oregon

The state of Oregon is considering a bill I think is a fabulous idea. SB 1045 is titled "Limits use of credit history for employment purposes to certain circumstances," and it does just that: prevents employers from requesting credit checks to use as a screening tool for potential employees, unless...

I didn't need any time for deliberation when I received my ballot for this month's special state vote in Oregon: I filled in the bubbles for "yes," as did a majority of voters, next to Measures 66 and 67 and took it with all speediness to the nearest library drop-off. Measure 66 raises taxes on...

While the annoying Kars4Kids radio jingle asking consumers to donate their unwanted cars for needy children seems straightforward enough, it may actually be steering donors down a road they didn't expect. All of the money raised by Joy for Our Youth (a.k.a. Kars4Kids) -- $16.2 million in 2007,...

Cancel your flight to Amsterdam – the U.S. just got its first marijuana cafe on Friday. Located in Portland, Ore., the Cannabis Cafe shows how attitudes have changed since the Obama administration moved into the White House. A month ago, President Barack Obama told federal attorneys to ease...

When California Treasurer Bill Lockyer sought a $7 billion federal loan guarantee from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in May, it was a clear indication that states, and not just financial institutions, were struggling mightily to find firm fiscal footing in the face of the Great Recession....

In many of the nation's cash-strapped statehouses, legislators have turned to increased gambling venues to fill gaping holes in their budgets. But rolling the dice on this industry does not appear to be a winning strategy, a new study from the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute shows. Why not? This...

In Oregon, which last month had the largest jobless rate increase from a year ago in the country, a group of laid-off designers isn't taking the bad news sitting down.The six out-of-work designers from Portland formed an architectural collaborative. Although it doesn't have the health care,...