Category Archives: Willamette Week

A New Report Says Oregon Woefully Underfunds Public Defense Services And Fails To Monitor Its Contractors

“We are being asked to do more and more with less and less.” In a presentation at the state capitol this morning, experts on the right to legal counsel told lawmakers and criminal justice stakeholders that Oregon is failing to comply with the U.S. Constitution because it has significantly underfunded public defense services. Source: A […]
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New Lawsuit Says Oregon’s Restrictions on Vape Packaging Violate Constitutional Free Speech Protections

A new lawsuit challenge state rules regarding the labeling of vaping liquids. Source: New Lawsuit Says Oregon’s Restrictions on Vape Packaging Violate Constitutional Free Speech Protections

Droves of Wild Elk Are Chasing Down Minivans and Harassing Residents on the Oregon Coast

Clatsop County has an elk problem. For years, the coastal region has been under siege as hundreds of the hungry animals wander into towns like Astoria, Gearhart and Warrenton, Source: Droves of Wild Elk Are Chasing Down Minivans and Harassing Residents on the Oregon Coast

A Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion in British Columbia Spikes Prices in Portland and Raises Questions About Oregon’s Energy Future

In October, a natural gas pipeline ruptured outside a British Columbia town called Prince George, sending a fireball skyward. Source: A Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion in British Columbia Spikes Prices in Portland and Raises Questions About Oregon’s Energy Future

Portland Is Poised to Spend Tourist Dollars to House the Homeless

That’s thanks to an innovative new tax deal championed by Multnomah County Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury. Source: Portland Is Poised to Spend Tourist Dollars to House the Homeless

Family Of Oregon Woman Who Died In Prison Flu Outbreak Sues for Wrongful Death

“Tina Ferri would be alive today if the prison did its job,” says Michael Fuller, one of the lawyers representing the Ferri family in the suit. Source: Family Of Oregon Woman Who Died In Prison Flu Outbreak Sues for Wrongful Death

No, Oregon Christmas Tree Farmers Are Not Growing Cannabis Instead

Last Friday, in a report on the price increase of Christmas trees for U.S. consumers, national business magazine Fortune suggested another Christmas-killing culprit: cannabis. Source: No, Oregon Christmas Tree Farmers Are Not Growing Cannabis Instead

An Oregon Lottery Whistleblower Case Is Set for Trial Monday in Salem

A whistleblower case against the Oregon Lottery will go to trial in Marion County Court on Monday. Source: An Oregon Lottery Whistleblower Case Is Set for Trial Monday in Salem

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley Appears to Concede He Can’t Run for President and Senator on the Same Ballot in 2020

Merkley tweeted out a response to a WW story, saying he’s “completely fine” with no change in the law. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) appears to be giving up on a running simultaneously for president and senator in 2020. Oregon law prohibits being on the ballot for more than one elected position in any given […]
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Elections Division Releases Title For Proposed Redistricting Ballot Initiative. Chief Petitioner Kevin Mannix Is Not Happy.

-The tile prepared by the Oregon Department of Justice focuses on the unequal population in the represented counties.- The secretary of state’s elections division has released the draft ballot title for a proposed 2020 initiative that would change the way Oregon draws legislative and congressional district boundaries. Source: Elections Division Releases Title For Proposed Redistricting […]
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