Oregon Capital Chronicle

12/20/2025

Oregon state Sen. Lisa Reynolds is featured in the latest episode of States Newsroom’s "Stories from the States" podcast.

As childhood vaccination rates fall, several diseases once considered eradicated are back and spreading, most notably measles and whooping cough. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been vocal in changing vaccine recommendations for children, particularly calling for restrictions on C...

12/20/2025

Going into the fourth year without federal abortion rights protections, groups that helped overturn Roe v. Wade are focused on cutting off access to abortion pills.

Going into the fourth year without federal abortion rights protections, groups that helped overturn Roe v. Wade are focused on cutting off access to abortion pills. As multiple lawsuits over the abortion drug mifepristone unfold, state and federal proposals to regulate and restrict medication abor...

12/19/2025

The Department of Justice is expected to release records Friday related to the late s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein, but questions remained over whether officials will meet the requirements of a law overwhelmingly backed by both Republicans and Democrats and signed by President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice began releasing records Friday related to the late s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein, but questions remained over whether officials will meet the requirements of a law overwhelmingly backed by both Republicans and Democrats and signed by President Donald Trump. ...

12/19/2025

Speaking through plexiglass holes, strict 30-minute time limits and threats of trespassing — these are some of the conditions immigration lawyers in Oregon say they’ve faced while trying to provide legal representation to clients detained by federal immigration enforcement officials.

Plaintiffs are asking U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken to require that immigration officials give people detained access to their counsel.

12/19/2025

The U.S. House passed a bill to remove Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf outside Alaska. Rep. Cliff Bentz, Oregon's lone Republican in Congress, voted to eliminate protections while the state's five Democratic congresswomen opposed the move.

The U.S. House on Thursday passed, 211-204, a bill to remove Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf outside Alaska. The bill, sponsored by Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert, would direct the Interior secretary to reissue a 2020 rule removing ESA protections that delisted wolves other....

12/19/2025

Columnist Randy Stapilus asks: At merging Oregon private colleges, is bigger better?

Willamette University is located across the street — State Street, in Salem — from the statehouse, and that has sometimes been a good metaphor for its status in Oregon. Its website labels it “the Northwest’s Leading Private University” and it has had a long alliance with the state of Orego...

12/19/2025

President Donald Trump’s administration took major steps Thursday in a campaign to block minors’ access to gender-affirming care nationwide.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration took major steps Thursday in a campaign to block minors’ access to gender-affirming care nationwide. Under two proposed new rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, hospitals would be barred from providing gender transition...

12/18/2025

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to loosen federal restrictions on ma*****na, which Trump said reflected the drug’s potential medical benefits while discouraging recreational use.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to loosen federal restrictions on ma*****na, which Trump said reflected the drug’s potential medical benefits while discouraging recreational use. The order moves cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III on the Federal Drug Administration....

12/18/2025

With a transportation funding referendum likely headed to Oregon voters in November 2026 and a short legislative session approaching, it’s unclear if and how Republicans and Democrats can compromise on a sustainable plan to fund road maintenance and operations.

The Oregon Department of Transportation's new revenue is paused until the elections division finds insufficient signatures or a 2026 vote.

12/18/2025

Concerns over aggressive federal immigration enforcement dominated Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s final town hall of the year.

Many at the Portland town hall on Wednesday night demanded the state issue guidance to local police for protecting people from ICE.

12/18/2025

Immigrant workers are the backbone of Oregon’s most important industries, guest columnist Reyna Lopez writes.

Earlier this month, Oregon’s most powerful corporate and political leaders gathered in Portland for the Oregon Business Plan Leadership Summit. The agenda was packed with speeches from CEOs, economists, and policymakers, outlining what sponsors such as Amazon and Google believe Oregon’s future e...

12/18/2025

Measles case are continuing to grow, reaching 1,958 confirmed cases in 43 states through Dec. 16 and threatening to undo next year the United States’ status as a nation that has eradicated the disease, according to a report released Dec. 17 by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/17/repub/measles-cases-rise-amid-holiday-travel/