags from the waists of opponents.

This fall, Oregon’s 197 school districts must start tracking their progress towards goals in attendance, third grade-reading skills and four-year graduation rates as part of a plan that includes “coaching” for failing districts and potentially state control of up to 25% of state funding for those that don’t meet expectations.

Almost 12 months after Corvallis-based Samaritan Health Services said it wanted to be absorbed into Tacoma-based MultiCare, the deal has cleared its last regulatory hurdles. With the approvals, Samaritan and MultiCare officials said in a statement Tuesday that their integration would begin Nov. 1.

Fans of all things fungi are getting ready for one of the central Oregon coast’s biggest autumn events — the annual Yachats Mushroom Festival. Set to sprout Friday through Sunday at locations from downtown Yachats south to Cummins Creek, the popular festival is marking its 27th year of celebrating all things mushroom.

To the editor: I’ve known Casey Miller for years, and I trust him. He’s someone who cares about Lincoln County and the people who make this coast home. With his lawsuit now settled, I hope we can look past the noise and remember what was at stake — an elected Lincoln County commissioner being able

Two Oregon Coast Community College nursing students are this year’s recipients of the Gribler Loving Trust Nursing Education Scholarship from the Pacific Communities Health District Foundation.

Lincoln County’s first and only transit director retired Friday. Cynda Bruce’s career in public transportation spans more than three decades, beginning in 1988 as a volunteer with the Council on Aging, which ran limited transit service with funding from the county.

Aiming to make up for lost revenue from federal benefit cuts, a coalition of powerful Oregon advocacy groups have announced they will launch a signature-gathering campaign for the November 2028 election to approve a wealth tax on some of the state’s richest households while cutting taxes for low-income residents.

In a recent survey of 600 Oregonians, nearly 30% said that economic worries were their top concern, and nearly as many cited poor leadership and government mismanagement as being major issues heading into the election.

The Oregon Housing and Community Services’ benchmark for the cost of building affordable housing is that it should not exceed the national average, but for the past three years, the agency has failed to meet that standard — by a wide margin.

The city of Newport has announced plans to address high bacteria levels at its stormwater outfall at the popular Nye Beach. While encouraged by the news, the local Surfrider Foundation chapter has lingering questions on a site it has been monitoring for decades.

It’s been nearly 10 years since the Oregon Legislature approved $50 million to build two rail shipping centers in the Willamette Valley and eastern Oregon that promised to reduce truck emissions, boost agricultural exports and save farmers money. But they continue to sit mostly idle, with those promises unfulfilled.

The Medford City Council has authorized eminent domain proceedings to acquire the Loring, a former Ramada Inn that city officials say has become unsafe. Councilors also approved hiring private security to clear and secure the property.

The Waldport City Council took strides to end predatory towing practices and to see if there are appropriate uses for artificial intelligence by city staff during its monthly meeting Thursday, while also agreeing to request a timeline for completing overdue audits.

Oregon state Sen. Christine Drazan reported $1 million from the Republican Governors Association this week, a gift that will help her candidacy stay financially competitive in what is considered a close race for governor.

The city of Newport is encouraging residents, schools, businesses, community organizations – and anyone who can — to participate in this year’s Great Oregon ShakeOut earthquake drill at 10:15 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15.

Oregon’s race for governor is still extremely tight, but new polls indicate growing support for Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek. A poll by The Oregonian/OregonLive gave her a 2% lead over her challenger, state Sen. Christine Drazan, while a Kotek campaign poll suggests she has a 4% lead.