Oregon College Savings Plan sees record contributions despite COVID pandemic

Less competition has meant more business for small, independent pharmacies, but store owners say they’re still facing an existential crisis. In late January, the Oregon House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care held a hearing about a trio of bills meant to regulate a cog in the medication supply chain little known to most patients: pharmacy benefit managers.

Idaho lawmakers consider ‘Greater Idaho’ movement. A committee is now considering the ‘Greater Idaho’ movement in the Idaho House of Representatives. House Joint Memorial 1 states the Idaho Legislature is ready to begin talks with the Oregon Legislature on the proposal, which would move Idaho’s border west and annex 15 Oregon counties. Greater Idaho now has support from 11 Oregon counties east of the Cascade Mountains. But several southwest Oregon counties were removed from the proposed map after voters in Douglas and Josephine counties rejected the measure last May. It would take an act of both state legislatures, and the approval of Congress, to shift the border. A full hearing before the Idaho House committee on state affairs is scheduled for later this month. (OPB Staff)

One of the largest groups of Indigenous tribes in Oregon has asked for a seat at the table in discussing the controversial Thornburgh Resort planned in Central Oregon. The request came as the Deschutes County Commission on Wednesday mulled an appeal from Thornburgh’s developers, after a county hearings officer rejected the resort’s new Fish and Wildlife Management Plan in December, saying the developers had shown little evidence they could mitigate the loss of wildlife and water.

New Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek wants to spend $1 billion in the next two years to preserve and build more affordable housing, funnel more than $9 billion to public schools and devote millions to increase staffing at the Oregon State Hospital, under a $116.5 billion proposed spending plan released on Tuesday.

More than 200 people from across Oregon met with legislators and rallied outside the state capitol yesterday to demand better addiction treatment. Pam Connelly, from the tiny Columbia River town of Deer Island, held a sign with the name “Kyle” outlined in hearts, for her son who’d just reached 10 months of sobriety. “He’s my boy, he’s my purpose for being here. And he’s an amazing human being who has a disease,” she said. “I am so proud of him.”

OPB’s “Superabundant” explores the stories behind the foods of the Pacific Northwest with videos, articles and this weekly newsletter. To keep you sated between episodes, we’ve brought on food writer Heather Arndt Anderson, a Portland-based culinary historian and ecologist, to highlight different aspects of the region’s food ecosystem. This week she reminds us to slow down and enjoy winter’s hidden bounty.

There have been well over 3,500 firearm deaths in the U.S. so far in 2023, including the recent mass shootings in California. That’s according to a database by the Gun Violence Archive. William Brangham traveled to Oregon earlier this year to explore a voter-approved measure that aims to reduce gun violence. But as he discovered, the new law has sharply divided the state.

Umatilla tribes vote to align cannabis policy with Oregon law. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation have legalized cannabis possession on their land. The East Oregonian reports the tribes’ Board of Trustees approved the change Monday night. Changing the policy brings the tribes in line with Oregon law. Anyone 21 or older can now possess and consume cannabis on the reservation. The change does not immediately legalize business operations for marijuana, however. The trustees said they are reviewing policies currently and will decide in the future if they want to approve businesses. (OPB Staff)

It is a Salem tradition as reliable as cherry blossoms on the Capitol Mall. Each year as the legislative session begins, a number of lawmakers arrive at the statehouse with family members in tow. For the weeks or months that follow, these wives, husbands, daughters and sons will serve as...

Your browser does not support the audio element. Oregon launched a hotline this month to help callers understand the state’s reproductive health laws following the overturn of Roe v. Wade last year. Abortion remains legal in Oregon and the Supreme Court’s decision did not change abortion laws in the state. We hear more about the hotline from Anna Sortun, a partner with Tonkon Torp and one of the lawyers taking calls.

A small coastal community in Southwest Washington might be a model for other places facing coastal erosion as the climate changes and sea levels rise. A group of people in North Cove, Washington, dumped a berm of rocks on the shoreline in an attempt to stop their beach from eroding — and it may be working. Sarah Trent wrote about the effort for High Country News, and she joins us to talk about her story.

Your browser does not support the audio element. Robert Hammer is the special agent in charge for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations division – also known as HSI – in the Pacific Northwest. He sat down with Jefferson Public Radio’s Roman Battaglia to discuss the state of illegal cannabis in Southern Oregon, and how law enforcement is helping victims of human trafficking.