News In a somber address to Portland City Club, Gov. Ted Kulongoski today laid out a bleak vision of Oregon's present and grabbed hold of Oregon's political third rail with both hands. The two-term Democratic governor is completing his final year in office and could be forgiven if he took the summer off. Instead, the former labor lawyer drew on the work of his "reset cabinet" to propose a bold set ...   More

News Oregon House Speaker Dave Hunt spent a lot of energy over the past couple of weeks trying to persuade proponents of a planned November ballot measure for parks and habitat to back off. Hunt and allies such as the Oregon Education Association worry that the measure, which enshrines in the state Constitution a current law that sets aside 15 percent of state Lottery funds for parks and habitat, ...   More

News Former Gov. John Kitzhaber and the powerful Oregon Education Association are making nice again in Kitzhaber's run for his old job. The teachers union announced today it's endorsing Kitzhaber in the general election, hardly a surprise given the OEA's support for Democratic candidates. But it's worthy of some note only because the OEA didn't endorse Kitzhaber last spring in the Democratic primary. ...   More

News If Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Kitzhaber is going to stay even in the fund-raising race with Republican candidate Chris Dudley, he's going to need a lot of help from Oregon unions. This week, he picked up a $20,000 donation from the Oregon Nurses Association. But still to weigh in with its wallet is the heavyweight Oregon Education Association, which is backing Kitzhaber in the ...   More