Three Oregon chefs were finalists in the James Beard Awards. Learn more about them here.

Author: Sabinna Pierre, KGW8

Among the finalists is Portland’s newest restaurant Kann, Southern Oregon chef Joshua Dorcak and The Burgerville Workers Union.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The James Beard Foundation announced the finalists for its 2023 James Beard Awards in various categories on Wednesday. With many finalists brewing all across the country, several Oregon restaurants and chefs made the list.

The foundation will be announcing the winners at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in June.

Three chefs from Oregon were finalists in the “Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific” category. Two of the chefs are Portland-based while another chef is based…

Drought has been declared in Deschutes and Grant counties. Find out more here.

By: Hailey Dunn of KOIN

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Gov. Tina Kotek declared a drought emergency in both Grant and Deschutes counties on Friday.

Kotek issued an executive order that directs state agencies to prioritize resources and access drought-related emergency tools for the impacted areas.

The two counties are experiencing extreme drought conditions as the average precipitation recorded in the area has been well below average, Kotek said. Similarly, the counties’ streamflows are reported to be below average with Deschutes recording 78% and Grant 44% of its average streamflow.

Additionally, Kotek said in a…

A southern Oregon ski area will extend its season. Find out more here.

By Ian Wood / Unofficial Networks

Significant snowfall in Western North America means that a lot of ski resorts will be extending their season. KTVL reports that Mt. Ashland Ski Area in Oregon announced they’ll be extending their season by two weeks. Their new projected closing date is April 23rd. This is thanks to a 122-inch snowpack depth at their mid-station and summit, and a total season snowfall of 278″.

They’ve been able to surpass their all-time record visitation for a season of 106,003 visits with 106,762 visits based on their last recorded total.

Andrew Gast, who…

Rebates for buying an electric vehicle will be suspended in Oregon. Learn more here.

By The Associated Press

Oregon will temporarily suspend rebates for buying or leasing an electric vehicle for a year starting in May.

SALEM, Ore. — Oregon will temporarily suspend rebates for buying or leasing an electric vehicle for a year starting in May because too many people are applying and the program is running out of money, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Thursday.

A growing number of Oregonians are buying or leasing electric vehicles, with over 60,600 registered in the state.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced Wednesday…

92/9 and BackyardBend welcome Kiss the Tiger March 26th to the Volcanic Theatre Pub. Kiss the Tiger is one of the hottest bands to come out of Minneapolis in years and are here to rattle your bones and bust you loose!

Fronted by the magnetic and disarming Meghan Kreidler, Kiss the Tiger doesn’t just play, they combust.  

Over the past few years, Kiss the Tiger has set the Twin Cities ablaze. In addition to headlining their own barn-burning shows, Kiss the Tiger have opened for prominent acts like Lake Street Dive, The Suburbs, Ike Reilly, Jackie Venson, Black Joe Lewis, and Daughtry. They have also brought their…

Everything Everywhere All at Once swept the Oscars! Learn more here.

By Linda Holmes (NPR)

Everything Everywhere All at Once didn’t win every award for which it was nominated — it was nominated for 11 and won seven. But it won big ones, again and again: best picture, best original screenplay, best director, best supporting actor and actress, best actress, and best editing.

For a stretch in the middle of the ceremony, it seemed like All Quiet On The Western Front might be coming on very strong, but the pendulum swung back. What’s perhaps most surprising is how many films that once seemed like strong contenders for…

I-84 in Eastern Oregon is closed in both directions this morning. Find out more here.

KATU, LA GRANDE, Ore. — Friday morning I-84 was closed in both directions between Exit 265 and Exit 304 due to winter weather conditions, including multiple commercial trucks that had spun out on the ice and blocked the road.

ODOT said crews had been working through the night to clear away the blocking vehicles and get the interstate open for traffic.

By 8 a.m. ODOT said that many of the trucks blocking lanes have been moved, and that crews were plowing routes to prepare for opening the lanes.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE BY KATU NEWS HERE

Oregon’s laws regarding self-service gas may change as a bill moves to the House.. Learn more here.

KOIN News, Amanda Arden

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The bill that will allow Oregonians to pump their own gas at stations around the state will move to the House floor after members of the House Committee on Emergency Management voted to advance it in a work session Thursday.

House Bill 2426 is a bipartisan bill with chief sponsors Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany; Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene; Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles; and Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro.

The bill would allow…

Central Oregon’s drought conditions remain the worst on record. Learn more here.

By Rachel Ramirez, CNN

Cate Casad started noticing the for-sale signs pop up over the last year on farms around Central Oregon, which has been mired in water shortages amid a yearslong megadrought.

Casad and her husband, Chris, are first-generation farmers and ranchers who started off with just a few acres of land east of Bend, then moved north in 2017 to scale up their farm. Now, the couple manages around 360 acres of farmland in Jefferson County, where they grow organic food and raise cattle, heritage breed hogs…

New proposals in the Oregon Senate focus on easing educator shortage. Learn more here.

Original article by NATALIE PATE

Schools nationwide and across Oregon have been facing educator shortages for years, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oregon lawmakers are considering bills this session they believe will address the problem’s root causes. Among them are Senate Bill 279, which would make it easier and less cost-prohibitive for teachers from other states to work in Oregon, and Senate Bill 283, an omnibus bill that would tackle retention, pay and several aspects of educator recruitment and hiring practices.

Lawmakers said these bills would address staff and substitute shortages,…