As the federal government shutdown enters its second month, more than 750,000 Oregonians risk losing food assistance from SNAP. The program is federally funded and feeds more than 1 in 6 people in the state. The program’s funding was set to lapse Nov. 1.
With winter coming soon, Ashland’s “night lawn,” the city’s designated location for the unhoused to sent up a tent, is regularly at or over capacity.
More Oregonians struggle with mental health issues than ever before, according to Mental Health America’s newly released 2025 annual report — 30% of the adult population. But the state is improving in overall levels of access to care, with the state now ranked seventh in the new report, up from 21st five years ago.
The one in six Oregonians who rely on federal SNAP food and nutrition assistance to pay for groceries each month will be left with nothing in November due to the ongoing government shutdown, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Human Services.
Oregon does not have enough medical professionals to provide gender-affirming care, according to a state report released in January. HB 2002 is also at risk of getting caught in the national political crosswinds before it can take hold. “It’s a profoundly terrifying time living in America.”
The Oregon Supreme Court questioned the scope Wednesday of an Oregon measure struck down by a lower court that regulated vape packaging in a case highlighting the tension between the state’s free speech protections and regulation of corporate activity.
More than 111,000 Oregonians who buy health insurance through the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace will pay significantly more for their plans next year unless Congress intervenes, and nearly 35,000 will lose all financial help paying for monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs.
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz said he is willing to return to in-person town halls if decorum and safety can be guaranteed. He specifically called out the group ORD2 Invisible, which Bentz said has orchestrated disruptions at meetings. The group pushed back, and said Bentz is scapegoating the organization to avoid accountability.
Oregonians can now get the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost and without liability concerns for healthcare providers.
The Ashland Community Food Bank doubled its volume in August, reflecting a troubling trend fueled by inflation, job loss and tightening access to food assistance programs. Executive Director Amy Broeker warns the level of need could soon become the norm as food bank faces shortfalls in funding and more competition for scarce local grants. Broeker and other leaders are calling on the community to step in.
The Oregon Legislature is meeting this week to consider some major cuts to current spending levels as a large revenue deficit looms. That’s because the state’s tax code automatically replicates new federal tax cuts, including ones passed by Congressional Republicans this summer that will reduce state revenue
Michael O’Looney: Trump and the Texas Legislature are responsible for a partisan power grab that has unleashed bitterness and partisan vindictiveness, all in an effort to subvert an electoral system for partisan ends.
Councilor Bob Kaplan: While the cost of delivering kilowatt-hours to our homes has risen, Ashland Electric has been able to hold our rates steady with just one increase of 5.1% in 2021. I’m sorry to say we’re due for an increase, but fortunately it’s not likely to match recent increases elsewhere.
An estimate for the cost to abate asbestos found in the shuttered Lincoln School recently should be available as early as sometime this week, according to Steve Mitzel, operations director for Ashland School District. The cost to remove asbestos would be separate from the as yet-unknown cost for structural repair.
“We are still here” was the theme for Saturday’s Native American Heritage Celebration at Southern Oregon University, hosted by the SOU Native American Student Union (NASU) and SOU Native Nations Liaison Kenwanicahee (Kenwani) Kravitz (Madesi Bandi, Pit River Nation Winnemem, Nomtipom and Nomsus Bands Northern Wintu).
As Oregon lawmakers stare down a deficit of at least $373 million over the next two years — and brace for the possibility of a bigger shortfall in the state’s next quarterly revenue — they asked state agencies to create lists of ways to cut 5% of their approved budgets.
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