Oregon Government News

That legendary creature, best known to reporters in mainstream media , is rarely spotted in real life, but they seem to show up in the news all the time.

A state-administered program to help Oregonians struggling with underwater mortgages and high interest rate loans is being expanded statewide.

The Oregon State Penitentiary, a maximum-security prison in Salem, is part of the Department of Corrections.

Mark Vanderhoof had a lengthy history of brutalizing young children. In 1980, he was convicted of child abuse for the physical assault of his 4-month-old daughter in Nevada.

As the 2014 Oregon Legislature raced towards adjournment Friday, the Columbia River Crossing appears to be one of the casualties.

In February of 2013, five members of the Oregon Foster Youth Connection testified before the Senate health and human services committee in defense of Senate Bill 123 - mandating the adoption of an Oregon Foster Youth Bill of Rights and the hiring of a state foster youth ombudsman.

More than five months after Oregon's botched health-insurance exchange failed to go live, concern is mounting for another, less visible state IT project that was built in conjunction with the exchange, using the same technology.

Federal grants to develop state health exchanges cost more than $1.2 billion, says Peter Suderman, senior editor at Reason Magazine.

TRANSPORTATION The board of directors at Portland Streetcar Inc. has hired Dan Bower as executive director, responsible for the operation and development.

Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, stands on the Senate floor on Thursday, March 6, 2014 at the state Capitol in Salem, Ore.

Oregon will ask the federal government for permission to give Oregonians more time to comply with the Affordable Care Act because of delays with the state's online health insurance exchange.

A native of Indiana, John Whiteaker was born on May 4, 1820. The son of John Whiteaker and Nancy Smales, he was one of five children.

The biggest outstanding issue is the budget, including Oregon Health & Science University's request for the state to fund cancer research facilities and additional funding for prisons and social services.

A decision by the Oregon Department of Human Services to award custody of a 6-year-old Oregon girl to her biological father in Mexico has been upheld by a Marion County judge.

"Split Ways & Means, get the Senate to vote on these bills, preserve some decorum for this body and end this session on a good note," said Sen. Tim Knopp , R-Bend.

In this Oct. 5, 2013 photo, volunteers harvest hemp at a farm in Springfield, Colo.

Opponents of a law allowing people to obtain driver cards if they can't show they are in the country legally turn in the signatures needed to place the issue on the November ballot.

I was pleasantly surprised last month when my niece, whose husband works at Walmart and who has been struggling to balance school, child care and a part-time job, sent me a sizable money order.

The Older Americans Act was passed nearly 50 years ago to address the overwhelming number of seniors who fell into poverty as they aged.

Gov. John Kitzhaber signed a bill Tuesday that will require all state and municipal police departments and sheriffs' offices to draft policies for older and vulnerable adults who wander away from their homes.