Oregon Capital Chronicle
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After at least four humpback whales were entangled this year in Oregon in commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear, conservation groups are petitioning Oregon Fish & Wildlife to adopt new gear rules during whale feeding and migration seasons:
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/25/c...
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/25/c...
Conservation groups urge Oregon to reduce whale deaths from crab fishing gear • Oregon Capital Chronicle
At least four humpback whales were entangled this year in Oregon commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear, according to ODFW.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
December 26, 2025 at 6:43 PM
After at least four humpback whales were entangled this year in Oregon in commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear, conservation groups are petitioning Oregon Fish & Wildlife to adopt new gear rules during whale feeding and migration seasons:
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/25/c...
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/25/c...
Reposted by Oregon Capital Chronicle
From our incredible D.C. Bureau, a look back at the historic year that was 2025. @jennifershutt.bsky.social takes a month-by-month look at the decisions and events that shaped the year.
www.newsfromthestates.com/article/depo...
www.newsfromthestates.com/article/depo...
Deportations, tariffs, court clashes, record shutdown mark a historic year in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON — This year produced a seemingly endless array of history-making events and nearly constant change to immigration policy, tariffs, the Education Department and federal health care programs....
www.newsfromthestates.com
December 26, 2025 at 6:37 PM
From our incredible D.C. Bureau, a look back at the historic year that was 2025. @jennifershutt.bsky.social takes a month-by-month look at the decisions and events that shaped the year.
www.newsfromthestates.com/article/depo...
www.newsfromthestates.com/article/depo...
The petition, filed earlier this month, comes weeks after a young entangled humpback whale was found stranded on a beach north of Yachats. buff.ly/FYC9nbt
Conservation groups urge Oregon to reduce whale deaths from crab fishing gear • Oregon Capital Chronicle
At least four humpback whales were entangled this year in Oregon commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear, according to ODFW.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
December 25, 2025 at 7:54 PM
The petition, filed earlier this month, comes weeks after a young entangled humpback whale was found stranded on a beach north of Yachats. buff.ly/FYC9nbt
Attorney General Dan Rayfield, who led the Oregon House when it passed some of the nation’s strongest laws to protect access to transgender health care, is suing the federal government over efforts to bar gender-affirming care for minors by stripping federal funding.
Oregon leads lawsuit over Kennedy's efforts to ban gender-affirming care for minors • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Attorney General Dan Rayfield is suing the federal government over efforts to bar gender-affirming care for minors by stripping federal funding.
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December 24, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Attorney General Dan Rayfield, who led the Oregon House when it passed some of the nation’s strongest laws to protect access to transgender health care, is suing the federal government over efforts to bar gender-affirming care for minors by stripping federal funding.
Federal prosecutors have sent a million more pages related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the Department of Justice, which plans to release them in the coming weeks, officials said Wednesday @jennifershutt.bsky.social reports: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/24/r...
NY federal officials submit 1 million more pages of Epstein files • Oregon Capital Chronicle
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors have sent a million more pages related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the Department of Justice, which plans to release them in the coming weeks, official...
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
December 24, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Federal prosecutors have sent a million more pages related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the Department of Justice, which plans to release them in the coming weeks, officials said Wednesday @jennifershutt.bsky.social reports: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/24/r...
Reposted by Oregon Capital Chronicle
DHS response: “The Department of Homeland Security reserves the right to use its own property to support its own operations in the mission given to it by the American people to uphold the laws they passed through Congress. No lawsuit is going to stop us from fulfilling that mission.”
Suspecting the federal government plans to open a large-scale Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Newport’s airport early next year, the state of Oregon asked a federal judge to block construction. buff.ly/YIjHiTZ
Anticipating early 2026 opening, Oregon seeks to block potential Newport ICE facility • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon attorneys say the Trump administration is skirting environmental regulations which would require notice to create such a facility.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
December 24, 2025 at 8:08 PM
DHS response: “The Department of Homeland Security reserves the right to use its own property to support its own operations in the mission given to it by the American people to uphold the laws they passed through Congress. No lawsuit is going to stop us from fulfilling that mission.”
Social workers nationwide directed furious complaints toward their national association, demanding accountability, transparency and an external review of finances in the wake of a structural realignment that jettisoned 14 state-level leaders:
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/24/r...
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/24/r...
Social workers question spending, standards and 'harmful dynamics' at national association • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Social workers nationwide directed furious complaints toward their national association, demanding accountability, transparency.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
December 24, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Social workers nationwide directed furious complaints toward their national association, demanding accountability, transparency and an external review of finances in the wake of a structural realignment that jettisoned 14 state-level leaders:
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/24/r...
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/24/r...
President Donald Trump for now has not met the requirements to send National Guard troops to Chicago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday afternoon in a major setback for the president that could have ramifications for Portland.
US Supreme Court in defeat for Trump blocks deployment of National Guard in Chicago • Oregon Capital Chronicle
President Donald Trump for now has not met the requirements to send National Guard troops to Chicago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday afternoon in a major setback for the president. The court’s…
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December 24, 2025 at 12:44 AM
President Donald Trump for now has not met the requirements to send National Guard troops to Chicago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday afternoon in a major setback for the president that could have ramifications for Portland.
A landmark 2017 Oregon law that limited how much hospitals can bill state employees’ health care plans has saved the state around $50 million annually without harming providers’ ability to operate, according to a new report.
First-in-the-nation Oregon law capping state employee hospital payments is working, study says • Oregon Capital Chronicle
A leading hospital industry group in Oregon sharply disagreed with the study findings and called them "tone deaf."
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December 23, 2025 at 11:33 PM
A landmark 2017 Oregon law that limited how much hospitals can bill state employees’ health care plans has saved the state around $50 million annually without harming providers’ ability to operate, according to a new report.
An eastern Oregon group is considering rehiring an influential state lawmaker, despite state ethics watchdogs recently concluding he violated state laws when he inserted a $66,000 raise into a grant contract without his employer’s knowledge. buff.ly/iQLjK3n
East Oregon board deceived by Rep. Greg Smith’s illegal pay raise considers rehiring him • Oregon Capital Chronicle
The board of the Columbia Development Authority proposed a $294,000 a year contract to Smith to stay on as executive director through 2028.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:23 PM
An eastern Oregon group is considering rehiring an influential state lawmaker, despite state ethics watchdogs recently concluding he violated state laws when he inserted a $66,000 raise into a grant contract without his employer’s knowledge. buff.ly/iQLjK3n
A nonprofit dedicated to restoration projects along Oregon’s Central Coast will receive $2.2 million to restore tidal habitats threatened by erosion, flooding and drought.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/briefs/orego...
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/briefs/orego...
Oregon Central Coast to receive $2.2 million to restore tidal wetlands • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon’s Central Coast will receive $2.2 million to restore tidal habitats threatened by erosion, flooding and drought.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:05 PM
A nonprofit dedicated to restoration projects along Oregon’s Central Coast will receive $2.2 million to restore tidal habitats threatened by erosion, flooding and drought.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/briefs/orego...
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/briefs/orego...
Telehealth made sure guest columnist Ashley Cramer is here with her family despite experiencing a mental health crisis. Could expanded services help with the state's 13th highest suicide rate?
This holiday season, I’m thankful for telehealth. Oregon must protect access. • Oregon Capital Chronicle
My first holiday season in Oregon was not planned. I did not move here for a new job, family or a change of scenery. I came because I had to. I was fleeing a domestic violence situation with my two…
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December 23, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Telehealth made sure guest columnist Ashley Cramer is here with her family despite experiencing a mental health crisis. Could expanded services help with the state's 13th highest suicide rate?
The U.S. Department of Justice early Tuesday released thousands more files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with several referencing President Donald Trump.
Trump appears in several files of latest Epstein release • Oregon Capital Chronicle
The U.S. Department of Justice released thousands more files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with several referencing Donald Trump.
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December 23, 2025 at 7:11 PM
The U.S. Department of Justice early Tuesday released thousands more files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with several referencing President Donald Trump.
As more cities impose bans, fines or jail time for adults living on the streets, young people who have been homeless say they face unique problems that could have been addressed earlier. buff.ly/DzJD4mF
Homeless youth say they need more from schools, social services • Oregon Capital Chronicle
As more cities impose bans, fines or jail time for adults living on the streets, young people who have been homeless say they face unique problems that could have been addressed earlier.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
December 23, 2025 at 6:17 PM
As more cities impose bans, fines or jail time for adults living on the streets, young people who have been homeless say they face unique problems that could have been addressed earlier. buff.ly/DzJD4mF
The Democratic attorneys general of 21 states and Washington, D.C., are suing the Trump administration for its attempts to defund the Obama-era federal agency created to protect Americans from consumer fraud and discriminatory lending. buff.ly/oTear2O
Democratic states sue Trump administration for attempts to defund consumer watchdog agency • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Congress in 2010 established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to become the country’s first financial regulatory agency.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:16 AM
The Democratic attorneys general of 21 states and Washington, D.C., are suing the Trump administration for its attempts to defund the Obama-era federal agency created to protect Americans from consumer fraud and discriminatory lending. buff.ly/oTear2O
Suspecting the federal government plans to open a large-scale Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Newport’s airport early next year, the state of Oregon asked a federal judge to block construction. buff.ly/YIjHiTZ
Anticipating early 2026 opening, Oregon seeks to block potential Newport ICE facility • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon attorneys say the Trump administration is skirting environmental regulations which would require notice to create such a facility.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
December 22, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Suspecting the federal government plans to open a large-scale Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Newport’s airport early next year, the state of Oregon asked a federal judge to block construction. buff.ly/YIjHiTZ
As some states engage in an extraordinary redraw of congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, state courts may decide the fate of the new maps.
As Supreme Court pulls back on gerrymandering, state courts may decide fate of maps • Oregon Capital Chronicle
As some states engage in an extraordinary redraw of congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, state courts may decide the fate of the new maps.
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December 22, 2025 at 8:15 PM
As some states engage in an extraordinary redraw of congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, state courts may decide the fate of the new maps.
Saying that “selling national parks was never on the table,” Utah Sen. Mike Lee is no longer proposing a change to federal legislation that drew heavy criticism from conservation groups.
Mike Lee backs off change that advocates called a ‘green light’ to sell national parks • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Utah Sen. Mike Lee is no longer proposing a change to federal legislation that drew criticism from conservation groups, his office said.
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December 22, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Saying that “selling national parks was never on the table,” Utah Sen. Mike Lee is no longer proposing a change to federal legislation that drew heavy criticism from conservation groups.
The short-lived Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act is coming to an end. The law expires at the end of 2025. Any wildfire-related settlement payments beginning in 2026 will again be subject to federal income taxes.
No more federal income tax relief for wildfire survivors after Congress fails to extend exemption • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Congress failed to vote on an extension of the 2024 Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act that was co-sponsored by Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden.
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December 22, 2025 at 5:45 PM
The short-lived Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act is coming to an end. The law expires at the end of 2025. Any wildfire-related settlement payments beginning in 2026 will again be subject to federal income taxes.
Oregon's @senlisareynolds.bsky.social is featured in the latest episode of @statesnewsroom.com's "Stories from the States" podcast, on who should decide which vaccines children get.
Who decides what vaccines a child should get? • Oregon Capital Chronicle
As childhood vaccination rates fall, several diseases once considered eradicated are back and spreading, most notably measles and whooping cough. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has…
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December 19, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Oregon's @senlisareynolds.bsky.social is featured in the latest episode of @statesnewsroom.com's "Stories from the States" podcast, on who should decide which vaccines children get.
Going into the fourth year without federal abortion rights protections, groups that helped overturn Roe v. Wade are focused on cutting off access to abortion pills.
EPA, state lawmakers could consider regulating abortion pills as pollutants in 2026 • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Going into the fourth year without federal abortion rights protections, groups that helped overturn Roe v. Wade are focused on cutting off access to abortion pills. As multiple lawsuits over the…
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December 19, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Going into the fourth year without federal abortion rights protections, groups that helped overturn Roe v. Wade are focused on cutting off access to abortion pills.
The Department of Justice is expected to release records Friday related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but questions remained over whether officials will meet the requirements of a law overwhelmingly backed by both Republicans and Democrats.
Criticism erupts after DOJ official says some Epstein files will emerge after deadline • Oregon Capital Chronicle
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice is expected to release records Friday related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but questions remained over whether officials will meet the requirements…
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December 19, 2025 at 9:23 PM
The Department of Justice is expected to release records Friday related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but questions remained over whether officials will meet the requirements of a law overwhelmingly backed by both Republicans and Democrats.
Speaking through plexiglass holes, strict 30-minute time limits and threats of trespassing — these are some of the conditions immigration lawyers in Oregon say they’ve faced while trying to provide legal representation to clients. buff.ly/r6a7zO6
Oregon immigration lawyers say they face more restrictions under Trump • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Plaintiffs are asking U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken to require that immigration officials give people detained access to their counsel.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
December 19, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Speaking through plexiglass holes, strict 30-minute time limits and threats of trespassing — these are some of the conditions immigration lawyers in Oregon say they’ve faced while trying to provide legal representation to clients. buff.ly/r6a7zO6
The U.S. House passed a bill to remove Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf outside Alaska. Rep. Cliff Bentz, Oregon's lone Republican in Congress, voted to eliminate protections while the state's five Democratic congresswomen opposed the move.
US House passes bill to remove gray wolf from Endangered Species Act list • Oregon Capital Chronicle
The U.S. House on Thursday passed, 211-204, a bill to remove Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf outside Alaska. The bill, sponsored by Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert, would…
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December 19, 2025 at 1:25 AM
The U.S. House passed a bill to remove Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf outside Alaska. Rep. Cliff Bentz, Oregon's lone Republican in Congress, voted to eliminate protections while the state's five Democratic congresswomen opposed the move.
Columnist Randy Stapilus asks: At merging Oregon private colleges, is bigger better?
At college, is bigger better? • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Willamette University is located across the street — State Street, in Salem — from the statehouse, and that has sometimes been a good metaphor for its status in Oregon. Its website labels it “the…
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December 19, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Columnist Randy Stapilus asks: At merging Oregon private colleges, is bigger better?