Dirk VanderHart
Reporter | Oregon State Capitol CorrespondentDirk VanderHart is JPR's Salem correspondent reporting from the Oregon State Capitol. His reporting is funded through a collaboration between public radio stations around the Northwest called the Northwest News Network. Before barging onto the radio in 2018, he spent more than a decade as a newspaper reporter—much of that time reporting on city government for the Portland Mercury. He’s also had stints covering chicanery in Southwest Missouri, the wilds of Ohio in Ohio, and all things Texas on Capitol Hill.
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At least six have reduced the number of places where voters can submit their ballots because of the pandemic. Others have expanded. -
Treasurer Tobias Read and challenger Jeff Gudman are squaring off in a rematch of the tight 2016 race.
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Democrats believe there's a chance a "blue wave" year could give them larger majorities in the House and Senate. But Republicans have plenty of opportunity to make up lost ground.
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A state representative is among the chief petitioners in proposals to open up lawmakers to lawsuits and require cities to crack down on unlawful protests.
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The proposal would open the door for a wide array of campaign finance regulations in Oregon, currently one of the most permissive states in the country.
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State economists now expect the pandemic won't cut meaningfully into revenues for the current budget. They warn that future budgets will still be painful.
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Senate President Peter Courtney says he worries Gov. Kate Brown is setting a bad precedent, but that a fight might not be worth it.
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With the vetoes, Brown will block more than $18 million in planned cuts to state agencies. She'll also snatch back $100 million legislators had earmarked for emergency spending on the pandemic.
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The Oregon Republican Party on Monday said it had fallen less than 3,000 signatures short of the minimum number needed to trigger a recall election.
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The plan includes more involvement from federal authorities, along with assistance from state and county agencies.
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While Washington and California have taken strong stances on utility shutoffs, Gov. Kate Brown has been quiet on the issue.
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Secretary of State Bev Clarno and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum have offered sharply different takes in recent days about what Postal Service delays might mean.
