In January 2021, there were 13 people of color in the Legislature. That number will rise to 17 next year, and lawmakers are celebrating the step toward greater diversity while acknowledging that there is more work to be done to make Oregon’s legislative body look more like the state it represents.

The Legislature will remain overwhelmingly…

The Bend City Council has approved some important changes to Short Term Rentals. Find out more about the changes here.

In a 6-0 unanimous vote, the Bend City Council approved code changes that increase the buffer between Short Term Rentals and provide flexibility for property owners.

Changes include increasing the buffer zone between permitted Short Term Rentals from 250 feet up to 500 feet in residential zones, as well as in portions of the Mixed Riverfront zone. The proposed changes would also allow Short Term Rental permit holders to rent out their properties as a long-term rental without losing their short-term rental license for up to three years.

These code changes were informed by results from a Short Term Rental…

The City of Bend will have meetings regarding camping regulations on city-owned property. Learn more here.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The City of Bend will bring together a variety of stakeholders at two roundtable meetings next week to receive feedback regarding the camping code currently in development.

The city is developing municipal code provisions to regulate camping on City rights-of-way and City-owned property, like public streets, sidewalks and landscape strips in Bend.

A roundtable is a new type of public meeting that is intended to create a space for community discussion between community members and the Bend City Council in a less formal setting.

There is no public comment at these roundtable discussions, as the conversation is meant to…

Landlords in Oregon may legally increase rents by up to 14.6% at the start of the new year. Learn more here.

In a state with one of the most challenging housing crunches in the country, Oregon renters could face the highest possible maximum increase since the Legislature enacted limits on rent hikes three years ago.

Starting Jan. 1, 2023, landlords in Oregon may legally increase rents by up to 14.6%. This year, the cap is 9.9% – marking a 4.7 percentage point jump from one year to the next.

According to apartment rental company Zumper, the average rent as of Tuesday for a 1-bedroom residence in…

Oregon is the first state to receive aid for mobile mental-health units. Learn more here.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced financial support for expansion of mobile mental-health crisis intervention units in Oregon, the first state to receive the aid.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said prioritizing behavioral health treatment by putting crisis care in reach for more Americans is critical, in Oregon and beyond.

He encouraged all states to take advantage of this opportunity.

The new Medicaid-supported plan will allow Oregon to provide community-based stabilization services to individuals experiencing mental health…

‘Area of Known Wolf Activity’ has been designated on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Find out more here.

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — A new AKWA (Area of Known Wolf Activity) has been designated on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in the northern Oregon Cascades, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said Monday.

Two wolves were first found in December by Confederated Tribe of the Warm Springs biologists, ODFW said.

After no sign for a while, two pups were caught on a trail camera in August, proving that wolves are still resident in the area.  If the group still has at least four wolves at the end of 2022, the group will be named the Warm Springs Pack, the agency…

Deschutes County’s population has a grown nearly 29% since 2010. Read more here.

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon’s counties have been three of the four fastest-growing in the state since 2010, with Deschutes County’s nearly 29% growth rate more than twice that of the Portland area, a state economist said Monday.

Here’s the report from Oregon Employment Department economist Jessica Nelson:

In 2021, Oregon’s population increased by 22,769 to 4,266,620. This marked growth of 0.5% over the year and growth of 11.4% since the 2010 Census, close to the rate of growth over the prior decade from 2000 to 2010 as well. Portland State University’s Population Research Center recently released more detailed information on why this population growth has…

A historic climate bill just passed in the Senate. Learn more here.

CLIMATEWIRE | Three decades after ratifying the world’s first climate treaty, the Senate passed a sweeping budget bill Sunday that pours hundreds of billions of dollars into the clean energy projects needed to decarbonize the economy.

The vote represents a breakthrough for U.S. climate policy. In clearing the Senate, Democrats overcame a hurdle that has tripped up past climate bills. And with $369 billion in climate and energy spending, the legislation has the potential to turbocharge U.S. decarbonization efforts.

Even so, the so-called Inflation Reduction Act doesn’t look like the climate bill that many lawmakers and advocates had long imagined. It is not Waxman-Markey, the doomed cap-and-trade bill…

Developer of Thornburgh Resort withdraws request to purchase 400 acres of public land. Find out more here.

Kameron DeLashmutt says he doesn’t need to buy land, since he already leases it; foes call move a ‘big win’

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The developer of the controversial Thornburgh Resort west of Redmond said Monday he has withdrawn a much-criticized request to buy 400 acres of public land held in trust by the state School Fund – because he doesn’t need to, having already leased the property for 17 years.

Department of State Lands Communications Officer Liane O’Neil confirmed that “Central Land and Cattle Company has elected to withdraw their application” for the Cline Buttes Tract, so it has been removed…

Oregon is the first state on the West Coast to be approved for a state meat inspection program. Learn more here.

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon on Thursday became the first state on the West Coast approved to operate a state meat inspection program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) just finalized a cooperative agreement with the Oregon Department of Agriculture to launch the program, aimed at providing economic opportunity and resilience for Oregon’s livestock producers.

The agreement grants ODA the authority to inspect meat products produced for shipment within the state. Under the agreement, Oregon’s program must develop, administer, and enforce requirements “at least equal to” those imposed under the Federal Meat…