News As City Commissioner Amanda Fritz puts her much-debated sick leave requirement on next Wednesday's City Council agenda, her staff has run into an odd problem: Nobody in city government knows which businesses offer their employees sick days, and which don't."I've been staring into that darkness," says Fritz's chief of staff Tom Bizeau.Fritz's proposal, mandating that all Portland businesses give employees ...   More

News You can bet that the looming ballot battle next January over increased personal income taxes on wealthier Oregonians — as well as higher corporate income taxes— will feature riotous rhetoric, cataclysmic claims and above all, carloads of cash. Yesterday, in a filing with the Oregon Secretary of State, the Oregon Restaurant Association disclosed a $25,000 gift to the evocatively named ...   More

News Oregon Lottery Director Dale Penn today made a lengthy argument [PDF] for renewing the current commission structure paid to retailers. Penn's conclusion that lottery rates should stay the same over the six-year period after the current contract expires next June is a big win for the Oregon Restaurant Association, if the five-member Lottery Commission agrees with him. The association represents ...   More