Sen. Boquist: Controversy over slander article attacking Sen. Robinson

By Oregon State Senator Brian Boquist,
Highlights, excerpts from Sen. Boquist newsletter

— The Grants Pass Courier newspaper published a slanderous article about Sen. Art Robinson that failed to produce any comment from his office, but included language that called him “unsteady” with a very clear purpose to put a question in the minds of readers. Perhaps tellingly, the Josephine County commissioners recently removed publication of their public notices in the Grants Pass Courier newspaper to the Illinois Valley News instead. The Courier has a print circulation of 9,200 while the latter has 1,350.

— 2023 Oregon legislative preview: What you need to know.

— Mayor of Rip City, Bill Schonely, dies at 93.

— Bottleneck at Oregon police academy leaves recruits waiting months for basic training.

— Gov. Tina Kotek unveils $130 million homeless plan. According to Gov. Kotek, that massive sum of money would help just 1,200 people experiencing homelessness, “That would help another 1,200 Oregonians who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness move off the streets within a year.” The National Alliance to End Homelessness says Oregon has over 14,476 homeless individuals across the state or 35 homeless per 10,000 people in the general population. $130 million for just 1,200 seems like a very poor use of money for a very significant problem.

— AG Ellen Rosenblum sets her legislative agenda, which includes expanding access to abortion in Oregon, which likely means helping out of state people get abortions because Oregon already allows abortions up until the moment of birth. Other bills in the AG agenda include a bill dubbed Bias Crimes and Incidents, and the Labor Trafficking Task Force Bill.

— Chart: How other states see Oregon.

— Interesting reporting by The Willamette Week: “Oregon needs brain injury rehab beds. Why do hospitals and nursing homes oppose them?”

— OPB reports: “Oregon-based EO Media Group announced it will open a news outlet that serves Medford and Ashland after the closure of the Mail Tribune.”

— Meanwhile, Oregon media are saying the XBB.1.5 COVID “subvariant” (also called the Kraken) is still only on the “horizon” as Oregon cases and hospitalizations continue to fall. OHSU news forecasts that the “trifecta” of respiratory illnesses are easing in Oregon hospital.

— Oregon hospital systems face lawsuits over religious objections to COVID vaccines.

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