Oregon Capital Chronicle

The U.S. Department of Justice plans to send election monitors to every state ahead of Election Day, expanding a longstanding practice that’s spurred concern this year among Democrats and voting rights advocates because of President Donald Trump’s push to influence elections. buff.ly/XL6AWTq

More than 730,000 Oregon voters had returned their ballots as of Tuesday morning. buff.ly/NVzjdOZ

The 2026 midterms will mark the last election in Oregon in which political donors can cut major checks without limits thanks to a 2024 state law @shaanthx.bsky.social reports: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/26/d...

State agencies are fanning out to offer assistance in the wake of a tragic attack at a Bend elementary school this month, Gov. Tina Kotek said Monday. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/26/g...

A Republican mental health clinician and an incumbent Dem. House rep. both hope their identities as the daughters of Mexican immigrants will appeal to voters in the Oregon district w/ highest share of Hispanic residents @miamaldonado.bsky.social reports: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/26/t...

The percentage of working-age adults without health insurance has increased in the past two years, largely because many people can no longer afford Obamacare coverage after Congress allowed federal subsidies to expire at the end of last year. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/26/r...

No new ICE detention centers are slated for construction in Newport, Oregon, anytime soon, and the federal government will provide at least a month’s notice to city officials before any environmental permitting would get underway: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/23/i...

At a press conference at the Harmony Montessori School in Portland, Gov. Kotek said she's propose a bill to streamline a slate of state and local early childhood learning programs and focus on expanding ones working best to boost access and affordability. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/23/o...

Oregon is, so far, one of at least nine states that have received notices from US DOJ notifying election officials that observers will be deployed. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/23/t...

DOJ sued Alaska election officials Thursday in preemptive attempt to stop the state from certifying results of its Senate election if, under ranked-choice voting, the Republican loses by a smaller margin than votes earned by another candidate w/ same name oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/23/r...

100+ of Oregon’s 197 school districts have asked voters in the past 8 years to agree to local property tax increases to pay for school safety upgrades. 53 have said yes — sending hundreds of millions of dollars for school modernization and security. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/23/i...

Oregon outpaces the nation in the record number of women running for state legislatures this year, though in the Beaver State and nationwide women have not yet achieved parity with men in politics. buff.ly/DmVMYGf

The price health insurance companies charge for employer-sponsored plans increased again this year, as did the deductible many people must pay before those plans begin covering most healthcare costs, according to a survey released Thursday by the nonpartisan health organization KFF. buff.ly/eqNaw6Z

The Oklahoma-based company that owns one of the largest gas pipeline networks in the Northwest is beginning to pursue permits to expand that network, and to pump more gas to the region to meet rising electricity demand. buff.ly/hDDBAms

The Oregon congresswoman who represents Bend is calling on federal officials to stop non-emergency immigration enforcement in the Central Oregon city in the wake of last week’s elementary school shooting.  buff.ly/mpVuGKN

National Democrats are suing President Donald Trump, accusing his administration of intimidating election officials and asking a federal court to block him from interfering in the midterm elections. buff.ly/gnWH3Ye

The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday denied the Trump administration’s emergency request to implement a rule that would terminate gender-affirming care for transgender people incarcerated in federal prisons.  buff.ly/mKykEt6

Oregon, eight other states and the District of Columbia lost jobs in the year ending in September, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. buff.ly/qLEhK2Q

An eastern Oregon city that has for the last decade welcomed some of the largest data centers in the state is fighting Gov. Tina Kotek’s recent order meant to temporarily pause data center development, saying it could cost the city millions in direct financial losses. buff.ly/NF5kr3Q

An eastern Oregon city that has for the last decade welcomed some of the largest data centers in the state will soon decide whether to fight Gov. Tina Kotek’s recent order meant to temporarily pause data center development, saying it could cost the city millions. buff.ly/NF5kr3Q

Single-family home completions remain stuck at early pandemic levels as of September as costs, labor supply shortages and high interest take a toll on home builders, especially in the Northeast and South.  buff.ly/x69oAVL

Polling a few weeks out from the Nov. 3 election showed the race in a statistical tie, and Gov. Tina Kotek's and Sen. Christine Drazan's rhetorical skills are being tested in ways that their allies say are naturally uncomfortable for the candidates. buff.ly/Ij7vkbR

Democrats have used President Donald Trump’s unpopularity to expand the midterm map, and analysts project the party carries momentum heading into the final two weeks of the election cycle, even as Democrats are expected to flip fewer U.S. House seats than wave elections this century. buff.ly/YJ6GKeY

Across much of the United States, a warm winter and persistent drought have decimated the natural foods that black and brown bears rely on. With nearly every station at the buffet in short supply, the adaptable eaters are turning to human food.  buff.ly/lgg0iV4

Columnist Randy Stapilus uses a drop box to return his ballot. He'd like to see more of them throughout the state. buff.ly/W7e8axG

The order does not mention research into contraception or reproductive rights. The Food and Drug Administration is conducting an ongoing safety review into abortion medication.  buff.ly/Sco8poN

The three Democratic incumbents representing former congressional swing districts in Oregon far outraised their Republican challengers in the third financial quarter of the year, according to federal campaign finance records.  buff.ly/nB3kH1u

The three Democratic incumbents representing former congressional swing districts in Oregon far outraised their Republican challengers in the third financial quarter of the year, according to federal campaign finance records.  buff.ly/nB3kH1u

Oregonians urge early voting at statewide ‘No Kings’ protests ahead of election oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/17/o...

@oregoncapitalchronicle.com reporter Shaanth Nanguneri ran into Sen. Mark Meek, who's running for reelection, in Happy Valley. “Us out here today is just representative that we care about our country, we love our country, and nobody can tell us that we’re less American than anybody else.” #nokings

About 60-70 demonstrators have gathered Saturday morning on all sides of an intersection near a Happy Valley Grocery Outlet for this month’s No Kings protest with a focus on voting.

Kathie Collins has lived in Ontario since she was 4 years old. She was a registered Republican for most of her life up until this year, she told me, when she made the full switch from being an Independent voter to becoming a registered Democrat.

In Eastern Oregon just 1 hour west of Boise, dozens of Ontario residents marched from the town’s city hall to Lions Park this morning. There were several honks in support and about an even amount of people who honked or yelled profanity out of their car opposing the protest.

Oregonians are turning out across the state for rallies promoting early voting as part of the national "No Kings" movement. Our @miamaldonado.bsky.social is in Ontario and @shaanthx.bsky.social in Happy Valley. Live coverage here: www.newsfromthestates.com/live-feed/no...

Federal officials intercepted a “suspicious package” addressed to Oregon’s election office before it arrived in the state, Secretary of State Tobias Read said Friday. buff.ly/FZKVZZ4

President Donald Trump has a flurry of travel on deck in the final frantic weeks leading up to the end of the midterm elections, in which the GOP is vying to maintain its control of both the U.S. House and Senate. buff.ly/mA2ydDZ

More than $1 million in just the last month has poured into two candidates’ campaigns for a southern Oregon state Senate seat being vacated by a Democrat who narrowly won it in 2022. buff.ly/1GgJ4yD

Three Oregon City residents are all in the race to seize control of the Clackamas County-area swing seat held by state Rep. Annessa Hartman, the outgoing Democratic lawmaker who declined to run for reelection while battling cancer. buff.ly/IFZAv3e

A federal judge has issued a preliminary ruling blocking the Trump administration from moving the U.S. Forest Service’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City while the rest of the lawsuit over the relocation plays out in court.  buff.ly/VQKLOeM

Top Republican and Democratic senators have unveiled a 417-page bill to overhaul the approval process, a pathway for what’s known as “permitting reform.” buff.ly/P6UlFKF

For the @oregoncapitalchronicle.com's voter guide, I reached out to every candidate for Congress, the #orleg and governor with questions informed by our readers' feedback. Many hours and cups of coffee later, here's the result. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/voter-guides... #orpol

Voters in Oregon’s most competitive state House district in November will choose between a political newcomer and a longtime county commissioner with nearly 40 years, $750,000 in campaign contributions and diverging views on issues bigger than a hyperscale data center between them. buff.ly/kL8efxL

Democrats are touting an ambitious legislative agenda centered on affordability and accountability if they take back the U.S. House or Senate — or both — in November.  buff.ly/RG8v5qM

A business law attorney and an occupational safety professional with vastly different levels of political experience are vying for control of one of Oregon’s few swing districts.  buff.ly/kLWTW4A

The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding California not count ballots from voters it says are suspected noncitizens, a move by the Trump administration to apply last-minute pressure as voting begins in the midterm elections. buff.ly/b3sZdI4

The Social Security Administration announced on Wednesday that recipients will receive a 3.6% increase in benefits in 2027. buff.ly/MQGHrxt

Earlier this year, for example, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that more than 1,400 criminal cases had to be dismissed because there weren’t enough lawyers to represent the defendants. buff.ly/kuih1Rl

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and state Sen. Christine Drazan spent their final televised debate tussling over who could best spur economic growth, housing and development in the state with a focus on Oregonians outside of Portland. buff.ly/ljzFauv