Oregon Becomes First State to Ditch Single-Family Zoning
State lawmakers end the legislative sessions by passing a bill that will allow for denser housing construction across the state.
Oregon
Supreme Court Orders Oregon To Reconsider Gay Wedding Cake Case
SCOTUS wants to see anti-discrimination laws applied without religious bias.
Let Them Pump Gas
Oregon and New Jersey are the only states to ban self-service gas stations. Mercifully, this prohibition is starting to fall apart.
Newly Released Files Document the FBI's Participation in the Hunt for Bigfoot
During the 1970s, an FBI crime lab analyzed a purported sample of Bigfoot hair.
Portland's City-Owned Golf Courses a Hot Mess of Deferred Maintenance, Ballooning Pension Costs, and Falling Revenue
Rather than sell its money-losing golf courses, city officials recommend trying to sell more Portlanders on the joys of golf.
Oregon Supreme Court: Cops Can't Collaborate with Garbage Haulers to Paw Through Your Trash Without a Warrant
Police now have to get a judge's permission before they rummage through your bins.
Psychonautical Journalist Michael Pollan Says the FDA, Not Voters, Should Decide Who Gets to Use Psilocybin
The approach Pollan prefers will not get us to the destination he says he wants to reach.
Oregon Considers Allowing Grown Adults the Privilege of Pumping Their Own Gas
While New Jersey defends its ban on self-service pumping to the death, Oregon legislators are considering allowing motorists a little more choice.
Rent Control Cannot Escape the Law of Supply and Demand
Oregon's new rent control law won't deliver on its promises.
Oregon Passes Nation's First Statewide Rent Control Law
The bill comes with new risks for tenants and property owners alike.
Politicians in Oregon and California Want To Give 16- and 17-Year-Olds the Right To Vote
We trust young people to make a lot of weighty decisions. Voting should be one of them.
Portland Wants to Ban Hate Groups, Has No Idea How To Define 'Hate Group'
What constitutes a hate group isn't objective or easily defined, and Portland's resolution makes no attempt to clarify.
Green Nonprofit Got $1.3 Million Grant to Create Five Jobs
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on Oregon's economic development agency.
Straw Ban Bills Migrate From Progressive Cities to Purple State Legislatures
Bills introduced in Montana, Florida, and Washington would either ban or restrict plastic straws.
Oregon Likely to Become the First in the Nation to Adopt Statewide Rent Control
And that will probably make housing less affordable, not more.
Oregon Considers Toughest Gun Restrictions in the Country
Five-round magazines and background checks for ammo purchases
Judge Confirms: Oregon Engineer Has a First Amendment Right to Call Himself an Engineer
Even if the Oregon Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying disagrees.
Oregon Proposes Ditching Single-Family Zoning Statewide
Cities and states are embracing bold housing reforms as the year ends.
Vape Shop Challenges Oregon's Nitpicky Censorship of E-Liquid Labels
A lawsuit argues that the state's elaborate restrictions, ostensibly aimed at preventing underage vaping, violate the right to freedom of speech.
Portland Joins the Drinking Straw Crackdown
Yet another pointless municipal straw ban takes hold
Portland City Council Rejects Mayor's Constitutionally Dubious 'Emergency Ordinance' on Protests
Believe it or not, authorities can maintain the peace while also respecting the First Amendment.
Portland Man Protests Extremist Dicks With Dildo March
Martin Connolly's "Stop Sending Dildos to Portland" protest will have marchers waving sex toys on city streets, and maybe stopping by a brew pub.
Jamaican Musician Gets 8-Year Sentence for Weed He Says He Bought Legally
Patrick Beadle was convicted on a drug trafficking charge, even though there's very little evidence he was a dealer.
Portland Mayor's 'Emergency Ordinance' to Combat Constant Left/Right Street Brawling Has Civil Liberties Advocates Worried
Mayor Ted Wheeler's proposed ordinance raises "constitutional concerns," says Oregon ACLU.
Proud Boys, Antifa Clash Again on Portland Streets
The city is looking less like Portlandia and more like Little Beirut.
Booming Construction and Falling Rents in Seattle and Portland Show Laws of Supply and Demand Still Apply to Housing
Despite the claims of NIMBY activists, cities can build their way out of a housing crunch
A Video Showing Deputies Laughing While a Prisoner Overdoses Leads to Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Rather than seeking medical attention for an inmate, 3 sheriff's deputies made jokes at his expense.
Jury Clears Campus Cops Who Fatally Shot a Navy Vet Who Was Breaking Up a Fight
Jason Washington was killed after trying to pick up his legal firearm from the ground.
An Oregon Deputy Steals and Sells a Dead Man's Guns
Sean Thomas Banks assured the family he was taking them for "safekeeping."
Portland's Clean Energy Tax Is Direct Democracy at Its Worst
Environmentalist groups are supporting a ballot initiative that raises taxes on retailers and consumers in order to pay for grants to environmentalist groups.
Portland Food Cart Shuts Down Following Harassment by Occupy ICE Protesters
The Happy Camper provoked demonstrators' wrath by continuing to serve federal immigration officials.
Feds Arrest 'Occupy ICE' Protesters in Portland
Officers in riot gear made their move Thursday in an attempt to reopen Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Portland.
Left and Right Portland Street Mobs Engage in Pointless, Performative Violence
A depressing exemplar of politics in 2018
High School Trump Fan Sues Over School Discipline for Border Wall T-Shirt
"If people are offended by his shirt-that's their right to be offended," said the student's attorney, state Rep. Mike McLane. "But it's also his right to have his opinion."
Reed Students Say Humanities 110 Should Not Include White or European Authors
Students at an Oregon liberal arts college launch a self-defeating crusade for a more diverse curriculum.
Insanely Broad Definition of 'Assault Weapon' Moves From Illinois Village to Oregon Ballot Initiative
Peashooter prohibitions are on the rise.
If Police Kill Because Citizens Are Afraid, That's a Problem
Fatal shootings in Portland and Brooklyn demonstrate how fear pushes officers to escalate encounters.
Rose-Colored Visions of High-Speed Rail Tempt the Pacific Northwest
Politicians push for a "Cascadia line."
Despite Tough Talk, Oregon's U.S. Attorney Doesn't Plan to Shut Down the Pot Industry
Billy Williams wants to work with state marijuana regulators to address his concerns about "overproduction and diversion."
Judge Orders Return of Oregon Boys Taken Because State Deemed Parents Not Smart Enough
No accusations of abuse or neglect, just low I.Q.s.
U.S. Attorney Warns Oregon About Recreational Marijuana Boom
Will faulty, incomplete statistics be used to justify a crackdown?
California Is Taxing the Hell Out of Pot, but Washington Is Even Greedier
Alaska has the lowest taxes on recreational marijuana.
Don't Worry, Oregonians: Most of You Are Still Banned from Pumping Your Own Gas
A backwards, protectionist law mandating an obsolete job has been only slightly relaxed.
Judge Overrules State's Seizure of Child from Couple It Deemed Not Smart Enough to Be Parents
Low I.Q. used as a justification for taking boy away, even absent any evidence of abuse or neglect.
