Speaker Paul Ryan Will Not Seek Re-election in November
The New York Times
Mr. Ryan said he will serve until the end of this Congress in January, which will mark 20 years in Congress. He insisted he will be “leaving this majority in good hands with what I believe is a very bright future.”
ELECTIONS
Roseburg Republican Dallas Heard selected to replace disgraced ex-lawmaker Jeff Kruse
The Oregonian
Roseburg Republican Dallas Heard is expected to be sworn next week to temporarily replace Jeff Kruse, who resigned his Senate seat in February after he was found to have inappropriately touched women in the Capitol.
Republican candidate for Oregon Legislature frequently disparages Jews and Muslims on social media
Register-Guard
Powell has filed as a Republican but isn’t supported by the party, which has backed Mark Herbert, the other GOP candidate in the House District 11 race. Preston Mann, a spokesman for House Republicans’ campaign committee, on Monday called on Powell to withdraw from the race, after being informed of the social media postings by a reporter.
“Joshua Powell should not be running for public office,” Mann said in a written statement. “His record of bigotry and racial and religious hatred is disgusting and represents the worst fringes of our society. “If he refuses (to withdraw), I have no doubt the voters of House District 11 will deliver him the rebuke he deserves on May 15.”
State Sen. Rod Monroe Faces Something Rare: Two Credible Challengers in a Democratic Primary
Willamette Week
Now Portland is witnessing something nearly as rare as a dodo bird—a competitive primary for a Democratic incumbent. On each doorstep, Fagan mentions Monroe’s long tenure without a significant re-election challenge. “He’s been in office for over 40 years,” she says. “I think it’s time for a fresh look at some of the chronic challenges.” Fagan and Monroe’s other challenger, Kayse Jama, executive director of racial-justice and immigrant-rights nonprofit Unite Oregon, argue they will bring that change.
Three newcomers square off in labor commissioner race
Bend Bulletin
Ogden, 63, has been the mayor of Tualatin for the past 24 years. During his time in office, the Portland suburb attracted a branch of Lam Research, a California-based tech company that is the city’s largest employer. Ogden also oversaw the development of Bridgeport Village, an outdoor shopping mall that spans Tualatin and nearby Tigard, along with new roads and schools. He said his ability to collaborate sets him apart.
Two GOP Candidates for Gov. Face Off in Redmond
KBND
Central Oregon businessman Sam Carpenter says one of Oregon’s biggest problems is that no one is held responsible for using taxpayer dollars wisely. “What are the two most spendy sections of our economy? You have to ask yourself that before we can answer this question. One is Healthcare, and One is education. What is the commonality here? The government runs it.” He told the crowd he believes the best way to reform the government is to vote. “In America, every two years we get to go to the ballot box and change things; it’s a revolution opportunity every two years! This is what Trump was all about, isn’t it?”
STATE GOVERNMENT
Some question necessity of special session
East Oregonian
But Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, sees the special session as a political gambit. “This is about politics not policy,” Boquist wrote in an email to the EO/Pamplin Capital Bureau on Monday.
The lower tax rates were initially engineered in 2013 during a special session as part of a package referred to as the “Grand Bargain.” “Sole proprietors were kept out of the 2013 special session bill as the Democrats did not want to lose anymore revenue by adding them into the state (pass-through entity) law,” Boquist wrote. “Since I was in the room, I know this as fact. Now after raising taxes $244 million this biennium, and placing the funds in the ending balance, they want to be able to campaign on ‘tax cuts.’”
Top officials mum on information officer’s departure
East Oregonian
Top officials, including the governor, are mum about the reasons behind the recently announced resignation of Alex Pettit, the state’s chief information officer. But some say they want the next CIO to be someone who is collaborative, communicative and has a clear vision of how to meet the state’s wide-ranging information technology needs. Pettit, who has held the position since 2014, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Governor signs ‘net neutrality’ rules
Wallowa County Chieftain
Oregon and Washington’s new laws could be the beginning of a patchwork internet laws throughout the nation after the FCC’s decision to repeal net neutrality in December.
Governor signs Cleaner Air Oregon
Portland Tribune
Many lawmakers, including House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, expressed mixed emotions about the ultimate product. While Kotek voted for the bill, she later wrote that the compromise “undermined an 18-month public process that brought together stakeholders from all sides of the issue” to address the air toxics problem and propose the original legislation. She said the program would still make “Oregon a leader in air quality programs nationwide. Since the program addresses both new and existing facilities, it provides stronger protections than many air toxics programs across the country.”
Report: Oregon should end solitary confinement
Portland Tribune
Inmates with severe mental health conditions at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem spend an average of nearly 23 hours per day in solitary confinement, according to a report released Tuesday by Disability Rights Oregon. The state in many cases may be violating the inmates’ constitutional rights, the nonprofit advocacy group alleged. Isolation can exacerbate symptoms of mental illness, including depression and anxiety, and many prison systems around the nation have discontinued the practice, said Elizabeth Seaberry, a spokeswoman for the advocacy group.
DUI charge dropped against Oregon’s top prison doc
Bend Bulletin
The top doctor for the Oregon Department of Corrections will not be charged with a crime following an arrest late last year for alleged driving under the influence of intoxicants. Last week a Deschutes County judge approved an order dismissing charges against Bend resident Christopher Peter DiGiulio, who was pulled over Dec. 2 and arrested on suspicion of DUI.
EDUCATION
Oregon fourth-graders lose ground in math, no improvement in grade 8
The Oregonian
Oregon fourth-graders performed significantly worse in math last spring than they did two years earlier and neither fourth- nor eighth-graders registered gains in reading, results of a nationwide exam show.
WOLVES
Oregon grants rancher’s request to kill wolves
East Oregonian
The request asked that collared wolf OR-50, involved in repeated kills in Wallowa County last year, and seven additional wolves traveling with him, be killed to quell chronic cattle loss to wolves in northeastern Baker County.
OPINION
Endorsement: GOP Senate District 6
Register-Guard
Ruck is realistic about the size of some of the issues facing Oregon, and acknowledges they won’t be solved overnight. But her approach of tackling large issues one step at a time with clear goals and benchmarks is a refreshing one. Ruck deserves a chance to make her case to District 6 voters in the general election.
Editorial: A good start in Oregon
Register-Guard
The study found that the opioids performed no better than acetaminophen, an analgesic used in over-the counter medications such as Tylenol, or than a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Eugene next month will host the Oregon Conference on Opioids, Pain and Addiction. Hopefully, reducing the number of opioid prescriptions that are written in Oregon, and implementing strict statewide, uniform guidelines for the use of them, will be a key focus of the meeting.
Editorial: Richardson dodging Cambridge Analytica questions is disingenuous
Statesman Journal Editorial Board
Why isn’t Richardson showing Oregonians what his business was with Cambridge Analytica during his unsuccessful campaign against then-incumbent John Kitzhaber? We want to see the canceled check for $5,000. We want to see the survey results. If it wasn’t nefarious, why not satisfy curious minds and put the information out there for all to see. That would be the end of the story.
Editorial: Gun-storage measure moves toward ballot
Albany Democrat-Herald
“Voters were consistently enthusiastic about supporting safe gun storage and reducing gun violence,” said Paul Kemp, a chief petitioner for Oregonians for Safe Gun Storage, in a press release. “The fact that we were able to quickly gather almost twice the required number of sponsoring signatures gives us optimism about qualifying the measure and passing it in November.”
Guest: Williams damages local NAACP and Roger Stone’s reputations with remarks
Patrick Sheehan, Dorchester Board of Directors
Roger Stone is a lot of things, but a white nationalist is not one of them. When people Like Mr. Williams with the NAACP speak on behalf of their organizations to manipulate the public with dishonest rhetoric, they damage not only their own reputations, but those of whom they represent.