Feeds the “County and State News” homepage column.
Oregonians receiving Social Security benefits will see an increase of 3.6% in their checks starting January, the federal government announced Wednesday. That’s good news for the state’s economy, which has the nation’s 11th-oldest population.
But in Oregon, ranked 11th for oldest population, many counties face disproportionate financial risks if Congress fails to prevent a projected 22% benefit cut by 2032.
Oregon’s Secretary of State tested the mail system in advance of the November election and found that mail delivery was slow, especially in eastern Oregon and rural communities. Ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day, and then delivered no later than a week after Election Day to be counted.
“You can be confident your ballot will be postmarked and delivered on time if you mail it at least a week before Election Day,” Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said.
The Oregon Department of Education is not properly tracking its High School Success program,the Secretary of State’s office reported in an audit.
The program provides funds to high schools to support programs in career and technical education as one way to improve graduation rates. A previous audit in 2024 identified eight problems, including the failure to collect baseline data to compare against the results. The new audit said said that ODE has only fully corrected one of the eight issues, the Oregon Journalism Project reported.
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Oregon has a large gap between what it spends on road maintenance and what it needs to spend — one of the highest gaps in the country — according to an article in the Oregon Capitol Chronicle and data from the PEW Charitable Trusts.
Oregon will need to more than double its planned roadway maintenance spending to close the cap, according to the study.
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A new poll shows Republican nominee, state Sen. Christine Drazan (R-Canby), with a 2% lead over the incumbent, Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek, within the poll’s 4% margin of error, reports the Oregon Journalism Project.
The Sept. 11 poll was conducted by DHM Research of Portland for the business-backed group Grow Oregon and is based on a sampling of 600 likely voters.
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Oregon’s food stamp program has had one of the highest error rates in the country over the past decade.
But because of a loophole in the tax bill passed last year by the Republican controlled Congress, Oregon will face no penalties, at least for a year, according to a story by the Oregon Journalism Project.
The state has one or perhaps two years to reduce the error rate significantly to avoid future penalties.
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Once considered a conservation success, the eastern North Pacific gray whale population has fallen in the past decade. It peaked at an estimated 27,000 whales in 2016, but fell to roughly 13,000 by 2025, the lowest estimate since the 1970s.
Scientists from around the world met last week at a symposium in Newport to discuss the future of the whale, tying the decline at least in part to warming temperatures in the Bering Sea which have reduced the food supply for the migrating whale.
Oregon lawmakers approved nearly $123 million to help cover the costs of this year’s wildfire season.
As of late August, wildfires had scorched across 2.5 million acres and cost the state $236.2 million. Those costs are expected to reach $350 million by the end of the wildfire season — putting 2026 on track to surpass the state’s previous $318 million record when wildfires scorched 1.9 million acres in 2024.
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The Oregon Health Authority(OHA) will allow vaccine providers statewide to begin administering updated COVID-19 vaccines as soon as this weekend.
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife went from nearly 10,000 staffers in 2024 to just over 6,300 today, according to federal data obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity.
The number of Fish and Wildlife employees in Oregon is down 40% since 2024, from 434 full, part-time and seasonal staff in 2024 to 257 as of this year.
Read the full story from the Oregon Capitol Chronicle…
Oregonians will face record gas prices this Labor Day weekend, according to the American Automobile Association. Prices in Oregon are averaging $4.89 per gallon.
The war in Iran is the principal cause of the high cost of fuel, AAA spokesperson told KLCC.
Despite the highest-ever gas prices for Labor Day, AAA expects record travel over the three-day holiday weekend.
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Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, announced last week a plan to introduce during the 2027 Legislative session a proposed $1 million fund housed at the state’s economic development agency Business Oregon, which would allow cities with fewer than 20,000 residents to apply for a grant or low-interest loan to maintain parks, libraries, museums and other essential community spaces when they face budget crises. The grants and loans would be available up to $50,000, Evans said.
The proposal was inspired by the city of Independence last week closing five of its parks, citing insufficient funding to maintain them, he said. Two have since reopened after receiving a $30,000 grant from the nonprofit, Friends of Community Parks, the Statesman Journal reported.
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