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

News A Marion County Circuit Court judge ruled late Tuesday afternoon that Secretary of State Kate Brown acted appropriately in rejecting thousands of signatures that Bob Wolfe, the chief petitioner of IP-24, a marijuana legalization measure submitted earlier this year.Brown's elections division rejected signature sheets because of duplicate signatures; illegible signatures and sig...   More

News Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum reported a $150,000 contribution today from the Democratic Attorneys General Association.
If that figure sounds slightly familiar, that's because the group earlier gave the same amount to Rosenblum's predecessor, John Kroger, last year. Kroger gave the money back when he resigned earlier this year to become president of Reed College....   More

News The Oregon League of Conservation Voters today blasted the campaign of mayoral candidate Charlie Hales for what the environmental group says is "unethical and possibly illegal use of endorsement interviews."At issue is a story WW posted last week quo...   More

News A Metro selection committee told the the Metro Council this afternoon which of two development teams should develop a long-discussed headquarters hotel adjacent to the Oregon Convention Center.

The selection committee picked</...   More

News Oregon Health & Science University won a high-profile concession in its recently concluded contract negotiations with AFSCME Local 328, which represents about 5,300 employees at the city's largest employer.
As public-sector employers struggle to contain benefit costs, the practice of employers paying a six percent pension contribution on employees' behalf has come unde...   More

News A longtime Oregon Department of Justice employee named Paula Heusinkveld was found dead at her Salem home Wednesday, according to DOJ spokesman Jeff Manning. Heusinkveld, 51, joined DOJ in June of 1989 and worked as a management assistant in the trial division.
Details around the death are few, which caused the deceased woman's boss, Trial Division chief counsel Cheryl Pellegrini to send...   More

News Yesterday the Oregon League of Conservation Voters endorsed State Rep. Jefferson Smith (D-East Portland) in the mayor's race. That's a coup for Smith, who already earned endorsements from other enviro groups including the Sierra Club and Bike Walk Vote.
“Jefferson Smith is the environmental candidate for Mayor," OLCV executive director Doug Moore said in a statement. "Jefferso...   More

News State Rep. Jefferson Smith (D-East Portland) says the change he drives is more important than how he drives his car. As...   More