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Oregon Capital Chronicle
To decarbonize, New England is betting big on offshore wind. Can it deliver?
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Dozens of hard hats and yellow safety vests were neatly placed on folding chairs. A giant American flag hung from the rafters of a hangar-sized fabrication building. And cellophane-wrapped cookies with blue icing spelling out “Revolution Wind, powered by Ørsted and Eversource,” added the final celebratory touch. After a rough year for the fledgling […]
Oregon State Hospital nurses raise safety fears as they work mandatory overtime
Maggie Simpkins starts her workweek at 6:30 a.m. Sundays at Oregon State Hospital, where the registered nurse dispenses medication to patients, goes over their treatment plans and maps out the day’s schedule, including appointments, meals and care. Her shift is supposed to end at 5 p.m. But most Sundays, Simpkins has to work mandatory overtime, […]
Washington prepares for more fires as dry season peaks
As the state enters what is historically its toughest month of the year for wildfires, large blazes continue to burn in central and eastern Washington and smoke could be on the horizon on the west side of the state. But state officials aren’t too worried – yet. Washington’s wildfires have burned more acres than the […]
Former GOP gubernatorial nominee Buehler endorses Democrat in key Bend Senate race
Former Republican gubernatorial nominee Knute Buehler will back Democratic Bend City Councilor Anthony Broadman in his attempt to flip control of a key state Senate seat. Buehler’s endorsement, shared first with the Capital Chronicle, is of particular importance in Bend, an increasingly Democratic outpost in the vast red sea east of the Cascades. Buehler represented […]
OHSU study finds unhealthy air quality from wildfires can affect fertility treatments
Oregon Health & Science University researchers found women undergoing fertility treatments can face potential problems from poor air quality, an issue that’s expected to get worse as climate change increases wildfire activity across the West. In a new study published in the journal Fertility & Sterility, OHSU researchers investigated the impact of unhealthy air quality […]
As wildfire season becomes more threatening, experts are turning to AI
With climate change driving hotter, drier summers across the West, the intensity of recent fire seasons is outpacing workers’ ability to track and analyze fires with the traditional methods. “There simply aren’t enough boots on the ground, or eyes in pairs of binoculars to cover the base and the extent of what we’ve been dealing […]
Oregon Rep. Chavez-DeRemer continues courting union support, skipped hearings on labor issues
Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer continues to walk a fine line between appealing to labor unions and business interests that typically back Republicans. In July, she became only the third Republican member of Congress to cosponsor the sweeping pro-union bill called the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, and she has courted union endorsements in […]
Here’s what Tim Walz has done as governor of Minnesota
Democrats have swiftly fallen for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s Midwest dad persona, sharing videos of him working on a car, going on a rollercoaster with daughter Hope at the State Fair, signing a bill renaming a street in Prince’s honor in purple ink. But he’s also got a long record as governor. Walz’s first term […]
Teachers gather in Corvallis to find solutions to close pandemic learning gaps
CORVALLIS – More than 700 teachers from across Oregon have spent the last two days in classrooms and lecture halls at Oregon State University in Corvallis to tackle post-pandemic learning gaps. With $7 million in federal COVID relief money, the Oregon Department of Education and the university launched in late 2023 the Equitable Accelerated Learning […]
State issues smog, smoke advisories for much of Oregon
Smoke and smog is clogging much of the air in Oregon, state officials said Wednesday. At mid-day, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air advisory for 20 of Oregon’s 36 counties due to wildfire smoke, then followed that up about 30 minutes later with a smog alert for the Portland area and Umatilla […]
Telehealth abortion still on the rise, especially in states with shield laws, report shows
Both the overall number of abortions and the use of telehealth abortion care continue to increase in the United States, according to the latest #WeCount report released Wednesday. Telehealth made up 20% of all abortion care in the first three months of 2024, and the monthly total of abortions exceeded 100,000 for the first time since the […]
In long-sought change, states must consider tribal rights when crafting water rules
In the 1800s, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa joined other tribes in signing a pair of treaties with the federal government, giving up massive swaths of land in return for the creation of a reservation in eastern Minnesota. The treaties included a guarantee: Tribal members would be able to return in […]
Oregon Health Authority wants to expand health care, mental health access to cut inequities
The Oregon Health Authority wants to expand access to health care, grow the state’s behavioral health system and connect more families to preventative health care. The goals are foundational for the agency’s aim of eliminating inequities in health care by 2030. The health authority on Tuesday released its strategic plan that will guide that work. […]
Despite lapse in compensation for downwinders, there are still more than 1,000 pending claims
It’s been two months now since Congress let the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expire, leaving people in the West who were exposed to fallout from nuclear weapons testing with no financial recourse. Now, data from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division shows there are more than 1,000 pending claims for compensation as of the […]
Oregon leaders call for federal aid for farmers and ranchers impacted by summer wildfires
Gov. Tina Kotek is seeking federal relief for farmers and ranchers in two-thirds of Oregon counties impacted by wildfires and smoke this summer, with the potential to add more counties to the list. Kotek first wrote to Tom Vilsack, head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, on July 31, asking for support for crop and […]
Oregon on track to set new wildfire record for acreage burned
The wildfire season in Oregon has likely not yet peaked and already 1.3 million acres have been blackened or are ablaze, with 34 large fires burning. And five of them have spread over 100,000 acres each. “We are on a trend of possibly setting a record in the state of Oregon for the amount of […]
Utility watchdog asks state to intervene on proposed double-digit electricity rate hikes
If the state’s two largest electric utilities get what they’ve asked for, their 1.5 million customers in Oregon could pay 40% more for electricity next year than they did just three years ago. Those utilities – Portland General Electric, or PGE, and Pacific Power – say their latest proposed increases are due to the rising […]
Rematches of candidates in the NW are a big theme this year
This November will not bring a rematch of two candidates vying for president but rematches of candidates who previously ran against each other turn out to be a big theme in politics in the Northwest this year. And the dynamics of those rematched candidates could have a big effect on politics, both on the legislative […]
Drag queens unite to form political action committee ahead of 2024 election
A new political action committee is stomping the runway, bringing together some of the biggest names in drag to push back against anti-LGBTQ legislation and politicians. Through a flurry of social media posts on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and X, the PAC has begun a campaign to raise funds ahead of the November election. Aptly […]
Longtime Multnomah County administrator appointed new Measure 110 executive director
Abbey Stamp is taking on a new role that will put her at the heart of Oregon’s fentanyl overdose crisis – and the next chapter of the state’s effort to combat drug addiction. The 51-year-old longtime Multnomah County administrator will start Oct. 15 as the new executive director of the Oregon Health Authority’s Measure 110 […]
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