A recent study that draws heavily on Deschutes County found an “overwhelming consensus” among law enforcement officers that Oregon’s marijuana laws are poorly written and confusing.

Gov. Kate Brown is getting blowback from political opponents who are leveraging the actions of her allies in an attempt to derail a new state policy requiring Oregon residents to show proof of vaccination at some venues and businesses with more relaxed COVID-19 rules.

The state of Oregon’s revenue picture is nothing short of stunning. It could be bulging with $1.8 billion more in its two-year budget than it had expected in February. Income taxes surged.

Close to the date of an election it can be a gamble to mail in your ballot. A week ahead is probably safe to ensure it gets delivered on time to be counted. Beyond that, it’s a guessing game. Safer to drop it off in person.

The big winner when the U.S. House of Representatives voted this year to bring earmarks back to the federal budget is K Street in Washington, D.C. That’s where lobbyists have offices.

In this Legislature, when a bill has bipartisan supporters it tells you something. Oregon Senate Bill 868 would strip the power to appoint the state forester from the Oregon Forestry Board and hand the authority to the governor.

The events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 are still ringing in heads across the nation. The day is bound for infamy, alongside Pearl Harbor and 9/11 as dates when a dark shadow rolled across America, leaving death and destruction, sadness and confusion in their wake.

Oregon’s September economic forecast was a big surprise: Instead of a coronavirus-caused $1 billion shortfall, the state predicts to end the 2019-21 budget with a leftover pile $1.7 billion high.

When I first arrived to the Herald and News, the feedback I got most from people inside and outside the newsroom was that I had to get my arms around the opinion page, especially the letters to the editor section.

A King County judge’s order that The Seattle Times and other media must turn over unpublished content to the police is a blow to independent journalism.

Right now, America needs heroes. And we have one for the ages in John Lewis.

State auditors were in the middle of an audit of the Employment Department’s computer upgrade when the pandemic hit. Auditors put it on hold. They didn’t want to put more strain on the department as it struggled to handle thousands of unemployment claims.

It is long past time for the federal government to get its act together on providing COVID-19 testing supplies wherever and whenever they are needed. And that includes Oregon, which is essentially being penalized for doing a better job of containing the virus spread than many other states.