California Dreaming

Face It, Oregon: On These Topics, California Is Way Ahead of Us

Buckle up, Beaver State. We have some catching up to do.

01/21/2020 By Julia Silverman

Count Them In

Oregon Isn’t Taking This Year’s Census Lying Down

Meet the women of color who are making sure that every Oregonian gets counted.

01/21/2020 By Julia Silverman

Menstruation

Period Activists Call For An End to the Tampon Tax

A menstrual equity movement born in Portland goes national

10/18/2019 By Kiva Hanson

Public Health

Kate Brown Just Issued a Temporary Ban on Flavored Vape Products

The ban follows the death of two Oregonians and a national outbreak of vaping-related illnesses.

10/04/2019 By Julia Silverman

Save the Planet

Survival Tips for Portland’s Brave New Plastic Straw-Free World

Swap out that single-use plastic for locally made, reusable goods...OR ELSE.

10/01/2019 By Olivia Wolf

Feature

Is Oregon Addicted to the Lottery?

Oregonians forked over $12 billion last year on slim chances to win big. Here’s how our state lottery plans to keep feeding that habit.

06/25/2019 By Ramona DeNies

PDX Index

12 Things That Are Banned in the Beaver State

You already know Oregon law frowns on certain fireworks. But sky lanterns and pet leopards?

06/25/2019 By Kelly Clarke

The Oregon Woman 2019

Women of Color Are the Majority on the Multnomah County Commission. It's a Big Deal.

Turns out it matters who has a place at the table, even when you’re talking about soil erosion and transportation funding. Welcome to the matriarchy.

04/23/2019 By Sarah Mirk

Ocean Activism

Oregon Bans Offshore Drilling.... Again?

Breaking down the state's latest attempt to thwart energy speculation in our territorial waters.

04/04/2019 By Shayla Norris-York

Outdoor News

A New All-Access Permitting System Might Open Up Oregon's Outdoors

The proposed law rolls camping, fishing, hunting, parking, and ATV permits into a unified system.

03/12/2019 By Wriik Maui

Politics

Jeff Merkley Wants to Make Kitten Murder Illegal

You read that right. The bipartisan "KITTEN Act" would prohibit killing kittens used in USDA lab testing.

03/07/2019 By Marty Patail

Cannabis: Rules & Regs

How the OLCC Scrambled to Regulate Oregon's Cannabis Industry

It's been quite the process.

02/26/2019 By Marty Patail

Environmental News

Is Oregon About to Get a Shiny New Wilderness Area?

The Senate just passed a massive public lands package—and it includes some sweet promises for lovers of Oregon's rainforests and rivers.

02/14/2019 By Wriik Maui

Wine News

The Van Duzer Corridor Is Oregon's Newest Wine Region. Was the Drama Worth It?

It took eight years and congressional intervention to create the Van Duzer Corridor: Oregon's 19th viticultural area. Will winemakers actually use the designation?

02/12/2019 By Shayla Norris-York

Politics

In This Oregon Congressional District, Every Representative Gets Divorced

Call it the Curse of the Fifth.

01/29/2019 By Ramona DeNies

Politics

Here's What Oregon’s Brand-New Democratic Supermajority Hopes to Accomplish

It's a donkey stampede in Salem.

01/29/2019 By Emma Mannheimer

Politics

Kate Brown and Knute Buehler, in Their Own Words

We ask the major-party gubernatorial candidates about what's best for Oregon.

10/17/2018 By Marty Patail

Nature

Should Oregon Kill Sea Lions to Save the Salmon?

Sea lions are scarfing the Columbia River's already struggling salmon populations. Now some politicians want to kill them.

10/17/2018 By Ramona DeNies

Politics

The Strange Rise of Greg Walden, Oregon's Only Republican Congressman

His climb keeps getting weirder and weirder. So what's the cost?

08/14/2018 By Nigel Duara Illustrations by Max-O-Matic

Nuts & Bolts

From Vote-by-Mail to Recycling, Here's How (a Few) Things Work in Portland

Now go forth and master.

08/03/2018 By Margaret Seiler