Listen carefully. Here are three words you have not heard in Oregon likely in your lifetime: "Republican", "governor", "easy". With less than three weeks to go until the fateful "first Tuesday after the first Monday" General Election day, Breitbart's John Nolte reports that "RealClearPolitics Projects GOP Wins in MI, WI, OR, NV Governor Races". And of the four, Oregon is the easiest call. As in, "It's so obvious, even a blind man could see it."

This piece originally appeared in The Oregonian and online on Wednesday, 28 September under the title "Christine Drazan, Tina Kotek neck-and-neck in race for Oregon governor, new poll from The Oregonian/OregonLive shows" and the byline Jamie Goldberg

Republican Christine Drazan and Democrat Tina Kotek are neck-and-neck in the three-way race for governor six weeks before the November election, according to a new poll commissioned by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

It may be starting to rain for Oregon Republicans

In a typical end-of-month fundraising appeal, the Oregon Republican Party cited a not-so-typical political projection that is certain to catch the attention of hopeful Republicans in this election year. Not since Chris Dudley so narrowly lost to John Kitzhaber in 2010 has the contest for Oregon Governor been this iffy.

Update!  Virus fear-mongering overrides all posturing on indoor mask mandates. Claiming "[the] Delta variant has changed everything", legislative leadership nixed the in-person portion of the redistricting roadshow scheduled for September. Given the "success" of virtual session this year, all hearings will be held over the internet. Although the timeframe remains the same — Wednesday 9/8 - Monday 9/13 — owing to the elimination of travel, the schedule is compressed from five to four days, with no weekend sessions.

At its monthly meeting Thursday evening, 17 June, the Marion County Republican Central Committee passed without objection a resolution strongly denouncing the current recall effort against Marion County Republican senator Fred Girod (District 9 - Lyons). Central Committee members declared their resolve to "support Senator Fred Girod against this recall effort" and called on Republican residents of the district to "refuse to sign the petition."

Although filed prior to the beginning of the 2021 session and slowly making its way through the process, SB 554 got the boost it needed to quick passage by the two shooting incidents in Atlanta, GA and Boulder, CO. "I, like so many Oregonians, have been distressed by the tragedy of gun violence and the rise of extremism," lamented Portland Democrat Senator Ginny Burdick, one of the three Senate chief sponsors. With more joy and hope, she declared, "I am proud we passed Senate Bill 554 today. It will make our schools and public buildings safer for our students and all Oregonians."

Gestures, while rarely accomplishing anything substantive, are usually fun to watch. They may also go a long way, much like music, to soothe a savage breast. Eleven Senate Republicans and Independent Sen. Brian Boquist surprised Senate President Peter Courtney and the majority party by absenting themselves from Thursday's morning floor session. Because the sole order of business was the introduction of new bills, little damage resulted from the denial of quorum.

Through next Wednesday, 23 December, Oregon's Department of Forestry is seeking public comment regarding its plan (PDF) to begin restoring Santiam State Forest lands harmed by the Beachie Creek fire. During most of September this year, three complex fires ravaged the Cascade foothills: Riverside in the north; Beachie Creek in the middle, and Lionshead to the east. The Lionshead and Beachie Creek complexes eventually merged while the Riverside came close. In all, around a million acres burned, claiming five lives and leveling the Santiam Canyon towns of Idanha, Detroit, and Gates, along with significant portions of Mill City, Lyons, and Mehama.

Dark had just fallen minutes after 5:00 pm, Tuesday, 1 December, as police responded to a call regarding an incident involving a pedestrian and vehicle. Dr. Selma Pierce (DMD), 66, was struck and killed by a Chevrolet SUV while walking along Doaks Ferry Rd., NW, near Hidden Valley Dr., NW. According to police reports, the area is dark and has sidewalk improvement on only the east side of Doaks Ferry. Although police are unsure about which side of the road Ms. Pierce was using, officers stated that she was in the roadway when struck.