All national forests on the state’s west side lifted “public use restrictions” over the past week, which in effect means that campfires and other activities, such as operating chainsaws and driving ATVs, are allowed.

READ THE ENTIRE STATESMAN JOURNAL ARTICLE HERE

Oregon is seeking fed approval for a basic health program. Learn more here.

Article by Oregon Public Broadcasting (By Amelia Templeton (OPB)) – SEE THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

A group of volunteer advisors to the Oregon Health Authority has voted Tuesday to make the state the third in the nation to seek federal approval for a basic health program.

Article by Oregon Public Broadcasting (By Amelia Templeton (OPB)) – SEE THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

Photo Credits: The emergency wing of the Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center…

September 5, 2023, The Nugget Newspaper, Article and photo by Cody Rheault

A Wildlife Restoration Success Story

One year ago, the Sisters Ranger District began their efforts to restore the lower swamp just southeast of the Black Butte Ranch. The beaver once sustained water levels by dams, but trapping and predation contributed to the beaver’s disappearance from the area, leaving the fragile ecosystem to its own devices. The land dried up. Indian Ford Creek narrowed to a trickle. Willows and birch disappeared …

Read the full article here in The Nugget Newspaper

Oregon’s new paid family leave program begins in September. Learn more here.

By Emily Harris / AXIOS

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Oregon’s new paid family leave program opened for applications Monday, following four years of preparation — disrupted by COVID — after the Legislature authorized it in 2019 with More

Image Courtesy Bedrock Fire 2023 Facebook

Learn more here:

KVAL, SALEM, Ore. – Five CalOES strike teams are headed to Oregon to provide additional capacity as the state deals with a continued forecast of triple-digit temperatures, extreme fire danger, and forecasted lightning, the Oregon State Fire Marshal said.

The strike teams are able to mobilize to Oregon after the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) made the request Monday through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) and the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.

The strike teams will be pre-positioned in the Willamette Valley to be available to support existing wildfires or any new fire starts that break out.

“With several fires burning on the west slope of the Cascades and…

Gov. Kotek signed bills that will address Oregon’s mental health. Learn more here.

KGW8, SALEM, Ore. — Gov. Tina Kotek vowed to make meaningful strides for behavioral health in Oregon on Tuesday. She signed into law six bills that aim to strengthen the state’s response to mental health and substance abuse issues.

“The bills I am signing mark progress towards building a behavioral health continuum of care that incorporates harm reduction, suicide prevention, stronger tools against substance abuse among youth and adults, and improvements to the implementation of Measure 110,” Kotek said to a group of lawmakers and advocates.

Among the bills signed into law, two focus on preventing overdose deaths. More

Portland police prevented 138,000 fentanyl pills from hitting the streets in a recent bust. (Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office)

By Stephen Sorace| Fox News

Deputies in Oregon made the largest fentanyl bust in their county history last week, seizing tens of thousands of pills and powder packed into gallon-sized plastic bags, authorities said.

The bust happened Tuesday as investigators were watching a wanted person in Portland’s Goose Hollow neighborhood, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies took the person into custody “at the opportune time” after watching him walk to a vehicle.

Deputies with the sheriff’s Special Investigations Unit obtained a search warrant for the individual’s car…

New evidence suggests humans were in Oregon more than 18,000 years ago.

Photo Courtesy of Becky Raines / University of Oregon

By Ella Hutcherson (Jefferson Public Radio)

Archaeologists have new evidence suggesting that humans occupied Oregon more than 18,000 years ago. This makes it one of the oldest known sites of human occupation in North America.

A 2023 radiocarbon dating analysis was made based on findings at the Rimrock Draw Rockshelter near Burns, Oregon. The University of Oregon Archaeological Field School has been excavating at the site, which features a shallow overhang in an otherwise open environment. The field school has been working in partnership with the…

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Cape Lookout Beach on the Oregon coast.

You can now book same-day camping reservations on the Oregon coast. Find out more here.

SALEM, Ore (KTVZ) — Visitors hoping to camp last-minute at the coast can now check online to view and book same-day openings when sites are available, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said Wednesday.

Previously, visitors could only make online reservations 24 hours or more in advance of their arrival. Now coast visitors can make online reservations on the same day that they plan to camp.

The new option is part of a pilot program at the coast. The goal is to offer campers the security of knowing they have a site booked…

The minimum wage is set to increase July 1st. Learn more here.

ByAmanda Arden, KOIN

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Anyone who works a minimum wage job in Oregon will get a raise starting July 1.

In all parts of the state, the minimum wage will increase. However, in Oregon, the minimum wage is not equal across the state.

Oregon’s minimum wage is divided into three areas: the Portland metro area, the “standard” area, and the non-urban area.

In the Portland metro area, minimum wage will top $15 per hour for the first time. On July 1, 2023 it will jump from $14.75 to $15.45 per hour.

The standard…