The U.S. Post Office in Gates was destroyed in the wildfires of 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Oregon will receive more than $422 million from the federal government for rebuilding from the 2020 wildfires that were among the worst in state history. The money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing[Read More…]
Tag: AROUND OREGON
Oregon economic forecast: Higher wages drive state revenue, workers feel inflation
SALEM – Higher wages are driving up Oregon’s projected tax revenue, but most middle-class workers won’t feel the benefits of larger paychecks over the next year because of inflation, state economists said Wednesday. A quarterly economic forecast from the state Department of Administrative Services predicted that Oregon will recover from[Read More…]
Community college enrollments in Oregon begin to stabilize, but decade of decline worrying
Chemeketa Community College in Salem has seen enrollment decline by more than 40 percent during the last decade. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Oregon’s 17 community colleges have managed to slow steep pandemic drops in enrollment according to figures released Friday but their future is uncertain. Last year, the total student headcount[Read More…]
School staffing issues in Oregon called ‘real, emergency situation’
Julie Cleve, a reading specialist at Hallman Elementary School, helps studets learn about length and measurement. At a Senate Education Committee meeting school leaders said they are grappling with severe teacher shortages, especially in special education. (Salem Reporter) SALEM – At a Senate Education Committee meeting on Monday, superintendents and[Read More…]
‘Sense of urgency’ in Oregon should follow passage of infrastructure bill, DeFazio says
A federal infrastructure bill passed by Congress on Friday, Nov. 5, opens the way for major projects in Oregon. (Oregon Department of Transportation) Oregonians should see work start next year on transportation projects funded by the massive infrastructure bill, according to U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon. DeFazio said Oregon will[Read More…]
Oregon tenants urged to get bid in for state rent help before Dec. 1 cutoff
Some Oregon tenants are losing protection against evictions as the state pauses applications for state help with rent. (Getty Images) SALEM – The state agency in charge of helping Oregonians cover their rent has nearly run through the $289 million it received from the federal government and will stop accepting[Read More…]
Oregon will be flush in money to dramatically expand broadband – but that’s not happening soon
Dozens of households and businesses in Cave Junction got high-speed internet, thanks to money from the CARES Act. (Illinois Valley Data Center) Oregon will reap at least $100 million to expand broadband services to homes and businesses throughout the state from the new infrastructure bill passed by Congress. The money[Read More…]
A year after the 2020 election, Oregon county clerks still fighting back fraud allegations
A Multnomah County election worker sorts ballots on Oct. 22, 2020. (Motoya Nakamura/Multnomah County) A week before this November’s Linn County special election over a tax increase to fund law enforcement, a man walked into the election office and asked to see the county clerk. Steve Druckenmiller walked over and[Read More…]
Oregon transportation officials already at work planning to spend new billions
Crews pour concrete on an exit bridge on Interstate 5 in south of Ashland in August 2021. Oregon is getting $268 million for more bridge work. (Oregon Department of Transportation) SALEM – Travis Brouwer had given up on Congress Friday afternoon. Brouwer, an assistant director of the Oregon Department of[Read More…]
Part 4: CHILDREN IN CRISIS: Improvement is slow for distressed Oregon families
A common room at the Children’s Farm Home is currently being used for storage. The facility does not have enough staff to take on more inpatient residents, leaving a building empty. (Amanda Loman/Oregon Capital Chronicle) When Angela Weirich moved her family to Pennsylvania in June, they had relief from trauma.[Read More…]