TOP STORIES
Willamette Week
The city of Portland’s efforts to withhold public records from the Freedom Foundation, a union-busting nonprofit, have ended in failure.
Hundreds join May Day rally at Oregon State Capitol
Statesman Journal
Supporters clutched signs reading “Stop ICE raids” and “Keep Oregon a sanctuary state” and craned their necks to watch Brown sign House Bill 4111 and Senate Bill 1563.
ELECTIONS
Worried About Your Ballot Security This Election? Dennis Richardson Says to Chill Out
Willamette Week
WW: After 17 months in office, what letter grade would you give Oregon for electoral integrity?
Dennis Richardson: I would give us an A. Oregon’s system is as secure or more secure than any other state. And I’ve told people, if the system were corrupt as some critics fear, I never would have been elected.
Candidates present House, Senate case
Hood River News
Helfrich said PERS (Public Employee Retirement System) is the top funding issue that must be solved before change can occur, such as economic development and education.
No rest for 54th House District candidates
The Bend Bulletin
Helt says she plans to reach out to “every voter” regardless of registration. “I am not polarizing,” Helt said. “I work across the aisle. I’ve done that on the school board. I’ve done that in lobbying on issues important to me.”
May primary could determine whether Oregon Legislature’s Democrats move left
The Oregonian/OregonLive
“My biggest priority is that Rod Monroe is not elected so we can make some progress on forward thinking on tenants’ rights in the Legislature,” said Margot Black, an organizer for Portland Tenants United.
Voters can comment on gun initiative titles
Portland Tribune
Voters have until May 8 to comment on a proposed ballot title for a measure that would criminalize the transfer and possession of certain firearms — intended to restrict “assault-style” weapons and high-capacity magazines — in Oregon.
Walden leads in fundraising; McLeod-Skinner is second
Mail Tribune
“We don’t need to outraise Greg Walden,” McLeod-Skinner said. “We just need to get more votes than Greg Walden.
A Donation to an East Portland Incumbent Senator Will Create Awkward Conversations for Democrats
Willamette Week
Democratic interest groups, including the three largest public employee unions and the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, however, have endorsed Fagan. Those groups are also major supporters of the Senate Democrats—which makes the SDLF giving money to Monroe awkward, especially if either Fagan or Jama unseats him.
The Dialogue: How Readers Weighed in On Our Editorial Endorsements for May’s Primary Election
Willamette Week
Barbara Buono, former adviser to Mayor Ted Wheeler, via Twitter: “One of the whitest cities in the U.S. is poised to elect its first woman of color to council. Is Portland ready to walk its progressive talk?”
Willamette Week
“We’ve been losing the culture war in this country big time,” Nations said on the steps of the state Capitol, video shows. “If you haven’t been paying attention, they own the TV, they own the colleges, they own the public schools. Culturally, the war has been over for a long time. And now we’re starting it up again.”
STATE & NATIONAL GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Judge Walker violated victim’s right to be heard, Oregon Supreme Court rules
The Oregonian/OregonLive
His victim was his ex-girlfriend, Dana Parks, who attended Ball’s Jan. 29 sentencing to read her victim’s impact statement. While giving her statement to the court, Parks was interrupted three times by Judge Walker and ultimately not allowed to finish speaking. “I think Ms. Parks has said enough,” Walker said, before walking out of the courtroom.
Planned Parenthood Sues To Block Trump’s ‘Radical Shift’ In Family Planning Program
Oregon Public Broadcasting
The document, known as a Federal Opportunity Announcement, calls for a broad range of family planning services and makes multiple mentions of “fertility awareness” — also known as the rhythm method or natural family planning — but does not specifically mention contraception.
BUSINESS
Hwang to offer franchise deals for Joy Teriyaki chain
The Portland Tribune
“The cost of running a business is rising right now,” Hwang told The Outlook. “I don’t want to fire my employees, and I don’t want to raise my prices. The last option I had was to franchise it, so I have less liability.”
Desperate to hire, more businesses open door to pot smokers
The Associated Press
Those employers and many others are quietly taking what once would have been a radical step: They’re dropping marijuana from the drug tests they require of prospective employees.
Commissioners approve youth wage funding
The Albany Democrat Herald
The program will assist small businesses — 35 employees or fewer — in hiring first-time employment youth, who has not previously worked for the employer.
AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENT
Tensions rise as OWRD regulates wells in Sprague River
Herald and News
Boyd estimates that Upper Basin irrigators, including in the Wood River Valley area, could lose up to 35 percent of their farming revenues due to well shutoffs, adding that it could cause trouble for those growing crops such as alfalfa.
Oregon, Washington Suing EPA Over Vehicle Emission Standards
Oregon Public Broadcasting
“The vehicle emissions standards protect the environment and save consumers money with better fuel economy,” said Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson in a press release. “The EPA once again is ignoring the needs of consumers, its duty to protect the environment and most importantly, the law.”
PUBLIC HEALTH
US opioid crisis passes this disturbing milestone
Mail Tribune
The U.S. opioid crisis has passed a dubious milestone: Overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl have surpassed deaths involving prescription opioids.
OPINION
Bill Post doesn’t think call for a special session a good idea
Representative Bill Post
Gov. Kate Brown has called for a Special Session of the Oregon Legislature for either May or June. This is due to the signing of Senate Bill 1528, the $244 million increase in business taxes. Rather than giving this bill (which had bipartisan “NO” votes) a veto, Brown signed it and then called for a “one day” Special Session to “fix” it.
Editorial: GOP race for governor is intriguing
Corvallis Gazette-Times
The GOP race still seems to be Buehler’s to lose: He has a substantial edge in fundraising and experience, but it’s not entirely clear that Republican voters in Oregon (or elsewhere, for that matter) are that impressed by candidates with political experience.
Editorial: Choose Flynn for Supreme Court
Bend Bulletin Editorial Board
Flynn’s time on the bench and lifetime career in Oregon give her a breadth of knowledge and experience that Pounds cannot match.
Wooldridge shows up: Letter to the editor
The Oregonian/OregonLive
Thankfully, I voted for Greg Wooldridge before reading your editorial. Mocking his flight abilities and alleging lack of governmental experience is a cheap shot.
Rep. Rod Monroe should continue delivering results to East County: Editorial endorsements 2018
The Oregonian Editorial Board
Neither Fagan nor Jama expressed much interest in curbing Oregon’s spending. Instead, they focused their attention and ire almost entirely on the business community, pointing to increased taxation as the solution to Oregon’s budget woes. Yet, their clear disdain for the business community reflects a lack of the political diplomacy needed to negotiate with those same players to secure such revenue increases.
The Oregonian Editorial Board
They should choose Christine Drazan, a 45-year-old mother of three with legislative chops who acutely feels the state’s education crisis. She points to the inequity in her district alone, where one high school graduates 88 percent of its seniors and another has struggled to improve its graduation rate from 38 percent to 44 percent.