TOP STORIES
Missouri to hold session to consider impeaching governor
The Register-Guard
All of Missouri’s top Republican and Democratic legislative leaders already had called on Greitens to resign, which he has declined to do. “Pursuing impeachment against a Missouri governor is history none of us wants to make, but Eric Greitens’ actions have made it unavoidable,” said House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty.
LEIF TO JOIN LEGISLATURE NEXT WEDNESDAY
KQEN NEWS RADIO
Leif was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Dallas Heard when he recently moved to the Oregon State Senate. Leif will fill the seat for the rest of this year, and is a candidate for the position in the May Primary Election.
Lawmaker hopes Oregon ‘Special Session’ focuses on tax cuts
NBC
“I just hope, having pulled us in on that excuse that they don’t expand the legislatures prerogative at that point and begin passing gun control bills, rent control bills, cap and trade bills, because once they’re in session, they can do whatever they want,” said McLane.
Portland campaign to tax large corporations to address climate change gets go-ahead
Portland Tribune
“We are good to go, and the measure is constitutional, and we are ready to hit the streets on signature collection,” said Damon Motz-Storey, spokesman for the campaign. The ballot initiative would levy a 1 percent surcharge based on the sales of retailers and service companies with more than $1 billion in total sales and $500,000 in Portland sales, with money going to pay for solar panels, home weatherization, job training and other projects to reduce carbon emissions.
STATE GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Willamette Week
In a brief interview with Secretary of State Dennis Richardson published this week, WW asked Richardson about his relationship with other state-wide elected officials, who are all Democrats. Richardson said he’d gotten a cold shoulder from Gov. Kate Brown. Chris Pair, a spokesman for Brown, took issue with that characterization.
ELECTIONS
Portland Tribune
“Oregon voters need to know where their governor stands on issues, and they deserve to know that their governor is playing by the rules and paying their fair share,” Brown said in a statement. Both Wooldridge and Carpenter declined a request from the Pamplin/EO Capital Bureau for a copy of their 2017 tax returns. Buehler will consider releasing his tax returns after the primary election, said his campaign manager, Rebecca Tweed.
DHS & FOSTER CARE
Lawsuit Alleges Oregon Failed To Care For Foster Kids
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Instead of investigating when signs of abuse surfaced, the lawsuit alleges the state Department of Human Services attempted to cover up the severity of the abuse and its own lack of oversight in the foster home.
Workplace culture at the heart of DHS problems
Portland Tribune
The lawsuit, filed last Friday in U.S. District Court, claims DHS mishandled placement and subsequent physical and sexual abuse allegations of three foster children at a home in Keizer. The plaintiffs contend that many of the missteps by DHS in the case were “consistent with its organizational culture and lack of accountability.”
Oregon pilot program for foster system lawyers ‘wildly successful’ but limited
The Oregonian/OregonLive
In the first two counties where the new approach was instituted, Linn and Yamhill, it appears to benefit both families and taxpayers: A higher share of children have been returned to their parents, and fewer children enter the of foster care system in the first place. The wait time for children to get permanent homes – adoption, guardianship or a return to biological parents – also decreased.
AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENT
Klamath Falls farmer struggling to stay afloat after water decision
News 10
“Devastating is kind of an understatement. My family has been here since 1909 and everything we’ve worked for our whole entire life is in jeopardy,” said the fifth generation farmer. Earlier this week, a federal judge denied farmers, like Cheyne’s, request to overturn a ruling to save water to protect salmon.
$10.3 million in drought relief OK’d
Herald and News
“They understand the importance and the dire situation we’re in and the need to move as rapidly as possible on the water,” Walden said. “I know they’re working and I know they’re working in good faith, and we’re looking forward to getting our hands on the work plan as well.”
Herald and News
Tom Collom, with Oregon Fish and Wildlife, said federal delisting would not automatically mean ranchers could cull wolves. This news was frustrating for residents who believe they are being forced to live with wolves by policymakers who have no understanding of or investment in livestock production.
Another Willamette Valley county says no to solar on prime farmland
Portland Business Journal
The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners on Thursday adopted a ban on commercial solar power projects on high-value farmland. A 2-1 vote made it the second Willamette Valley county to choose green fields over green energy; last month, Marion County put a moratorium on solar applications while it works on a long-term policy.
BUSINESS
Nike CEO calls all-staff meeting to apologize for company culture
Portland Business Journal
Parker commended the employees that called out issues at Nike, saying “their voices do matter … and your bravery is making us better.” Parker went on to describe the evolution Nike must now make in light of the revelations about the company’s culture, which some current and former female employees have described as a “boys’ club.”
Fast-food restaurants feeling labor shortage
The Bend Bulletin
With unemployment at a 17-year low, businesses everywhere are struggling to find workers. Fast food is feeling the pinch acutely, especially as one important source of workers has dried up. In 2000, about 45 percent of those between 16 and 19 had a job — today, it’s 30 percent.
California court rules on case involving gig-economy jobs
The Bend Bulletin
A sweeping California Supreme Court ruling that redefines when employers can classify workers as independent contractors could blow up the business models of Uber, Lyft and dozens of other companies that rely on gig workers.
Oregon’s tech industry appears to have plateaued
The Oregonian/OregonLive
Tech employment in Oregon, which grew by 6.6 percent in 2010, expanded less than 1 percent in each of the past two years, the numbers show, and tech’s share of Oregon’s job market has fallen modestly in that time.
Hemp industry loses case against US drug enforcement agency
Corvallis Gazette-Times
The decision, issued Monday by a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit in San Francisco, means that hemp producers can only sell cannabidiol where it is allowed under state law. It also means that states that allow CBD — even if they don’t allow the sale of high-THC marijuana – are violating federal law, the same as states that allow recreational cannabis.
POPULATION & URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARIES
Sherwood withdraws growth boundary request
Portland Tribune
The Sherwood City Council has voted unanimously to halt a proposal to grow by several hundred acres. The effect on the rest of the region is unclear. The entire region is experiencing an affordable housing crisis, in large part because of a lack of new homes for the thousands of people moving here every year.
Oregon’s Natural Population Growth Hit Record Low Last Year, As Deaths Increased Faster Than Births
Willamette Week
One bleak sign for rural Oregon: between 2010 and 2017, 16 counties, Josephine, Douglas, Coos, Curry, Lincoln, Tillamook, Crook, Baker, Wallowa, Lake, Wheeler, Wasco, Gilliam, and Sherman, recorded more deaths than births.
OTHER
OREGON HORSE FILES $100,000 SUIT AGAINST FORMER OWNER FOR NEGLECT
KDVR
The suit claims that Oregon law and legal precedent has established that a horse is a ‘sentient being,’ and can be ‘the victim of the crime—an animal entitled to statutory protection.’ “Oregon courts recognize both that animals are victims and that victims have a right to sue their abusers,” the suit claims.
OPINION
Guest column: Oregon needs Knute Buehler’s vision and leadership
The Bend Bulletin
We need a governor who can articulate viable options and shows the commitment and fortitude to address the difficult and complex issues that worry us all.
Ogden gets nod in BOLI race; position shouldn’t be elected
Portland Tribune
But more importantly, we urge the governor and the Legislature to address an issue that has been obvious for years, and is glaringly obvious this year: The Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries should not be an elected position.
Ogden best choice for BOLI post
Herald and News
Without hesitation, he condemned the big-punishment approach of Commissioner Avakian saying that the $135,000 fine in the Melissa Wedding cake case that put the bakery out of business, was excessive and should not have rolled out as it did. In contrast his opponent Hoyle said she really didn’t know enough about the case to have an opinion. Really?
DNA a great help to law enforcement but just how far should its use go?
Herald and News
The potential for abuse is rampant. DNA is not like a fingerprint. Someone’s genetic code can reveal all sorts of things, such as whether the person has a chronic medical condition or is at risk for developing cancer.