A ballot initiative to create a participatory budgeting program in Portland cleared a procedural step this week. If approved, it would give residents a binding vote over roughly 2% of the city’s discretionary budget.

Dr. Sejal Hathi will leave the Oregon Health Authority on Aug. 1; the state says she won’t receive severance and an interim director has been named.

The Portland police union president told Lents neighbors that proposed budget cuts to PS3s, training and fleet will reduce patrols and slow responses in East Portland.

Washington L&I fined Moxee-based Superbee Contracting $692,750 after finding failures to provide written job terms and safe transportation to nearly 1,200 workers.

Payroll records show Washington County paid about $232 million in 2025; overtime and a planned pension pickup are adding new pressure to the budget.

Six Marion County judges told investigators they feared for their safety after a colleague’s profanity‑laced outburst at a Sunriver judges’ conference. The episode prompted a judicial fitness complaint and reassignment of the judge’s cases.

Canada and Alberta advanced a proposed pipeline to the southern B.C. coast that would send more than 1 million barrels per day to tankers bound for Asia. The plan pairs a Trans Mountain‑style corridor with carbon‑pricing and infrastructure promises to win provincial buy‑in.

Councilor Mitch Green settled an overdue $7,328 property tax bill after county notices and reporting flagged the missed payment. The payment and his explanation arrive as he seeks reelection.

Oil industry lawyers urged a Portland judge this week to block Multnomah County’s $50B heat‑dome lawsuit. The case pits local officials’ claims of deception against industry assertions of federal preemption.

House Judiciary Republicans have ordered Portland and state officials to hand over records about sanctuary‑era policies and interactions with ICE, with a July 7 deadline.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the federalization of Oregon Guard units for a planned deployment to protect a Portland ICE facility, raising constitutional questions.

Gov. Tina Kotek signed HB 4022 in Gresham, making Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library statewide and pledging a free monthly book for every Oregon child under five.

The Oregon Emergency Board approved 16 new antitrust roles for the state DOJ, expanding capacity to probe mergers from groceries to local TV ownership.