News In the ongoing flap over whether the Oregon Legislature will refer certain "fixes" to Measure 76, it's worth noting that the group most concerned about referring those questions to voters—the Nature Conservancy—has a strong interest in preserving the status quo.As WW previously reported, there was strong disagreement last summer about Measure 76 before voters approved that state constitutional ...   More

News  In Oregon congressional news this week not dealing with Democratic Rep. David Wu, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) was in the middle of a squabble on the House floor with Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.).This video below from the verbal battle Thursday deals with Republicans' claim about a "government takeover of health care."Lungren took issue with Blumenauer lumping him in with what's been judged by ...   More

News While reporting a story on the environment this week, WW caught up with Bill McKibben, an environmentalist and climate-change crusader whose writing has been featured before in our pages.Fresh off publishing this salvo in The Washington Post as part of his war of words with Glenn Beck, McKibben talked about his disappointment with President Obama and his new campaign against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.WW: ...   More

News CAUSA Oregon and the Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs are pressing the Legislature to take up a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants access to an Oregon driver's license. The measure, Senate Bill 845, would remove barriers created by the Legislature in 2008 and let undocumented immigrants legally drive and also buy insurance. However, the bill specifies that the licenses will not will ...   More

News Co-sponsors of an Oregon House bill designed to limit funeral protests say today’s Supreme Court ruling protecting the free speech rights of the Westboro Baptist Church will in fact help the legislation pass in the state Legislature. This morning’s 8-1 Supreme Court decision upheld the First Amendment rights of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church, known for its inflammatory funeral protests. ...   More

News A pair of bills that would decrease the penalty for teenagers who "sext" got their first joint public hearing today in the Legislature, where lawmakers appear poised to add Oregon to the growing list of states that have lessened the punishment for "sexting." Senate Bills 677 and 678 offer two alternatives for making "sexting" among teenagers a misdemeanor rather than a felony. Today in Oregon, taking ...   More

Cover Story Three times a month, the 39 members of the Church of the Divine Rose gather in a Portland VFW Hall at Southeast 9th    More

News The Columbia River Crossing has occupied much of Gov. John Kitzhaber’s attention since his election last fall.    More

News State Sen. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Washington County) is sponsoring a bill in the Legislature that could affect thousands of Oregon homeowners.As reported in today's WW, homeowners have accused Virginia-based Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems of foreclosing on their properties without the correct paperwork or legal standing. The company has faced legal challenges across the country—including from ...   More

Politics U.S. Rep. David Wu tried to explain his odd behavior in the run-up to the November election during interviews last weekend with several local television and radio stations. One week after Wu’s u   More