Alex Baumhardt
@alexbaumhardt.bsky.social
Journalist covering environment and education @oregoncapitalchronicle.com, part of @statesnewsroom.com
"Homan, who reportedly was investigated for receiving $50,000 in cash from an undercover FBI agent in 2024 in an alleged bribery scheme, said the personnel here for fraud investigations will remain."
Border Czar Tom Homan announces end to Operation Metro Surge, claiming success minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/12/b...
Border Czar Tom Homan announces end to Operation Metro Surge, claiming success • Minnesota Reformer
President Trump’s border czar announced an imminent end to Operation Metro Surge on Thursday, claiming success from the unprecedented federal incursion that brought thousands of immigration officers t...
minnesotareformer.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:55 PM
"Homan, who reportedly was investigated for receiving $50,000 in cash from an undercover FBI agent in 2024 in an alleged bribery scheme, said the personnel here for fraud investigations will remain."
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
A 76-year-old veteran and nurse was tackled and detained at the site of Alex Pretti's killing. Agents told him his phone was evidence in an investigation into him assaulting an officer.
“I didn’t assault an officer. I got assaulted by three officers." minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/12/w...
“I didn’t assault an officer. I got assaulted by three officers." minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/12/w...
Why is ICE seizing people’s phones and documents? • Minnesota Reformer
After the federal agents took the shackles off Gust Johnson’s ankles to release him from detainment, he asked for his phone back. That would be staying at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, th...
minnesotareformer.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:35 PM
A 76-year-old veteran and nurse was tackled and detained at the site of Alex Pretti's killing. Agents told him his phone was evidence in an investigation into him assaulting an officer.
“I didn’t assault an officer. I got assaulted by three officers." minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/12/w...
“I didn’t assault an officer. I got assaulted by three officers." minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/12/w...
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
Border Czar Tom Homan announces end to Operation Metro Surge, claiming success minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/12/b...
Border Czar Tom Homan announces end to Operation Metro Surge, claiming success • Minnesota Reformer
President Trump’s border czar announced an imminent end to Operation Metro Surge on Thursday, claiming success from the unprecedented federal incursion that brought thousands of immigration officers t...
minnesotareformer.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Border Czar Tom Homan announces end to Operation Metro Surge, claiming success minnesotareformer.com/2026/02/12/b...
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
High-speed car chase involving federal agent ended with multi-car crash at Nina’s in St. Paul.
High-speed car chase involving federal agent ended with multi-car crash at Nina’s in St. Paul • Minnesota Reformer
A high-speed car chase that witnesses said involved a young man and a federal agent on Wednesday ended with a multi-car crash outside Nina’s Coffee Cafe in St. Paul. The man was transported away from ...
minnesotareformer.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:43 PM
High-speed car chase involving federal agent ended with multi-car crash at Nina’s in St. Paul.
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
After a Border Patrol agent shot a Chicago woman five times in October, Gregory Bovino reached out to the agent via email to offer his praise, newly released evidence shows.
Top Border Official Praised Agent Who Shot Chicago Woman, Evidence Shows
A Border Patrol agent shot Marimar Martinez five times, claiming that she tried to run him over. Newly released videos and text messages reveal fresh details about what happened.
nyti.ms
February 11, 2026 at 5:10 PM
After a Border Patrol agent shot a Chicago woman five times in October, Gregory Bovino reached out to the agent via email to offer his praise, newly released evidence shows.
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
State Sen. Christine Drazan, running for governor for the second time, skipped voting on bills on Tuesday to meet with business owners at an Oregon City pub 20 miles outside the Senate district she represents.
Oregon GOP gubernatorial candidate skips Senate floor session for business event • Oregon Capital Chronicle
None of the bills Drazan has sponsored involving business and economic issues survived a Monday deadline to schedule committee votes.
buff.ly
February 11, 2026 at 1:33 AM
State Sen. Christine Drazan, running for governor for the second time, skipped voting on bills on Tuesday to meet with business owners at an Oregon City pub 20 miles outside the Senate district she represents.
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
The Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building looms in the background of the camp at Coldwater Spring, or Mni Owe Sni, at Fort Snelling along the Mississippi River — where the U.S. government in the mid-1800s killed hundreds of Dakota people and imprisoned more than 1,600 in a concentration camp.
Native activists set up prayer camp outside Minneapolis ICE detention center • Minnesota Reformer
Tribal members and descendents set up tipis and a fire at a Fort Snelling Park for four days of prayer for those detained by ICE
minnesotareformer.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:30 AM
The Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building looms in the background of the camp at Coldwater Spring, or Mni Owe Sni, at Fort Snelling along the Mississippi River — where the U.S. government in the mid-1800s killed hundreds of Dakota people and imprisoned more than 1,600 in a concentration camp.
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
Democrats advanced controversial income tax legislation out of a key Washington state Senate committee on Monday after pledging more proceeds to local public defender costs and increasing a tax break for small businesses. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/02/09/w...
WA income tax on higher earners clears first legislative hurdle • Washington State Standard
Democrats advanced controversial income tax legislation out of a key Washington state Senate committee Monday after pledging more proceeds to local public defender costs and increasing a tax break for...
washingtonstatestandard.com
February 10, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Democrats advanced controversial income tax legislation out of a key Washington state Senate committee on Monday after pledging more proceeds to local public defender costs and increasing a tax break for small businesses. washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/02/09/w...
Would be amazing if the City of Portland, owner of Moda Center, also took back its own ticket sales, ending Ticketmaster's complete shitification of getting into games. Beyond depressing that you can not buy a ticket at a ticket counter from Moda or Providence Park but have to download an app.
Oregon’s top Democrats have unveiled their opening salvo to renovate the Moda Center in order to keep the Portland Trail Blazers in the state for decades to come.
Oregon Democrats push plan to renovate Moda Center, woo new Blazers owner • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon’s top Democrats have unveiled their opening salvo to renovate the Moda Center in order to keep the Portland Trail Blazers in the state.
buff.ly
February 10, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Would be amazing if the City of Portland, owner of Moda Center, also took back its own ticket sales, ending Ticketmaster's complete shitification of getting into games. Beyond depressing that you can not buy a ticket at a ticket counter from Moda or Providence Park but have to download an app.
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
NEW: Washington state senate Ways & Means committee passes SB 6346, a tax on millionaires, moving it forward to the rules committee. Tim Eyman makes some noise in the chamber after the vote and is escorted out, leaving his chair behind.
February 9, 2026 at 11:16 PM
NEW: Washington state senate Ways & Means committee passes SB 6346, a tax on millionaires, moving it forward to the rules committee. Tim Eyman makes some noise in the chamber after the vote and is escorted out, leaving his chair behind.
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
This is easily the hardest thing I've ever had to write.
I Had a Dream Journalism Job. Here's Why I Quit.
The rot that hollowed out trust in corporate media finally reached OPB. I had to go.
westernedgemedia.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:58 PM
This is easily the hardest thing I've ever had to write.
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
“Ring is rolling back many of the reforms it’s made in the last few years by easing police access to footage from millions of homes in the United States … police have used Ring footage to spy on protestors, and obtained footage without a warrant or consent of the user”
Icing on the cake is that hyper-pro police surveillance founder Jamie Siminoff, who recently returned to the CEO roll and dismantled years of privacy reforms appeared in the commercial.
Read more:
Read more:
Amazon Ring Cashes in on Techno-Authoritarianism and Mass Surveillance
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff is back at the helm of the surveillance doorbell company, and with him is the surveillance-first-privacy-last approach that made Ring one of the most maligned tech devices....
www.eff.org
February 9, 2026 at 1:37 PM
“Ring is rolling back many of the reforms it’s made in the last few years by easing police access to footage from millions of homes in the United States … police have used Ring footage to spy on protestors, and obtained footage without a warrant or consent of the user”
If you break down the numbers in this story, the addition of 11,740 full-time support staff added to Oregon’s 1,200+ public schools since the pandemic is about 10 staff per school since 2020, or about two new hires per school per year.
If decision makers look at where staff growth took place since 2020–21, they will find increases in instructional assistants, administrative staff, special education and student support roles. The number of teachers during that period barely budged.
Oregon’s Education Workforce Climbed While Student Enrollment Slid
Khushboo Rathore
www.wweek.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:30 PM
If you break down the numbers in this story, the addition of 11,740 full-time support staff added to Oregon’s 1,200+ public schools since the pandemic is about 10 staff per school since 2020, or about two new hires per school per year.
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
Please take the time to read what the children detained in Dilley wrote me in their own words: www.propublica.org/article/ice-... 10/
“I Have Been Here Too Long”: Read Letters from the Children Detained at ICE’s Dilley Facility
Hundreds of children are currently being held with their parents at an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas. In letters and drawings, eight kids convey the pain of feeling trapped with no end...
www.propublica.org
February 9, 2026 at 11:21 AM
Please take the time to read what the children detained in Dilley wrote me in their own words: www.propublica.org/article/ice-... 10/
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
Through a partnership with the nonprofit Report for America, The Oregonian/OregonLive is launching a “Business & culture of women’s sports” beat.
https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2026/02/letter-from-the-editor-readers-asked-for-womens-sports-coverage-we-listened-and-need-your-help.html
https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2026/02/letter-from-the-editor-readers-asked-for-womens-sports-coverage-we-listened-and-need-your-help.html
February 8, 2026 at 9:09 PM
Through a partnership with the nonprofit Report for America, The Oregonian/OregonLive is launching a “Business & culture of women’s sports” beat.
https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2026/02/letter-from-the-editor-readers-asked-for-womens-sports-coverage-we-listened-and-need-your-help.html
https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2026/02/letter-from-the-editor-readers-asked-for-womens-sports-coverage-we-listened-and-need-your-help.html
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
I am escorting the Crespo-Gonzalez family, including their seven year old daughter, back to Oregon now.
Out of respect for the family, additional information is not being shared at this time.
Out of respect for the family, additional information is not being shared at this time.
February 7, 2026 at 1:07 AM
I am escorting the Crespo-Gonzalez family, including their seven year old daughter, back to Oregon now.
Out of respect for the family, additional information is not being shared at this time.
Out of respect for the family, additional information is not being shared at this time.
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
BREAKING: The federal government has filed a motion seeking to end asylum claims for the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, according to the lawyer representing the family.
DHS has requested expedited deportation proceedings against family of Liam Conejo Ramos
The federal government has filed a motion seeking to end asylum claims for the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, according to the lawyer representing the family.
www.mprnews.org
February 6, 2026 at 2:17 AM
BREAKING: The federal government has filed a motion seeking to end asylum claims for the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, according to the lawyer representing the family.
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
And while we make our stories free to read as a public service, producing them costs money. Your donations help our team earn a living wage, pay office rent in and near the Capitol, hire freelancers and pay for records. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/donate
Donate • Oregon Capital Chronicle
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:03 AM
And while we make our stories free to read as a public service, producing them costs money. Your donations help our team earn a living wage, pay office rent in and near the Capitol, hire freelancers and pay for records. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/donate
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
The #orleg is mostly done with its first week, and what a week it’s been! Our small but mighty @oregoncapitalchronicle.com team has been busy catching all the developments we can. Here’s a thread on what you may have missed…
an orange and white cat is playing with a cardboard box
ALT: an orange and white cat is playing with a cardboard box
media.tenor.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:03 AM
The #orleg is mostly done with its first week, and what a week it’s been! Our small but mighty @oregoncapitalchronicle.com team has been busy catching all the developments we can. Here’s a thread on what you may have missed…
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
Need a quick primer on the big issues of session? @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social has you covered. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/02/r...
Roads funding, budget deficit, protecting Oregon’s immigrants top 2026 legislative priorities • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Lawmakers will consider more than 250 bills in a five-week session meant to balance the state’s budget and tackle urgent issues.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:03 AM
Need a quick primer on the big issues of session? @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social has you covered. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/02/r...
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
With employees afraid to work and customers fearful, Minneapolis businesses are losing $10 million to $20 million in sales a week, with revenue down more than half in the two months since Operation Metro Surge began, according to city estimates.
Minneapolis businesses losing millions in sales each week as ICE operation continues
Immigrant-owned businesses are bearing the brunt of the losses from Operation Metro Surge, but effects are widespread.
www.startribune.com
February 5, 2026 at 9:37 PM
With employees afraid to work and customers fearful, Minneapolis businesses are losing $10 million to $20 million in sales a week, with revenue down more than half in the two months since Operation Metro Surge began, according to city estimates.
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
"The climate disasters underlying the insurance crisis in California are the result of a decades-long, coordinated campaign of deception launched and orchestrated by major fossil fuel companies,”
Read more at: www.sacbee.com/news/politic...
Read more at: www.sacbee.com/news/politic...
New bill aims to allow California AG to sue oil companies for disaster costs
“This bill is about getting Big Oil to the table to help pay their fair share,” said one supporter of the measure.
www.sacbee.com
February 5, 2026 at 9:40 PM
"The climate disasters underlying the insurance crisis in California are the result of a decades-long, coordinated campaign of deception launched and orchestrated by major fossil fuel companies,”
Read more at: www.sacbee.com/news/politic...
Read more at: www.sacbee.com/news/politic...
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
As Oregon lawmakers weigh how to balance the state’s budget, hundreds of Oregonians visited the Capitol to plead with them not to cut funding for public defense, career and technical education and kids with disabilities.
Parents, educators, workers ask Oregon lawmakers to separate from federal tax code • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Hundreds visited the Oregon statehouse asking lawmakers not to cut funding for public defense, education and youth disability programs.
buff.ly
February 4, 2026 at 9:51 PM
As Oregon lawmakers weigh how to balance the state’s budget, hundreds of Oregonians visited the Capitol to plead with them not to cut funding for public defense, career and technical education and kids with disabilities.
Reposted by Alex Baumhardt
A federal judge on Wednesday issued a ruling blocking federal immigration agents from making warrantless arrests in Oregon, joining Washington D.C. and Colorado with similar rules in place. buff.ly/pnsUC4f by @miamaldonado.bsky.social
Federal judge blocks immigration agents from making warrantless arrests in Oregon • Oregon Capital Chronicle
A federal judge on Wednesday issued a ruling blocking federal immigration agents from making warrantless arrests in Oregon.
buff.ly
February 5, 2026 at 5:45 PM
A federal judge on Wednesday issued a ruling blocking federal immigration agents from making warrantless arrests in Oregon, joining Washington D.C. and Colorado with similar rules in place. buff.ly/pnsUC4f by @miamaldonado.bsky.social