SALEM Ore. (KPTV) – Oregon’s legislative session officially kicked off Tuesday, one day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Throughout the state capitol, there were conversations about how decisions made in Washington D.C. could impact state government in Salem.
On day one, President Donald Trump signed nearly 50 executive orders. With so many to review, it will take a few days to see which are enforceable and which will face legal challenges.
But one executive order dealing with electric vehicles caught the attention of Oregon’s Joint Transportation Committee’s Co-Vice Chair.
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The executive order is called “Unleashing American Energy.” It rolls back multiple executive orders from the Biden administration addressing climate change and clean energy, but it was specifically written to “Eliminate the electric vehicle (EV) mandate.”
“As soon as I heard it yesterday I reached out to our legislative council to see how that is going to apply to what DEQ has done in this state,” Representative Shelly Boshart Davis said.
Rep. Boshart Davis has served on the Joint Transportation Committee for several years. She opposed the “Advanced Clean Cars II” rule, which was passed in 2021. That rule requires auto manufacturers in Oregon to make all new passenger cars “Battery electric or plug-in hybrid EVs” by 2035. Rep. Boshart Davis hopes Trump’s order might end that rule.
“Those can only exist because they rely on an EPA waiver and if the waivers get rescinded will that apply in states like Oregon, Washington, California New York,” Rep. Boshart Davis said, “But that remains to be seen, we are less than 24 hours into it, but it does put question marks on things that were passed in this state.”
But democratic leaders said these orders might not lead to major changes, pointing out challenges the Oregon legislature has faced before.
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SEE ALSO:President Trump spent his first day in office signing executive orders and vowing to fulfill campaign promises.
“In his first administration, the first Trump presidency we took action when there were rollbacks on clean water or clean air regulations and we said we would like to keep those regulations in place here in Oregon. We also codified Roe v. Wade,” Oregon Speaker of the House Julie Fahey said.
While the state legislature has challenged executive orders coming from the Trump Administration in the past, Speaker Fahey said other executive orders will have to be challenged through the courts instead.
“I would specifically point to the executive order of birthright citizenship which is likely unconstitutional and I was glad to see the Attorney General Rayfield join on to the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of that order,” Speaker Fahey said.
While the executive orders coming down from the white house may impact future legislation here in Oregon, both Rep. Boshart Davis and Speaker Fahey said the main goal of the 2025 legislative session will be to tackle the cost of living in Oregon.
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“I think top of mind for house Republicans and Oregonians is affordability in this state,” Rep. Boshart Davis said.
“We have heard loud and clear that those issues are driving what they want the government to be working on making housing more affordable, health care, utilities, there will be a number of big-ticket items like that the legislature will take up action this year,” Speaker Fahey said
All of President Trump’s executive orders are still very new and their impact is unclear. But there are some aspects that Oregon’s House Republicans are standing firmly behind, while House Democrats plan to challenge their legality.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A man accused of killing several women and dumping their bodies in the Portland area was arraigned Wednesday on a fifth murder charge.
Jesse Calhoun’s defense attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf in a Portland courtroom where victims’ family members were present. The hearing, during which Calhoun remained silent, came after he was indicted last week on the most recent second-degree murder charge over the death of Ashley Real, 22, in 2023.
Calhoun has now been charged with five counts of second-degree murder for five victims, along with four counts of abuse of a corpse. The victims’ bodies were found over multiple months in early 2023, sparking concern at the time that a serial killer might be targeting young women in the region.
Calhoun was previously indicted in the deaths of Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32.
He remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center. His defense attorneys declined to comment.
Real, Perry, Webster and Smith were found in northwestern Oregon, while Speaks was found near an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington. Their bodies were found in a roughly 100-mile radius, including in wooded areas and in a culvert.
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Jose Real, Ashley Real’s father, was in tears as he spoke with reporters after the hearing. He recalled memories of watching her grow up and playing with her brother.
“I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this,” he said through a Spanish interpreter. “She had a heart of gold.”
Masciell Real, Ashley’s sister, also spoke through tears.
“I think being in that courtroom today and being able to see him, and know that he is behind bars now, it takes the weight off my shoulders knowing that he isn’t around and free to cause any harm to any other women out there,” she said. “But it also doesn’t take away the fact that my sister isn’t here anymore.”
Relatives of other victims were also present.
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“We’ve all experienced the worst thing that could ever happen to you, and it’s incredibly hard to see one of the other families hurt the way we do,” said Melissa Smith, mother of Kristin Smith.
Jose Real previously told The Associated Press that he had called police in November 2022 after his daughter showed up crying at his Portland home, saying she had been choked by Calhoun. She had marks on her throat, he said, and he took her to a hospital.
Real said at the time that an initial police report was taken but that the case was then transferred to a different jurisdiction and it was difficult to reach those overseeing it. Details of the attack were first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
His daughter’s body was found in May 2023 by a man who was fishing in a pond southeast of Portland.
Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole warrants and then indicted in 2024 and 2025 in the other four women’s deaths. The initial indictment came weeks before Calhoun was due to be released from state prison, where he was returned in 2023 to finish serving a four-year term for assaulting a police officer, trying to strangle a police dog, burglary and other charges.
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He was initially released in 2021, a year early, because he helped fight wildfires in 2020 under a prison firefighting program. Gov. Tina Kotek revoked the commutation in 2023 when police began investigating him in the deaths.
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
