Cross stitch in progress of a cat wearing a hat, resting on an arm chair at a funky bar with a cider in the background
Thankful this Thursday for living in a capital city where I can meet good friends to craft at a neighborhood bar, and that this Legislature has far fewer late nights than some others.
Senators got punchy voting on this 70-page health care bill as the sun sets in Salem. Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, asked to clarify a section of it, then several senators voted against it before switching their votes to tease the House sponsor.
olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/M...
"I don’t know why we can’t do anything simply.” — Cave Junction Republican Sen. Noah Robinson with the quote that sums up the session/year/decade/history of #orleg
The #orleg session is drawing to an end in the next few days, and our live blog is up to help you keep up with the news. Follow along here for updates from reporters @miamaldonado.bsky.social, @shaanthx.bsky.social and @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social and editor @jmshumway.bsky.social buff.ly/9UymuGV
Republican leaders of a successful petition to pause gas tax and transportation fee hikes until a citizen vote are suing the state over a new law rescheduling that vote. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/03/03/r...
Siamese cat cross stitch with “Happy autumn”
Summer orange cat cross stitch with “Happy summer,” ice cream cones, stars and a sandcastle
Orange cat sitting in front of summer hoop
It joins the cross-stitched cats of autumn and summer, my personal favorite because it’s closest to my unhelpful crafting assistant.
Cross stitched hoop with a calico cat, snowshoes, pine cones, snowflakes and the words “Happy Winter”
Latest finished project! My real-life cat and I didn’t get to enjoy snow again this winter, but at least this stitched calico did.
Scooplet from @shaanthx.bsky.social: House Speaker Julie Fahey sent Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Scio and a candidate for governor, a letter chiding him for accepting campaign contributions during session because of a questionably legal House rule.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/27/o...
Today in editing a tiny newsroom: I photographed a protest our intern is covering, reached the unexpected high of having multiple middle schoolers (the world’s harshest critics) tell me they liked my dress, then had another media member ask if I was also an intern.
And I say this as a former legislative relief staffer who for years considered being an AP statehouse bureau chief a dream job. Turns out the actual dream job I’m doing now just didn’t exist yet.
We can’t cover everything the AP used to, but also AP coverage of state government here has been sparse for the past decade. The news service shifted focus from serving member papers to surfacing stories for a national/international audience, and local readers paid the cost.
One of the great values of @oregoncapitalchronicle.com and other @statesnewsroom.com sites is that we now function as a state government/politics wire service. Whether Oregonians are reading a tiny weekly paper or one of the state’s largest news outlets, chances are they’ll find OCC stories.
OUT: That one guy always wearing shorts who’s way too enthusiastic about writing tickets.
IN: Unnecessarily but delightfully adorable robots who might scare away the window-smashers and reckless teens doing donuts.
White robot in Salem parking garage
The new Salem parking robots look like WALL-E and EVE had a baby and I’m only a little obsessed.
I looked at a fellow Oregon journalist's LinkedIn once several weeks ago and my web browser decided to autofill the link to their profile page every time I use the site. It's getting awkward.
How are so many politicians still so confused that they don't get to pick the reporters who cover them?
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
🧵 from our colleagues in Kansas, who were covering their Legislature’s anti-trans moves long before national outlets noticed and will keep covering it long after the national news cycle moves on.
A Democratic senator didn’t engage in discrimination but did violate the #orleg respectful workplace policy when he interrupted and yelled at a Republican House member last June, a Senate panel determined last night.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/26/o...
A handsome orange cat stares into the camera
Letting my phone pick a different picture of Fred as its wallpaper each hour might be the best accidental decision I ever made.
All indications are that there's been a transportation funding deal for weeks. Lawmakers are just opting not to tell anyone what it is. #orleg
Federal agents in Oregon have detained and shot immigrants in hospital parking lots, accessed confidential emergency medical service logs from behind nurses’ desks and interfered with nurses while they care for patients — some with shackled ankles as agents stood guard in exam rooms. buff.ly/InvyecL
City councilors who broke Oregon's public meeting law support changing Oregon's public meeting law.
www.salemreporter.com/2026/02/24/s...
Kotek says there's a bipartisan agreement on short-term transportation funding that avoids layoffs but didn't share details when OPB's @dirquez.bsky.social pressed her. This is the most recent public document, a suite of options including potential layoffs.
olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/D...
Kotek says she expects a roughly 1% cut to state expenditures this year, pending the #orleg passing a measure to partially disconnect from the federal tax code that would result in about $300 million in revenue.
Gov. Tina Kotek places responsibility for controversial bill to move a transportation tax referendum from November to May on Democratic lawmakers. Rs have blamed her.
"Legislators have been very clear. They want to put the measure before voters as soon as possible," Kotek just told reporters #orleg
Waiting on the Oregon House floor as most Dems have returned to the chamber since yesterday's adjournment. Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, is back on the floor after announcing his party's walkout on Monday over the gas tax referral bill. We'll see if the rest of his party follows suit and returns.
Still hard to believe we have a new Hilary Duff album in 2026, but it’s a perfect little collection of melancholy bops.
UPDATED: The House adjourned until 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, unable to vote on any bills today because Republicans walked out.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/02/23/o...
Their prior preferred solution — banning lawmakers who skip 10 or more days from running for reelection — resulted in the longest walkout in state history, a state Supreme Court battle and a couple disqualified senators swapping places with family members.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/02/01/o...
Screenshot of Oregon Legislature bill page for SJR 202, with a summary saying that it "Proposes an amendment to the Oregon Constitution to extend the duration of a regular session of the Legislative Assembly by one calendar day for each day that the Senate or the House of Representatives fails to achieve a quorum after attempting to do so."
As the #orleg deals with another walkout caused by the state's abnormally high quorum requirement, it's worth noting that the latest walkout solution majority Dems proposed was adding extra days to session, the way schools may extend the year after too many snow days.
