Dirk VanderHart
JPR Oregon State Capitol CorrespondentDirk VanderHart covers Oregon politics and government for Oregon Public Broadcasting, a JPR news partner. His reporting comes to JPR through the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington. Before barging onto the radio in 2018, Dirk spent more than a decade as a newspaper reporter—much of that time reporting on city government for the Portland Mercury.
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While the state has helped thousands of people out of homelessness, recent counts show the problem increasing in much of the state. -
The Department of Homeland Security said its agent shot at gang members in self-defense. Still, hundreds protested at Portland’s ICE facility, and hundreds more held a vigil at City Hall. -
The development comes after a Republican-led campaign delayed key tax increases in the bill. -
Many of the biggest political stories from 2025 are not going away. -
The proposals come after revelations that hundreds of possible noncitizens were registered to vote in error. -
Hundreds of bills passed in the first half of 2025 take effect New Year’s Day. -
The state Department of Justice says the Trump administration hasn’t met key requirements. -
Republicans who have blocked new tax revenues now argue emergency funds might be needed. -
The submission will likely ensure a gas tax increase approved by lawmakers this year doesn’t take effect. -
This comes after a judge last month ordered the Coast Guard to return the helicopter immediately while a lawsuit challenging its abrupt removal proceeds. -
The governor has unveiled a “prosperity roadmap” that aims to juice the state’s economy. -
The temporary order comes just three days after a lawsuit challenging the removal. The U.S. Coast Guard has stationed a rescue helicopter in Newport since 1987, not long after three fishermen died when their boat capsized roughly 20 miles off the central coast.
