News and Opinion

Monday, February 17,2025: Rural Oregonians Are Already Choking on Utility Bills. Trump’s Executive Orders Could Make Matters Worse.

Latest News & Opinion Stories

Oregon News

Oregon Youth Authority director placed on administrative leave

Rural Oregonians Are Already Choking on Utility Bills. Trump’s Executive Orders Could Make Matters Worse.

Oregon Political News

Lawmaker tapped to develop ODOT accountability proposals

Metropolitan Portland News

Portland pauses $2 billion water filtration plant pending land use dispute

Central/Eastern Oregon

Central Oregon nonprofit acquires land for job training hub

Amazon plans major data center expansion in tiny Oregon town

Willamette Valley Area

Salem city councilor calls for transparency after city manager’s exit 

Housing proposal from ‘the aughts’ draws community criticism

Southern Oregon

Bill Thorndike Jr., community ‘leader, mentor, friend,’ dies at 71

Plans unfolding for a new children’s museum, preschool in Grants Pass

Business News

Oregon job vacancies fall to four-year low as labor market cools off

Providence Medford says nearly half of striking nurses have returned to work

Natural Resource News

Pressure builds on Army Corps to produce years-late reports on Willamette River Basin dams

Transportation News

What’s With All the “Student Driver” Bumper Stickers?

Washington looks to raise $1.6 billion from tolls for new I-5 bridge

Senators call for increased air traffic control funding

Health News

How changes to a CDC vaccine panel under Kennedy could reshape policy

Trump administration cuts reach FDA employees in food safety, medical devices and tobacco products

Oregon health researchers, Wyden decry Trump’s ‘lawless’ efforts to cut funding

Conservatives want to increase birth rates. These moms are terrified to have more kids.

Wednesday, Feb. 19, is the deadline in Oregon for school and day care immunization updates

Education News

Parents Say a School District Failed to Properly Teach Reading—and the Oregon Department of Education Is Letting It Slide

Energy & Environment

With Oregon’s 2 largest federal climate grants on hold — for now — state agencies are left at a standstill

Bonneville Power staff departures under Trump raise concerns about Northwest electrical grid

International News

Congo says Rwanda-backed rebels occupy a 2nd major city in its mineral-rich east

Israel’s Netanyahu signals he’s moving ahead with Trump’s idea to transfer Palestinians from Gaza

Ukraine and Europe worry about being sidelined as Trump pushes direct talks with Russia on war’s end

Argentine lawyers charge President Milei with fraud over cryptocurrency promotion

European leaders regroup in Paris for strategy huddle after Trump diplomatic blitz on Ukraine

National News

Courts block Trump’s DOGE actions — chaos, panic not proving to be best legal strategy

A 2nd U.S. judge pauses Trump’s order against gender-affirming care for trans youth

Judge temporarily blocks cut to medical research funding, after states sue Trump administration

National Political News

Wyden, Merkley urge Trump to reconsider ‘ludicrous’ job cuts at Bonneville Power

After Watergate, Congress curbed the presidency. Now, Trump is testing those limits

Trump’s spending cuts target probationary workers. What does the status mean?

Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to let the firing of whistleblower agency head proceed

Trump administration tries to bring back fired nuclear weapons workers in DOGE reversal

Trump moves with dizzying speed on his to-do list. But there are warning signs in his first month

Thousands of IRS workers could be laid off as soon as next week

House GOP budget resolution in jeopardy amid concerns from moderates

Jeffries says Trump, GOP show ‘no interest’ in lowering costs of living

DOGE seeks access to IRS system with sensitive taxpayer data

Republicans move to impeach judges who blocked Trump

Opinion

Editorial: Reform prison medical care or bet on more lawsuits

Editorial: It’s easy to complain, but difficult to actually govern

President Trump is making early mistakes. Democrats must be ready with a response.

USAID should help those in need, not serve as a slush fund for leftist priorities