Tagged: Oregon

2012 was off to a good start, according to the Oregon Employment Department.
State economist, Nick Beleiciks, says more people are working in manufacturing, education, health services and the financial industry.

Nick Beleiciks: "The monthly job gains was really large. It's the largest we've seen in the last year. 54-hundred jobs in January. The last time we had a one month gain like that was last January. So that was a nice surprise."

SALEM, Ore. – Oregon lawmakers are negotiating a way to wrap up business this week. They’re scheduled to adjourn on Wednesday. Some bills are passing, but major legislation remains bottled up in committee.

SALEM, Ore. – Oregon is putting the finishing touches on a gleaming new mental health hospital. The Salem facility replaces a crumbling 130-year-old building and is hailed as a new chapter in the state's troubled history of treating people judged guilty but insane. But there are far more mentally ill people in Oregon’s standard prisons. And the inmates with the most severe mental problems are housed in a ward designed for hardened criminals. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman found that facility isn’t designed for treatment.

SALEM, Ore. – Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber is keeping up the public pressure on lawmakers to pass some of his major policy proposals this session. For the second day in a row, the Democrat held a state capitol press conference to urge the legislature to pass bills that have been stuck in committee.

One of the movies up for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards Sunday has a strong connection to the Northwest.

"If a Tree Falls: The Story of the Earth Liberation Front" tells of Daniel McGowan, a young man from New York who came to Eugene, Oregon to engage in environmental activism. McGowan was involved in a couple of arson fires sparked in the name of ELF.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled an Oregon man must report to prison next week for a money laundering conviction. The case centered around a defunct Ashland Islamic charity.

SALEM, Ore. – With less than a week to go in the legislative session, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber is stepping up the pressure on lawmakers to act soon on his major policy proposals. At least one of his key initiatives gained final approval Thursday, but three more are stalled.