I wrote a fun piece digging into the history of referendums in Oregon, given that voters in May will decide whether to approve to reject a 2025 law that raised the gas tax, payroll tax and car registration and title fees. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/20/o...

New from me: Visits for contraception and cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood clinics have dropped by double-digits after Congress passed a bill cutting off Medicaid funding to certain providers last year, according to a new Democratic congressional report.

Opponents of gas tax hikes are once again suing the state of Oregon over a law that rescheduled the date of a gas tax referendum from November to May. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/18/o...

At a vigil here in Salem honoring the people federal immigration agents have detained or killed. The event was organized by PCUN, the state’s largest Latino advocacy organization.

Oregon is empowering residents to sue law enforcement agencies which fail to adopt policies prohibiting masking. While Gov. Tina Kotek is expected to sign the legislation, the feds are already vowing to ignore it. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/11/s...

In which a state representative running for governor calls for an investigation because reporters… stayed by their computers and refreshed the state’s court records website anticipating a decision. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/11/j...

BREAKING: A recently passed law that moves a citizen vote on new taxes and fees to pay for transportation to the May primary instead of the November general election does not violate the Oregon Constitution, a judge ruled Wednesday. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/11/j...

For the first time in years, Oregon lawmakers in Salem’s newly-reopened Capitol streamed out of the chamber floors into the rotunda to cap the end of a short legislative session that had both Republicans and Democrats claiming victories. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/06/a...

BREAKING: U.S. District Judge Amy Baggio on Friday granted a preliminary injunction sought by residents of Gray's Landing by the Portland ICE facility. This bars federal agents from using tear gas and other chemical munitions at a level that is "likely to reach" the affordable housing complex.

At least 8 bills meant to strengthen Oregon's sanctuary law and immigrant protections are headed to Gov. Tina Kotek's desk for a signature. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/17/o...

Senate Bill 1548 was an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the production of individual edibles with more than 10 milligrams of THC, targeting edibles that are meant to be divided into several servings. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/06/o...

BREAKING from our DC bureau: Kristi Noem out as DHS secretary; Trump to tap Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/05/r...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump says he's replacing Homeland Security Secretary Noem with GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin.

“This is one of the nicest things I’ve ever had to work on,” Girod told lawmakers on the state’s budget-writing Joint Ways and Means committee Tuesday afternoon. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/05/o...

"Ultimately, my concern is for the privacy rights of Idahoans who have registered to vote, as secured under Idaho law,” Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane wrote to the Justice Department in a Feb. 26 letter. #idpol

Update: Gov. Tina Kotek late Monday signed Senate Bill 1599 into law, clearing the way for the gas tax referendum to take place on the May primary. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/02/o...

This dance, the Payaso de Rodeo, is like the Mexican cha-cha slide, btw, in the sense that it's a dance most people in the community know. 🤠

Oregon tenants whose landlords leak confidential information such as their immigration status or medical records could soon have a pathway to collect up to twice their monthly rent as a form of recourse.

The bill’s passage marks one of the largest trials for Oregon’s mostly Democratic legislature as they try to balance ODOT's massive budget shortfall while contending with criticism from Oregonians urging them to prioritize affordability. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/02/o...

Legislative budget writers propose leaving more than 130 transportation jobs vacant, spending less on services and supplies and moving around not-yet-promised money to rebalance Oregon’s budget and close a large funding gap at the transportation department. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/01/t...

A Republican Idaho lawmaker on Friday proposed bills that would make significant changes to a law he pushed for two years ago that forced Idaho public and school libraries to move materials deemed harmful to children, or face lawsuits.

Federal agents in Oregon have detained and shot immigrants in hospital parking lots, accessed confidential emergency medical service logs from behind nurses’ desks and interfered with nurses while they care for patients — some with shackled ankles as agents stood guard in exam rooms. buff.ly/InvyecL

The filing deadline for the May 19 primary election is in just a few weeks. As our team plans primary coverage, we want to hear from you. What do you want to know from candidates to cast an informed vote? buff.ly/P8zZnoH

A bill to regulate ICE in hospitals is halfway to becoming law after the Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 1570 last night. It must pass the Oregon House of Representatives next before it can head to the governor’s desk. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/25/o...

Kotek says there's a bipartisan agreement on short-term transportation funding that avoids layoffs but didn't share details when OPB's @dirquez.bsky.social pressed her. This is the most recent public document, a suite of options including potential layoffs. olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/D...

Kotek says she expects a roughly 1% cut to state expenditures this year, pending the #orleg passing a measure to partially disconnect from the federal tax code that would result in about $300 million in revenue.

People who threaten public officials could face prison time under a bill the Oregon Senate passed 18-11 Tuesday. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/briefs/orego...

After several delays and an encroaching Wednesday deadline, a proposal to reschedule the date of a gas tax referendum to May finally passed the Oregon Senate. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/23/o...

Brock Smith's motion isn't shocking. Republicans vowed to do everything in their power to stop Oregon Democrats from moving the date of the referendum.

Sen. Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, just motioned to move the day the Senate takes up the referendum bill to March 8, which is the last day of the legislative session. He said this would allow for more public input.

Time is running out for Democratic lawmakers wanting to move a referendum on gas taxes to an earlier date. They have until Wednesday to get the bill past both chambers and signed by Gov. Tina Kotek. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/20/c...

Senior reporter @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social spent last week helping out the @minnesotareformer.com in her hometown of the Twin Cities. She reflects on what she learned there — and what it could mean for Portland. buff.ly/fcEH2zK

Deputy Attorney General Benjamin Gutman in November argued the tariff case before the Supreme Court. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/20/r...

State health officials declared a measles outbreak Thursday following five confirmed cases in Oregon. buff.ly/Z74DCp2

The bill would prohibit state agencies from using any funding, data, equipment or staff to help the federal government sell or transfer federal lands to private parties. The measure puts no restrictions on tribes. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/briefs/orego...

Oregon Republicans ended a brief Senate walkout that threatened to derail Democrats’ plans to reschedule a referendum on controversial transportation tax and fee increases from November to May. buff.ly/ER5rTS6

House and Senate GOP leaders confirmed to @shaanthx.bsky.social and @miamaldonado.bsky.social that today's legislative sessions will proceed, and senators are starting to gather on the floor. Story coming soon. #orleg

No Republicans were present at today's Senate chamber meeting at 1:30 p.m., when lawmakers were expected to take up a controversial bill to reschedule the date for a gas tax referendum to May. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/18/o...

Ongoing legal fights over President Donald Trump’s attempt to send hundreds of Oregon, California and Texas National Guard troops to Portland last fall over the objections of residents and state and local leaders will come to an end.

Lawmakers have introduced at least 13 bills meant to respond to concerns that federal immigration officers are overstepping their authority. Here's what those bills would do and where they stand in the lawmaking process. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/17/o...

This story is so notable for all the Oregon Republicans who dodged simple questions from reporters at the Capitol when they could not simply ignore our emails. Fabulous and illuminating reporting from @shaanthx.bsky.social oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/16/a...

The Capital Chronicle reached out to more than a dozen House and Senate Republican lawmakers about immigration, most of whom were more reluctant to address the conduct of federal agents than leading gubernatorial candidates for the GOP’s nomination. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/16/a...

A bill to reschedule the date for a controversial transportation tax referendum from November to May is headed to the Oregon Senate for a vote.  buff.ly/KzkaHyY by @miamaldonado.bsky.social

A new round of budget cuts will force a state agency to reduce the water monitoring it conducts to protect Idahoans’ health and water quality, the agency’s director said. The department will scale back its harmful algal boom detection program and eliminate unfilled vacant positions. #idleg #idpol

On Wednesday, days after they flew home with an Oregon congresswoman, Diana and parents Darianny González and Yohendry Crespo were guests of honor at the Oregon House of Representatives. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/11/o...

UPDATE: Lawmakers said they'll meet today at 5 p.m. for a work session on the bill to reschedule the transportation tax referendum. That's when they'll decide whether to advance it or not. I'll be covering it. 🙋‍♀️

Lawmakers are holding a second public hearing today on a bill to reschedule a transportation tax referendum from November to May. They won’t be making a decision on whether to advance the bill until a later date.

Rep. Ricki Ruiz, D-Gresham, invited the Crespo-González family to be his special guests today on the House floor in the Oregon State Capitol. Here he is introducing House Speaker Julie Fahey, or “la mera mera,” to them.