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Parker’s Place Village is housing homeless folks in rooms made of shipping containers. The shelter is part of the city’s broader effort to address its homelessness crisis, especially after years of lawsuits over its treatment of homeless residents.
Grants Pass new 150-bed homeless shelter nears full occupancy
Parker's Place Village will house 150 homeless folks in converted shipping containers, but the last few rooms still need final occupancy approval from the city.
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The ballot measure would require voter approval for most utility fee increases beyond inflation. It grew out of a citizen initiative launched after the council approved new fees for parks, public safety and wildfire prevention last year.
Ashland voters will decide whether utility fee hikes need voter approval
A November ballot measure would give Ashland voters more control over utility fee increases, despite opposition from several city councilors.
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Wildfire smoke continued to blanket much of Oregon on Wednesday, a result of several fires burning across the Pacific Northwest. All but two counties in Oregon were under some sort of air quality advisory as of Wednesday afternoon.
Wildfire smoke becomes a regular occurrence across Oregon, as residents learn to adapt
The past decade has seen a big uptick in the number of days with unhealthy levels of smoke. That includes nearly every part of Oregon.
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The measure would charge some large retailers and banks a fee equal to 2% of their gross retail profits made in Eugene.
Eugene Clean Energy Fund qualifies for November ballot
Voters will get to decide whether to make large corporations pay money into a fund that supports climate projects.
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Unofficial primary results for legislative seats in Southwest Washington are giving hope to Democrats who want to unseat Republican incumbents this fall. Results for four positions in the state’s 17th and 18th districts were led by Democratic challengers as more ballot counts rolled in Wednesday.
Democrats hoping to flip Southwest Washington state House seats buoyed by primary results
PACs have already spent big to keep Washingtons 17th and 18th districts in Republican hands.
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Portland councillors looking for clarity on whether or not to help bankroll an arena renovation demanded by the Trail Blazers probably didn’t find much as they took public comment Wednesday.
Portland City Council gets an earful as it contemplates Moda Center deal
Hours of public testimony Wednesday revealed divergent takes on how the city should negotiate with the Trail Blazers.
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Dylan Ford, 29, was arrested by the FBI for allegedly exchanging explicit messages and videos with multiple children under the age of 16. He was also accused of impersonating a colleague while talking to children online.
Lane County deputy facing child exploitation charges resigns
A Lane County deputy who was arrested last week on child exploitation charges has resigned from the sheriff’s office.
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Just a month after saying that Clackamas County “can and should” have data centers, a county commissioner running for re-election has changed her tune.
Clackamas County to consider data center moratorium
Commissioner backtracks after saying the county should have data centers
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A 26-year-old man is suing the police department and the two officers involved in his 2025 arrest, alleging excessive force was used that left him with injuries. He is seeking more than $1 million in damages.
Man sues Eugene Police Department, officers for excessive force after being punched, tased in 2025 arrest
The plaintiff is accusing the officers of battery, negligence and excessive force. He claims he suffered bruising, electrical burns and a traumatic brain injury from the incident.
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The Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences have finalized a settlement over “poaching” and exit fees. The two conferences announced that all sides have reached final agreements to settle all pending litigation.
Pac-12, Mountain West conferences finalize settlement over `poaching' and exit fees
The settlement stems from a lawsuit over a clause in a previous scheduling agreement that called for payments to the Mountain West of $10 million for the first team that left, with the amount increasing by $500,000 for every additional team — to a total of $55 million.
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A group of Republicans plans to introduce a resolution in 2027 to refer a constitutional amendment to Oregon voters guaranteeing fishing, hunting and farming rights. The move comes after animal rights advocates failed to get enough signatures for an initiative banning such activities.
Oregon GOP leaders want constitutional hunting, fishing protections in response to ballot measure
State Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby and the Republican nominee for governor, is leading the campaign to enshrine the right to “hunt, fish, gather wild foods and raise animals or crops” in the Oregon Constitution.
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With wildfires burning across the Pacific Northwest, thousands of firefighters are called into rural areas to fight massive fires for weeks on end. To support those firefighters, camps are set up within 24 hours to house, feed, shower and supply these 24/7 operations.
Early returns in Washington’s primary election show two Clark County councilors likely advancing to the November election. Tuesday’s unofficial results set the stage for which direction the council leans on key issues, including efforts to fund light rail as part of the I-5 bridge replacement.
Incumbents likely to advance in Clark County Council race, early returns show
Two council members each faced multiple challengers in reelection bids but seem to have earned enough votes to move on.
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Washington Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez will face Republican state Sen. John Braun in the November general election. The unofficial primary election results were called by The Associated Press shortly after 8 p.m. on Tuesday night.
Republican Braun and Democrat Gluesenkamp Perez advance to WA-3 general election, AP projects
Washington’s 3rd District is expected to be one of the consequential House races in the country.
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A Portland police-backed initiative that sought to divert money from the city’s climate action fund will not be on the November ballot after all.
Initiative seeking to hire police with Portland climate funds fails to qualify for the November Ballot
The Portland City Elections office announced Tuesday that backers of the Enhanced Community Safety initiative did not submit enough valid signatures.
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Oregon currently has about 125 data centers, which serve a broad array of computing purposes. According to a new poll from Portland firm DHM Research, two-thirds of Oregon voters support temporarily blocking new data centers that assist artificial intelligence.
Oregonians are extremely skeptical of data centers, new polling suggests
Most voters support a temporary ban on the facilities and strongly oppose offering tax breaks.
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Officials have told residents in Rhododendron, Government Camp and other communities near the base of Mount Hood to prepare to evacuate in case the Grasshopper Fire moves west.
Eastern Clackamas County told to prepare to evacuate as Grasshopper Fire burns near Mount Hood
Oregon is collectively nearing a grim new record: most acres burned in a single fire season.
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As firefighters continue working to contain wildfires that are burning more than 2 million acres in Oregon, most of the state will be blanketed with smoky air through at least Wednesday night.
People urged to limit outdoor activities as smoke blankets the Northwest
Air quality advisories are in effect for most of the Pacific Northwest through at least Wednesday. Air quality near some wildfires reached hazardous levels as of Tuesday morning.
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As public angst over data centers is leading to snap policy decisions in some Oregon cities, the governor's new Data Center Advisory Committee meets Tuesday to begin crafting recommendations expected to be released next month.
As Oregon cities buck data centers, a committee is set to propose statewide regulations
The committee plans to release draft recommendations next month for how the state can responsibly harness the tax and job benefits of data centers without jeopardizing Oregon’s energy grid, raising power rates for everyday residents, or abandoning prudent land use and environmental protection policies.
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A tip from a community member who saw a nervous-looking man bent by the side of the road near some grass initially led authorities to the suspect, according to the Spokane County Sheriff. The man had matches and a butane lighter on him when he was detained.
Arson suspect arrested as Spokane battles devastating wildfires
Authorities say they’ve arrested a 37-year-old man suspected of intentionally starting one of the devastating wildfires burning around Spokane, Washington.
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Washington's primary is today, giving voters choices on contested races up and down the ballot for positions in a variety of offices. In Southwest Washington, many are focused on the outcome of the race for the state's 3rd Congressional District.
Washington primary election voting ends today. The race for its 3rd Congressional District is just getting started
Ballots should be turned in to official drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Aug. 4.
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The Spokane Area Fires, comprising three large wildfires, have burned more than 8,000 acres as of Monday morning and are still uncontained. Officials say it’s the worst natural disaster in Spokane’s history, and at least 700 structures have been lost.
Over a dozen unaccounted for and hundreds of structures burned in what could be ‘the worst natural disaster’ in Spokane
Smoldering piles and collapsed walls lie today where people’s homes stood Saturday morning in Spokane. The Spokane Area Fires, comprising three large wildfires, have burned more than 8,000 acres as of Monday morning and are still uncontained.
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Oregon is leading a coalition of 25 states in a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump over his administration’s latest round of widespread tariffs that have infused uncertainty into global supply chains.
Oregon attorney general again sues the Trump administration over tariffs
Attorney General Dan Rayfield and others prevailed in their first case against the president’s tariffs earlier this year. Now, Oregon is leading 25 states in challenging another round implemented under a similar law.
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Wildfires have burned more than 40,000 acres of grassland, mature sagebrush, riparian habitat and dry meadows inside and outside the boundaries of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Wildfires burn parts of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
In Oregon’s Harney County, wildfires have burned part of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Those fires have burned over 40,000 acres of sagebrush, riparian habitat and dry meadows in and outside the refuge, and two historical structures built in the 1930s.
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The City of Pendleton is back to defending itself in court against a lawsuit brought by a group of its unhoused residents, pointing to revisions made to city code passed last month.
Pendleton wants homelessness lawsuit thrown out after tweaking city ‘resting’ rules
Pendleton officials maneuver for solutions to an ‘issue that’s plaguing the whole state.’
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The Tesla-made batteries are designed to store excess power from sources like wind and solar, which are clean but don’t always generate power when needed.
Snohomish County is building Washington’s largest battery plant
The Snohomish County Public Utility District is getting ready to power up Washington’s first — and so far, largest — such system this fall.
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Developers are offering land owners in Klickitat County lucrative deals to build energy facilities, but residents have questions about how the power will be used.
Rising tension in central Washington as farmland is eyed for energy and data center projects
Developers are offering land owners in Klickitat County lucrative deals to build energy facilities, but residents have questions about how the power will be used.
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From Monday afternoon through evening, the southern Willamette Valley is under a red flag warning for wind gusts up to 40 mph and humidity as low as 20%.
Smoky skies and hot weather ahead as Oregon nears record wildfire season
Heat advisories will be in place for most of western Oregon and Southwest Washington this week, just as wildfire smoke blows in west of the Cascades, the National Weather Service says.
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In this week’s episode of “The Evergreen,” we’re revisiting a story from OPB reporter Alejandro Figueroa that chronicles the journey of Luis Lamas, a Mexican immigrant who once called Woodburn home.
‘The Evergreen’: ‘I don’t want to find out if they’re going to put me in a detention center’
This week’s episode of The Evergreen follows the journey of Luis Lamas, a Mexican immigrant who once called Woodburn home.
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A federal judge ruled the BLM had sufficiently analyzed the project and that reducing wildfire risk outweighs delaying the work while the case proceeds. Environmental groups say the agency is removing far more fire-resistant hardwood trees than it originally said it would.
Environmental groups fail to prevent logging project near Ashland
A federal judge ruled against the groups in an ongoing lawsuit.
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