Opinion
Capital Chatter: Winters’ death leaves Salem reeling
As Jackie Winters walked out of our newspaper office after meeting with our editorial board, she whispered to…
Opinion
Capital Chatter: Local school control vs. state accountability
Five minutes into listening to state schools chief Colt Gill, Sen. Betsy Johnson was already pressing for specifics.…
Opinion
Capital Chatter: Revenue hike complicates tax votes
Only in Oregon would powerful Democrats lament having more tax dollars to spend. That was happening behind the…
Opinion
Capital Chatter: Political math confounds the Legislature
The problem with politics is it’s political. That is a common sentiment around the Oregon State Capitol as…
Opinion
Capital Chatter: Disaster unfolds for minority party
“The calm before the disaster,” was how one Republican legislator described the climate in the Oregon Capitol. The…
Opinion
Capital Chatter: Clarno changing tone of Secretary of State’s Office
Oregon’s new secretary of state already has shaken up the agency’s top staff. Bev Clarno is changing the…
Opinion
Capital Chatter: Brown reaches tipping point on DHS
What was the tipping point that caused Gov. Kate Brown to suddenly create a Child Welfare Oversight Board…
Opinion
Capital Chatter: Salem sausage making picks up speed
This is how the Oregon Legislature operates: Individuals get two minutes to testify for or against a bill.…
Opinion
Capital Chatter: Bev Clarno takes oath of office
It was a personal and political family reunion when new Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno took the…
Opinion
Capital Chatter: Bills address bullying, youth resilience
The scars from bullying and being bullied can sting for decades. As the 2019 Legislature deals with anti-bullying,…