Oregon Public Broadcasting

HUNDREDS RALLIED ACROSS OREGON IN SUPPORT OF ABORTION ACCESS ON TUESDAY, RESPONDING TO THE LEAKED U.S. SUPREME COURT DRAFT REGARDING ROE V. WADE. BUT IN OREGON AND WASHINGTON, THE DECISION, EVEN IF IT BECOMES LAW, WILL MAKE LITTLE DIFFERENCE TO ABORTION ACCESS./KRISTYNA WENTZ-GRAFF/OPB

Abortion Access In Oregon And Washington Won’t Change, Unless State Law Does

Both states are known for liberal legal frameworks protecting the right to abortion, but advocates on both sides point out that laws can change.

May 10, 2022

WESLEY DECASTRO WEARS A BUTTON AND STICKER AFTER HIS VACCINATION AT A PEDIATRIC COVID-19 VACCINE CLINIC HELD AT CLACKAMAS TOWN CENTER IN NOVEMBER 2021 IN HAPPY VALLEY, ORE./KRISTYNA WENTZ-GRAFF/OPB

Oregon COVID-19 Cases Are Up, Severity Is Down

With masks off, more people are starting to get COVID-19 again, but public health officials don’t expect a surge of deadly cases.

May 3, 2022

Sheriff Mike Reese, right, and Corrections Health Director Dr. Michael Seale. | MULTNOMAH COUNTY

Audit: Multnomah County Jail Conditions Worse For Black People, Mentally Ill

A new audit said that about half of the people in Multnomah County who need mental health medication reported that they did not get it in a timely fashion or at all.

Apr 28, 2022

SHUTTERSTOCK

Masks No Longer Required At PDX Following Florida Court Ruling

Portlnd International Airport has decided not to enforce a federal mask mandate in the wake of a federal court ruling in Florida, though the Centers for Disease Control still recommends them during transit.

Apr 19, 2022

OREGON STATE PENITENTIARY IN SALEM, OREGON./KRISTYNA WENTZ-GRAFF/OPB.

Judge Grants Class-Action Status To Oregon Prisoners Sickened By COVID

The federal ruling, possibly the first of its kind nationally, opens the door to a potentially massive liability that could cost Oregon millions of dollars to resolve.

Apr 5, 2022

SHUTTERSTOCK

What Oregon’s Death With Dignity Settlement Means For Out-Of-State Terminally Ill Patients

Oregon is the first state in the nation to allow doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to out-of-state residents.

Mar 31, 2022

COMMISSIONER JO ANN HARDESTY SPEAKS DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE REGARDING THE PORTLAND STREET RESPONSE TEAM, FEB. 16, 2021./KRISTYNA WENTZ-GRAFF/OPB

Portland Street Response Expands Citywide With New Answer To Behavioral Health-Related 911 Calls

The program will answer calls related to mental health and addiction across Portland from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Mar 29, 2022

In this video screenshot, Tony Klein was deposed in November 2019 as part of civil litigation involving 10 women incarcerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, who accused him of sexual abuse. | VIDEO SCREENSHOT/PLAINTIFF DEPOSITION/MICHELLE BURROWS/OPB

Legacy Health Fires Nurse Charged With Sexually Assaulting Incarcerated Women

Tony Klein was hired by Legacy Health in 2018, amid a criminal investigation into sexual assault at Oregon’s only women’s prison.

Mar 28, 2022

MILAD B. FAKURIAN ON UNSPLASH

Federal Judge Orders Oregon’s Two Rivers Prison To Follow Its Own Mask Rules

A federal magistrate judge has ruled that the failure of Two Rivers Correctional Institution to enforce its own staff mask policy is unconstitutional, amounting to "deliberate indifference" toward a substantial risk for the people imprisoned there.

Mar 24, 2022

HENRYK NIESTRÓJ/PIXABAY

Warm Springs Residents Prepare For Water Outage To Continue Through Root Feast

Residents prepare to live without running water ahead of a sacred feast celebrating first foods, as the long-term fix for a crumbling system remains unclear.

Mar 22, 2022