Oregon’s unfinished fire season is the most destructive ever, burning more than 2.5 million acres and choking off clean air across the state.

At the same time, Oregonians may misunderstand some aspects of the wildfire crisis, which could leave communities unprepared as fire seasons grow longer and more intense year after year. The Oregon Journalism Project analyzed recent data updated Aug. 24 by the National Interagency Fire Center to dispel some misconceptions.

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Growing public backlash over data centers is becoming an issue for voters of both parties in the Oregon governor’s race.

A fissure between the candidates is emerging over data centers and the growing public backlash over the server farms in Oregon and nationwide. A late July poll by the Portland-based firm DHM Research found that 71% of Oregonians have a negative view of data centers

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Oregonians planning to buy or lease an electric vehicle before Nov. 4 can get thousands of dollars from the state to help pay for it, according to an article in the Oregon Capitol Chronicle.

Officials at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on Tuesday reopened the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, which offers rebates of $1,500 to $7,500 on the purchase or lease of an eligible electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, depending on income. Motorcyclists through the program can get up to $375 back on the purchase of an electric motorcycle.

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Another Oregon news website is shutting down.

The Highway 58 Herald, an online news outlet that covered Oakridge, Lowell, Pleasant Hill and other communities along the scenic highway, will officially shut down in September.

Earlier this year, The News-Review in Roseburg announced a significant restructuring of its newspaper, ceasing its print edition and laying off 11 of 15 employees.

According to the Agora Journalism Center, 13% of Oregon’s newspapers have closed since late 20222.

Read more about the Herald’s closure…

Buster Keaton’s classic film “The General” turns 100 this year. It was filmed in Cottage Grove and released in 1926.

This year locals will celebrate the anniversary with a special screening Aug. 29 at the Cottage Theatre. Tickets are available at cottagetheatre.org.

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Oregon is looking for public comment on the state’s transportation system. The governor has convened “The Rebuilding Our Transportation Vision Workgroup,” to offer recommendations by the end of the year.

The deadline for public comments is September 10.

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The Oregon Capital Chronicle reports that Oregon has seen a rise in measles cases this year, already ahead of the 2024 outbreak.

The State of Oregon requires that children receive two doses of the measles vaccine before entering kindergarten, though parents can request an exemption and opt out.

Vaccination rates for individual school districts are available from the Oregon Health Department online.

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The Pacific Northwest will need a massive buildout of new energy infrastructure over the next six years to meet rising electricity demand, according to a draft regional power plan released Thursday, August 13, 2026.

Electricity demand could double in the next 20 years in the Pacific Northwest because of data centers, the increase in electric vehicles, and population growth, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council forecast last year.

The council released a draft of its Ninth Power Plan on Thursday, calling for the addition of 11,000 megawatts to the region’s grid — about a third of the electricity the Northwest uses at peak demand.

Public comment for the draft is open until Oct. 16.

Read the full story at the Washington State Standard…

2026 has already broken the Oregon record for acres burned by wildfires, and we are still many weeks away from the fall rainy season.

As of Aug. 10, more than 1,400 fires of all sizes have consumed more than 2.3 million acres across the state–an area far larger than the once-record 2024 fire season at its completion. That is more acres than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined.

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In the final hours of work before members of Congress went on recess for five weeks, a bill backed by Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden to relieve natural disaster survivors from paying federal income taxes on their recovery settlements and lawyers’ fees passed against unexpected odds.

The bill also passed the House and will go to the White House for the president’s signature.

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Data center construction in Oregon should be regulated but not stopped, an advisory committee to Gov. Tina Kotek said, according to an article in the Oregon Capitol Chronicle.

“A lack of sales tax, generous property tax incentives for industrial development and relatively cheap electricity over the years has made Oregon a hot spot for data centers,” the Chronicle reported.

The committee agreed that the state should require more transparency from data companies and local governments regarding tax incentives and other agreements, but that on the whole, the state can benefit economically from the centers.

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Inflation and declining gas tax revenues are the primary causes of the predicted $200 million budget gap in Oregon’s Department of Transportation budget, according to this article in the Oregon Capitol Chronicle.

Without new revenue, the agency will need to eliminate almost 550 positions, according to agency deputy director Travis Brouwer. Cuts will be felt in road maintenance, and in DMV offices around the state, the article reports.