Gov. Tina Kotek’s plan to prevent layoffs at the Oregon Department of Transportation and local governments around the state relies on a 6-cent gas tax increase, hikes to title and registration fees and doubling the payroll tax that funds transit.
Oregon will receive federal emergency funding to support recovery efforts in three southwest counties that experienced intense storms and floods between March 13- 20. The floods resulted in nearly $9.5 million in damage according to the Oregon Emergency Management Department.
Gov. Tina Kotek announced Tuesday that she called lawmakers back to the Capital to for a special session at the end of August to address the $350 million shortfall in the Department of Transportation budget.
Expect steep declines in bus service in the Rogue Valley come Sept. 2. That’s what the city of Ashland’s Transportation Advisory Committee was told at its monthly meeting Thursday where they received updates from Rogue Valley Transportation District Associate Planner Edem Gomez about the funding situation at RVTD and what it will mean for changes to bus routes in Ashland and the Rogue Valley.
As layoffs were ordered July 7 for nearly 500 Oregon Department of Transportation workers, effective July 31 with a second round likely by early 2026, local government officials were taking stock of the impacts the loss of state transportation dollars would mean for Southern Oregon.
The crew responsible for picking up litter off Oregon highways lost their jobs after state lawmakers failed to pass a transportation spending package.
A surge in harassment and spam calls to a statewide hotline for victims of hate and bias crimes, and an unusual decrease in legitimate bias complaints being reported, is prompting calls for reform from state officials.
A broader variety of items are now accepted both at the Ashland Recycling Center and in recycling bins for those using Recology’s curbside service. New items include molded fiber (including egg cartons and paper berry baskets), aseptic or Tetra Pak containers (such as those used for milk, broth and juice), and select nursery plant containers.
The Oregon Department of Human Services is offering free emergency kits and power stations for older adults and qualified people with physical disabilities. The emergency kits include flashlights, blankets, first aid items, food and other supplies. The power stations are portable and have rechargeable batteries.
Two Oregon lawmakers have launched a bipartisan caucus to promote trade, business development and international economic policy. Legislative caucuses are groups of lawmakers who share similar policy interests.
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Ask Strider: A worried older brother asks our advice columnist’s advice. And a dog’s guardian wants to know if there is any hope getting their hat-hating dog to calm down. As always, Strider tries to give words that help!
After a successful production of “The Vagina Monologues” and raising more than $2,000 for Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon, Ashland actor and director Lia Dugal intends for “The Climate Monologues” to premiere in Oregon in late 2025 or early 2026 at the Bellview Grange in Ashland.
It’s complicated.
Herbert Rothschild: Whether visualization and intention by themselves can effect broad social change is impossible to determine, but the question merits sustained consideration.
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