Last fall, voters in Washington state approved a package of firearms restrictions, generally called I-1639. It raises the minimum age for buying semi-automatic rifles, tightens background checks and makes it a crime to fail to store a gun safely, if the gun ends up in the wrong hands.

The restrictions have raised the ire of some county sheriffs.

Republican lawmakers on Wednesday refused to attend a hearing of a high-profile legislative committee, initiating a showdown with Democratic leaders over conduct by a senior member of their party.

READ MORE: Rep. Mitch Greenlick Out As Chair Of Oregon House Health Care Committee

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler says he's exploring his options to try to block the growth of a terminal that unloads oil train cars in North Portland.

Zenith Energy, tucked between the river and Forest Park in the city’s northwest industrial district, began receiving train shipments of crude from Canada’s oil sands last year, records show. Now there are obvious signs of construction underway; the company is building three new rail platforms used to offload oil.

As marijuana becomes legal around the country, blacks and Latinos are often left out of new business opportunities. Advocates say people of color are often reluctant to join the growing legal marijuana economy because they were targeted far more often than whites during the war on drugs. Studies show members of such communities were arrested and jailed for illegal marijuana use far more often than whites.

The Eugene City Council listened to over 40 community members during a public hearing on a new panhandling ordinance last night. If passed, the city could start fining motorists $50 for handing out personal property, including money, to pedestrians on the street.

The Oregon Center for Public Policy says the state’s low unemployment rate doesn’t necessarily mean fewer families are living in poverty. The group’s newest report suggests that over 68 percent of households with one working parent live below the poverty line.