Following a week-long trial in early June, U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut ruled on July 14 that Oregon’s voter-approved gun safety laws are constitutional under the United States Constitution. For now, though, Ballot Measure 114 remains on hold due to a state court injunction. The case is among the first challenges heard since the…

SALEM, Ore.—The bodies of four women began appearing in wooded areas in northwest Oregon in February, though police initially said the cases appeared to be unconnected. But on Monday, prosecutors dropped a bombshell, saying they are linked and “at least one person of interest” has been identified. The state medical examiner has not determined the…

After the word got out on Friday that a Portland county was ready and set to distribute “smoking supplies,” including aluminum foil, straws, and pipes to fentanyl smokers, the program was suspended. The Multnomah County program was met with sharp criticism from health experts, Portland citizens, and even the mayor. The program was put on…

The Supreme Court ruled on June 30 in favor of Christian bakers who said Oregon’s law requiring them to make cakes to celebrate same-sex weddings infringed on their constitutional rights. The decision came hours after the nation’s highest court issued a landmark 6–3 ruling in favor of Christian website designer Lorie Smith of 303 Creative who…

Oregon’s most populous county is suing more than a dozen fossil fuel and coal-producing companies for nearly $52 billion. The county is seeking to hold defendants accountable for damages related to an extreme weather event that it attributes to climate change. Multnomah County, home to Portland, joins more than two dozen other cities and counties…

An Oregon law that forbids recording in public without consent runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, a U.S. court has ruled. Oregon law 165.540, first enacted in 1955 and subsequently broadened to bar secret recording of conversations, is unconstitutional, Judge Sandra Ikuta, a George W. Bush appointee writing for the majority in the 2–1…

They spotted the beached giant octopus between two rock formations along the Oregon Coast on June 7. Floundering in the receding tide, the rust-red cephalopod lay with legs splayed out helplessly in the sand between Haystack Rock and the Needles—another famous coastal formation. It was still morning and the visitor promptly alerted a Rocky Shore…

Dozens of health care clinics in Oregon lost workers because of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate imposed by the state’s health agency, according to a new study. About half of clinics that filled out surveys reported losing workers. The majority of those reporting the loss of employees are situated in rural areas. “Oregon’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate…

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has backtracked on his proposed plan to ban public drug use, saying that the bill is no longer necessary. Under current state law, possessing a small amount of illicit drugs is treated as a civil violation, not a criminal offense, and a $100 fine. House Bill 2645 would have increased penalties for fentanyl…

Oregon becomes the latest state to put ranked-choice voting on the ballot, as the measure was passed on Sunday by state Democrats in one of their final actions of the 2023 session. This move will give voters the final say on the November 2024 ballot and decide whether Oregon’s future statewide and federal races should be conducted…