News Last week, proponents of the $3.5 billion Columbia River Crossing project told a legislative oversight committee that the project is aiming at applying for a $850 million of federal money, from a transportation called New Starts, to cover much of the cost of the light rail portion of the project.
In the    More

News Republican Steve Newgard is campaigning for a seat in the Oregon House based on his business background and his fiscal discipline.
"I've signed the front of paychecks," says Newgard, who lives in Milwaukie. "I have had to handle money in a responsible way."
Yet records show Newgard repeatedly failed to pay his property taxes for most of the past decade and also failed to pay h...   More

News Neither former Gov. Ted Kulongoski nor former University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer is on the ballot this November, but the two political heavyweights are backing different candidates in a low-profile but fascinating race for an open seat on the Oregon Supreme Court. Both men possess strong legal credentials. Kulongoski was attorney general and an Oregon Supreme ...   More

News Jim McDermott, who heads the litigation practice at Portland's Ball Janik law firm has earned a reputation as one of the city's top lawyers. In recent years, McDermott has begun weighing in on public policy, writing op-eds for The Oregonian about tax policy.
In 2009, when the state was debating Measures 66 and 67, which increased personal and corporate income taxes, McDermott wrote a   More

News State Sen. Frank Morse (R-Corvallis) surprised colleagues and observers today in an interim legislative session by announcing he is resigning from the seat he has held for 10 years.Morse, the Vice-Chair of the Senate Finance Revenue and Senate Education & Workforce Development Committe...   More

News Between now and the Nov. 6 election, promoters of a vast new 3,500-slot-machine casino in Wood Village hope to keep voters’ attention...   More

News With all the cash flowing into campaign coffers now that political season is finally upon us, a $500 contribution hardly rates a second look—except when the donor is a Democratic governor and the recipient is a Republican member of the House, State Rep. Mark Johnson (R-Hood River).Johnson, a building contractor and member of the Hood River School Board, has worked closely with Gov. John K...   More

News The two mayoral candidates, State Rep. Jefferson Smith and former City Commissioner Charlie Hales, turned in their responses to the Portland Business Alliance's candidate questionnaire recently.
Their entire answers are worth reading but of particular note are their responses to the PBA's question about...   More

News Real estate groups are continuing to pour big bucks into a November ballot measure that would amend Oregon's constitution to include a provision prohibiting real estate transfer taxes.
State filings show that the National Association of Realtors recently contributed $939,000 and the Oregon Association of Realtors contributed $700,000 to the "Yes on 79" committee.The commit...   More

News Many special interest groups routinely ask city candidates to fill out questionnaires as part of their endorsement process, but the Portland Business Alliance is among the most detailed. Some of the group's questions force candidates to answer direct and sometimes difficult questions.
Here are th...   More