WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- The Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project (BMBP), an environmental nonprofit based in eastern Oregon, has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) expressing strong opposition to its interim final rule regarding National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. The BMBP contends that the proposed changes threaten environmental transparency, public engagement, and the protection of biodiversity in federal public lands across the regio  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- The Community Health Centers of Benton and Linn Counties, Oregon, expressed their deep concerns regarding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' recent public comment letter aimed at clarifying the definition of "Federal Public Benefits" under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The letter, dated August 12, 2025, highlights conflicts with long-standing federal guidance and potential negative impacts on public health. In their co  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Dexter Pays Tribute to Diane Lund-Muzikant in Congressional Record, Hailing "indelible mark on Oregon's media and public health landscape" * PORTLAND, OR-- Last week, Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03) honored Diane Lund-Muzikant, a leader in health care reporting and founder of The Lund Report, by formally recognizing her life's work in the Congressional Record, the official and permanent ar  more

SALEM, Oregon, Aug. 12 [Category: Education] -- The Oregon School Boards Association posted the following news: * * * Education leaders are being cast now for 2026 stage * The education advocacy leaders on OSBA's Board and Legislative Policy Committee are also conduits between the association and school boards around the state. These elected regional representatives tell the association what members need individually and collectively from the state government as well as from OSBA staff. In  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 -- U.S. Term Limits issued the following news release: * * * Jake Ryan Pledges to Support Congressional Term Limits U.S. Term Limits (USTL), the leader in the non-partisan national movement to limit terms for elected officials, praises 2026 U.S. Senate candidate for Oregon, Jake Ryan, for signing the pledge for an amendment to term limit Congress. U.S. Term Limits has the support of more than 150 pledge signers in Congress. USTL President Philip Blumel commented on Ryan's  more

PORTLAND, Oregon, Aug. 12 [Category: Sociological] -- The Mercy Corps posted the following news release: * * * Joint Statement: INGOs Condemn the Persistent Violations of International Humanitarian Law in El Fasher, Civilians Starved and Besieged * International non-governmental organizations working in Sudan condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the renewed and devastating attacks on El Fasher that began on August 11 and persisted throughout the day and night. Indiscriminate shelling ha  more

SALEM, Oregon, Aug. 11 [Category: Education] -- The Oregon School Boards Association posted the following news: * * * School leaders connect during last OSBA Summer Board Conference * OSBA Board member Kraig Albright sports a T-shirt from the 2024 OSBA Annual Convention at the 2025 Summer Board Conference while talking with (from left) OSBA Director of Finance and Member Services Jaime Conder, PACE Administrator Dave Harvey, OSBA Chief Legal Officer and Interim Deputy Executive Director Hale  more

SALEM, Oregon, Aug. 12 [Category: Education] -- The Oregon School Boards Association posted the following news: * * * Summer EBT benefits of $120 available until Sept. 3 * Summer EBT benefits for students remain open until Sept. 3. The food assistance program offers $120 per child when school food programs are not easily accessible. Once the benefits are received, families have 122 days to use them. Most eligible children automatically received benefits in May, but the Oregon Department   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden, Durbin, Senate Democrats Slam Social Security for Disabling Lawfully Obtained Social Security Numbers By Flagging Lawfully Obtained SSNs As Fraudulent, Trump Administration Is Undermining the Integrity of Social Security * Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and s  more