Local Government

Study: Measure 114 spurred 63,000 extra gun buys before taking effect

A peer-reviewed study finds Oregon's Measure 114 triggered a 157% surge in background checks after voters passed it in 2022, adding roughly 63,000 purchases that wouldn't have otherwise occurred. The law has never taken effect, and its fate now rests with the Oregon Supreme Court and a 2028 implementation deadline set by Salem lawmakers.

August 13, 2026 · 3 min read

Local Government

Oregon trims 2027 health insurance rate hikes, projecting $30 million in savings

Oregon's Division of Financial Regulation on July 30 reduced proposed 2027 health insurance rate increases for individual and small group markets, projecting $30 million in consumer savings, though Salem-area residents still face double-digit premium hikes driven by lost federal tax credits, insurer exits, and rising medical costs.

July 31, 2026 · 2 min read

Local Government

Salinas names Salem woman's January injuries at congressional hearing on ICE accountability

Rep. Andrea Salinas raised a January 2026 Salem incident in which federal agents injured a U.S. citizen woman at a Tuesday, July 28 congressional hearing in Houston, demanding body cameras and independent investigations for immigration agents.

July 30, 2026 · 3 min read

Local Government

Salem council votes 8-0 on data center guardrails but doesn't stop $5 billion project

Salem's City Council voted 8-0 to restrict future NDAs with data center developers and create a policy task force with a December 31 deadline, but took no action to stop Verrus's proposed more-than-$5 billion Oakline at Mill Creek campus.

July 29, 2026 · 3 min read

Road sign on a utility pole showing directions for Oregon Highway 211 and connecting state routes.

Local Government

Kotek blames Trump immigration tactics after fake ICE agents assault driver near Woodburn

Gov. Tina Kotek condemned the July 17 armed assault near Woodburn in which three men impersonated ICE agents, calling it a direct result of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics and demanding a swift investigation by OSP and the FBI.

July 28, 2026 · 3 min read

A person wading in a river, casting a fly fishing line under a clear blue sky.

Local Government

Oregon animal-farming ban falls short on signatures, won't reach November ballot

Oregon's Initiative Petition 28, which would have banned hunting, fishing and livestock farming by eliminating animal-cruelty exemptions, fell about 13,000 valid signatures short and will not appear on the November 3, 2026, ballot.

July 27, 2026 · 2 min read

Multi-story brick hospital building with trees and a parking area in the foreground

Local Government

Marion County public health division earns national reaccreditation for third time

Marion County's Public Health Division has earned national reaccreditation for the third time, joining only 420 accredited local health departments nationwide; the achievement headlines the Board of Commissioners' Wednesday, July 29 session alongside a $1.14 million ARPA sewer contract amendment and a temporary speed zone on Gates Hill Road SE.

July 27, 2026 · 2 min read

A man pushes a cart of food items alongside a woman at an outdoor food distribution area.

Local Government

Your Salem volunteer hours might already count toward SNAP work rules

The Oregon Department of Human Services is urging Salem-area SNAP recipients to check whether their existing volunteer work at food pantries, parks, and nonprofits already counts toward new federal work requirements that have caused more than 25,000 Oregonians to lose benefits statewide.

July 23, 2026 · 2 min read

Gold statue atop a white capitol dome at dusk, rim lights glowing against a blue sky.

Local Government

Salem's retrofitted State Capitol one of 5 Oregon buildings deemed usable after a major Cascadia quake

Earthquake experts meeting in Portland on Friday, July 17, said Oregon is dangerously underprepared for a Cascadia Subduction Zone quake, but Salem's retrofitted State Capitol is one of just five state-owned buildings expected to remain standing and usable afterward.

July 17, 2026 · 3 min read

Local Government

House votes to end clock changes; Oregon's 2019 law could finally kick in

The U.S. House voted 308-117 on Tuesday, July 14, to make daylight saving time permanent, a move that could activate Oregon's 2019 trigger law and end clock changes for Salem residents — though the bill faces an uncertain path in the Senate.

July 15, 2026 · 2 min read

Local Government

Oregon to receive $576,707 from 23andMe data breach settlement

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced Tuesday, July 14, that the state will receive $576,707 from an $18 million multistate settlement with 23andMe's bankruptcy trustee over a 2023 data breach that exposed genetic data for 6.9 million customers.

July 15, 2026 · 3 min read

Local Government

Oregon faces $421 million Medicaid shortfall one year after federal tax bill

One year after Congress passed H.R.1, Oregon faces a $421 million Medicaid funding gap and tens of thousands of residents have already lost food assistance, with Marion County families subject to new work requirements and state officials scrambling to fill budget holes.

July 14, 2026 · 3 min read

Three men in business attire conversing in an office setting with framed artwork on the walls.

Local Government

DOJ threatens Oregon election officials with prosecution; Secretary of State calls it political intimidation

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read is pushing back on a July 7 DOJ letter that threatens criminal prosecution of state and local election officials over noncitizen voting, calling it baseless political intimidation ahead of the November 2026 general election.

July 13, 2026 · 2 min read