BY SARAH ROSS
SUNRIVER- Another candidate announced his campaign Thursday to challenge Senator Ron Wyden in November’s election.
Robin Parker, a Sunriver businessman, joins the ranks of 12 other people who hope to represent Oregon in the United States Senate.
“I believe it’s time for a revival of the Senate. It’s time to make the Senate relevant to [...]

Update- Dan Phegley of Ask Damascus spoke to Oregon Politico Friday saying, “The important this is that people got to vote on this.” He added that although the vote was a set back, nothing was lost.
BY SARAH ROSS
DAMASCUS- Election returns came back negative for supporters of the four initiatives put on the special election ballots [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- Governor Ted Kulongoski announced on Monday that Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler will take over as State Treasurer.
In a press release announcing the appointment, Kulongoski stated, “Ted Wheeler brings the perfect balance of expertise from both the public and private sectors to this job with an impressive record managing the county’s budget [...]

BY JACOB SZETO
PORTLAND- In his 2010 State of the City Address on Friday, Portland Mayor Sam Adams focused on jobs and sustainability as both his short- and long-term goals for Portland.
“This year, of all my many years of public service, has been unique for its singularity; for the first time, almost everyone shares the primary [...]

Update- This six week extension of benefits was passed on the House floor Thursday morning and passed through the Senate on Friday morning and was recently signed by the Governor.

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- The House Committee on Business and Labor approved an extension of unemployment benefits Wednesday, passing the bill along to a later vote on [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- Monday will ring in Salem’s test case for annual sessions, bringing state legislators to the state capital for the body’s Special Session.
And what is on the agenda for the month-long meeting? Everything from a constitutional amendment declaring health care a right for all Oregonians, to the House Speaker’s repeal of a ban [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- In preparation for February’s Special Session, the House Democratic Majority Office announced Thursday that recent staff changes have been made.
Former Member Services Director, Amelia Porterfield has been named Legislative Director for the upcoming session, replacing Laura Terrill Patten who has taken a position with Portland State University.
Katie Shriver will take over for [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- Senate Republicans are calling for an override of Governor Ted Kulongoski’s veto of Senate Bill 897.
This bill, introduced last March, passed almost unanimously in both the Senate and the House and was subsequently vetoed by Gov. Kulongoski in August. It covers a range of Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) protections, including the [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- From a recent press release, Senate President Peter Courtney (D- Salem) announced his appointments of Senators Chip Shields (D- Portland) and Jeff Kruse (R-Roseburg) to the Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee for the 2010 Interim Session.
The appointments of “a Portland Democrat and a Roseburg Republican”, as Courtney stated, “…will help maintain [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- The state’s unemployment situation remains bleak with 11 percent of Oregon workers out of jobs, the state reported this week.
The report showed some gains in the private sector and the manufacturing sector but listed a total of 209,576 Oregonians unemployed in December, up from 173,121 unemployed in December 2008.
Gov.Ted Kulongoski issued a [...]