A bald eagle shot with a pellet gun in West Linn last year. (Photo by Adrienne Wilson, courtesy of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife) A new fund will reward tipsters for information on poached or stolen nongame animals, such as raptors, which can’t be hunted. Until now, callers to[Read More…]

The Grand Staircase at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande in 1949. (Photo courtesy of Eastern Oregon University) In the early 1930s, when Eastern Oregon University was exclusively a teacher training college, students walked up the five-tiered Grand Staircase to campus. The steps, built in the Italian Renaissance Revival style,[Read More…]

Wildfire in 2020 left damage all throughout the Santiam Canyon east of Salem. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, joined in a recent call for federal agencies to activate a Congressionally mandated committee to address wildfires, saying the Biden administration was tardy. Bentz and 10 other U.S. representatives[Read More…]

Juan Rodriguez, Oregon Food Bank warehouse specialist, delivers pallets of food to the Nyssa Food Pantry. (The Enterprise/FILE) Oregonians and some state agencies are grappling with soaring food costs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, retail food prices have jumped 8.6% in a year, including a 1% uptick[Read More…]

A gas station in Portland, where a gallon of regular inched towards $5. In several states, legislators are trying to suspend gas taxes to lower prices. (Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Oregon won’t join other states in considering a pause to state gas taxes, for now, according to Charles Boyle, deputy[Read More…]

A map shows a broad expanse of southeast Oregon where the dearth of light pollution makes dark, star-lit night sky possible. The bright splotches show the relative brightness detected in and around population centers. (International Dark Sky Association) Known for its fertile fields, vast rangelands and rugged scenery, Malheur County[Read More…]

Candidates watch on the Oregon House floor as Secretary of State Shemia Fagan prepares to announce the end of filing for the 2022 primary election. (Ron Cooper/Oregon Capital Chronicle) SALEM – As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, 390 candidates filed to get on primary ballots for state or district races, with[Read More…]

Plans for a massive solar installation in Oregon’s desert has cleared another hurdle. The $500 million project would be built near Christmas Valley. The largest solar energy facility planned in Oregon got its final greenlight for construction last week. The approval follows years of legal battles mounted by area farmers[Read More…]

SALEM – With a final flurry of votes and speeches, Oregon legislators ended their 2022 session just before noon on Friday. Depending on whether Gov. Kate Brown signs all of the bills sent her way — she told reporters Friday she’s reviewing everything carefully but isn’t planning any vetoes —[Read More…]

Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, said legislators should closely monitor how the new overtime requirement unfolds. (Ron Cooper/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Oregon is headed towards becoming the eighth state to mandate overtime pay for farmworkers. The pay bill passed its final legislative hurdle on Thursday and heads to Gov. Kate Brown,[Read More…]