Democratic nominee Graham Platner dropped out of Maine’s U.S. Senate race on Wednesday, two days after an accusation of sexual assault tanked support from his party. mainemorningstar.com/2026/07/08/g...

To jumpstart Oregon’s economic development, the state should cut taxes, eliminate a key state climate program and allocate a quarter of a billion state dollars for business infrastructure needs every two years, according to a new report from Gov. Tina Kotek’s economic advisers. buff.ly/DjxfPuc

Between media consolidation, improved technology and so many reporters eschewing (the superior imo) Salem for Portland’s city lights and higher rents, it’s not unusual to be the only journalist in person at some events. Here’s a report from one: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/06/23/o...

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced new criminal charges Tuesday against four people the state alleges stole taxpayer money and victimized vulnerable Oregonians by filing fraudulent Medicaid reimbursement claims.

Oregon’s Capitol rotunda is getting into the festive spirit. #America250

This is heartbreaking. I never knew Zane personally, but I've long admired his writing and willingness to do anything, even wade into a lake in a full suit, for the sake of a good story. Thinking of his family, friends and colleagues today. www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

We lost at trivia but got all the answers in the state capital category right so it’s still kind of a win?

As the Trump administration investigates states for incarcerating transgender women in women’s prisons, Oregon attorneys are opposing a recent federal court order that could lead to more trans women being housed in the state’s only women’s prison.

"Our inability to know if there is broad consensus among this legislative body before we are in the middle of a public process is leading to moments of embarrassment." Good thing public meetings laws exist for the public, not to save officials from embarrassment. www.wweek.com/news/city/20...

pls enjoy this throwback photo of Fred having ~feelings~ in 2023

Meta’s AI search is not down with the Oregon Legislature, it seems. Are you one of those people who uses Instagram for news and not just pictures of cats, babies and waterfalls? The @oregoncapitalchronicle.com is there now: www.instagram.com/oregoncapita...

Family took precedence over sightseeing this weekend, so I’ll have to return with my National Park passport book to catch more than a brief glimpse of the arch. It was so good to spend time learning from colleagues over the week and visiting with loved ones back in Kansas this weekend.

After a reinvigorating few days with fellow @statesnewsroom.com editors in STL, I’m headed back to Oregon with a nifty little trophy recognizing OCC’s weeks of Portland ICE and National Guard coverage.

I’m back in the Midwest this week with colleagues from most of the 50 states and keep catching myself turning into an unpaid spokeswoman for Travel Oregon… but when all of this is within an hour or two of the Capitol, how could anyone refrain from spreading the Beaver State gospel?

How much of the lack of support for mitigating extreme heat comes down to both the government and national media being siloed on the colder, wetter east coast? Same with the disparate attention to hurricanes and ice storms compared to wildfire and drought. www.eenews.net/articles/dea...

It’s been such a busy week that I missed this weekend’s six-year anniversary of Fred coming home with me. Love this crazy cat so much.

So proud of this team! @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social, @miamaldonado.bsky.social and @shaanthx.bsky.social do great work covering #orleg and #orpol day in and day out.

This pope is doing his best to overcome my impulse to spend Sunday mornings sleeping in or on a trail. www.npr.org/2026/05/25/n...

The Trump administration has spent $60 million in National Park entrance fees on "cosmetic fixes" to DC fountains, and another $7 million in entrance fees to renovate the Reflecting Pool, NYT reports. Meanwhile, there is an estimated $23 billion maintenance backlog across the parks system.

Sundays are for coffee shop stitching with the crafting coven and strolling through flower fields.

Gotta start citing “circumstances pertaining to Government” any time I have to bail on friends or family because of the #orleg.

Two Democratic legislative candidates backed by labor unions and the party’s left flank grew their leads Thursday over an incumbent state senator and local elected official supported by much of the party establishment. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/briefs/washi...

I’ll be on @kgw.com.web.brid.gy’s “Straight Talk” tonight talking #orpol election results with host Tim Gordon and Republican political strategist Rebecca Tweed. Catch it at 7 or online here: www.kgw.com/article/ente...

New journalism job open in Salem! You'd supervise a stellar team of reporters and share a downtown newsroom with my four-person team. www.journalismjobs.com/1693093-mana...

Calling it a night here in Oregon. Most primary races are setled, but answers about a few #orleg races and the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate are still to come. Here's what we know now: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/05/19/l... #orpol

It's an #orpol rematch. AP called the GOP governor primary for state Sen. Christine Drazan. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/05/19/o... from @shaanthx.bsky.social

AP has called the six-way Democratic primary in #OR02 for former Democratic lawmaker and Obama adviser Chris Beck. He'll face Rep. Cliff Bentz, Oregon's only Republican member of Congress. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/05/19/f... via @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social

AP has called #OR05 for Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair. She'll face Democratic incumbent Janelle Bynum in Oregon's most competitive congressional district. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/05/19/d...

Just less than an hour to return those ballots, Oregon! We'll have results and reporting from @miamaldonado.bsky.social in Stayton, @shaanthx.bsky.social in Aurora, @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social in Portland and @jmshumway.bsky.social in Salem here: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/05/19/l... #orpol

It’s been an interesting afternoon of finalizing election coverage preparation with the world’s clingiest cat.

Happy Election Day, Oregon! If you haven't already, return your ballot in its signed envelope to a designated dropbox. We'll have full coverage of contested primaries for governor, Congress and labor commissioner, as well as updates on other races, after 8, sos.oregon.gov/voting/Pages...

It's Election Day! I'm editing prewrites and prepping graphics from a Portland-bound plane, and the @oregoncapitalchronicle.com crew of @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social, @miamaldonado.bsky.social, @shaanthx.bsky.social and yours truly will have you covered with results this evening. #orleg #orpol

Attempting to return from my uncle’s Sunday wedding has so far entailed driving an insanely large Jeep through fog, snow, rain and construction in the Rockies, water dripping on me from an airplane luggage rack and being stranded overnight in Phoenix because of plane delays. I just want to go home.

Facebook deciding I might want to reflect on the press conference where Tom Horne announced his return to AZ politics with a story set to Natasha Bedingfield’s “Pocketful of Sunshine” is even more hilarious than all of the Apple-made “At the Show” photo collages of Oregon politicians talking.

But, at the risk of further offending Utahns, my heart soared once I made it to Colorado’s San Juan mountains with their crystal-clear mountain lakes, gushing waterfalls and trees for miles.

Natural Bridges was well worth the detour, though difficult to capture in mid-morning photos.

Views from Canyonlands. Southeast Utah is a striking place to visit, but being out here is making me even more grateful to live in Oregon. Feeling some tree withdrawal.

Scheduling the release of Oregon’s next quarterly revenue forecast for the morning after the primary when the only journalists covering the revenue forecast will have been up late with election results is just cruel.

Saw some arches, didn’t slip on slickrock.

Otherworldly views in Capitol Reef National Park. Mostly roadside or fairly short hikes because southwestern Utah is in the middle of a heat wave and I was never really a desert girl.

the compact car I rented because I’m a single short person used to driving a tiny Mazda turned into a Jeep Wrangler, and I’m having flashbacks to the sheer terror of navigating a rental Chevy Suburban around Bend’s roundabouts when the Bulletin flew me out to interview almost a decade ago

And of course, our coverage of redistricting (and everything else) is ad-free, free to read and free to share. We’re just in it for the journalism.

A couple months ago, I reached the point of having spent more of my adult life in Oregon than in the paved-over hell of Phoenix. This is the view from the mill race by a parking garage and I still can’t believe this state is real.

What are you doing May 29? Come join us at McMenamins Kennedy School for SPJ's annual fundraiser and get an early glance at which Oregon journalists won awards in our five-state contest! www.spjoregon.com/news/save-th...

It's rare to make it through a week without news of another AI blunder in journalism. I'm so glad that the @oregoncapitalchronicle.com's parent company has taken a clear stance in favor of journalism practiced by humans. No AI-generated stories, photos or videos here. statesnewsroom.com/ai-policy/

Reporter @miamaldonado.bsky.social noticed something odd on the Oregon DMV's website this week: Press release after press release about local offices temporarily closing. She talked to officials and counter staff about what's going on: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/05/08/o...

This took up a huge chunk of my past few workweeks and a few late evenings. I hope it’s helpful as you’re deciding how to vote!

Do you really want to know where I was April 29th? Stuck in the office, building our voter guide and cursing myself for including every contested primary, the AP stylebook for changing style on "healthcare" halfway through this project and everyone who advises candidates to use Oxford commas.

“You have everybody from a January 6 rioter to a Trail Blazer, to people who’ve lost running before, but they all come from very different perspectives." oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/04/29/o...

Colorful new addition to our office, courtesy of Salem’s own Aunt Bee’s House.