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Oregon lawmakers introduce legislation to rein in utility bills

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Oregon lawmakers introduce legislation to rein in utility bills


SALEM, Ore. (KPTV) – A pair of Oregon lawmakers introduced two state bills on Thursday that they say are intended to rein in utility costs.

Rep. Nathan Sosa (D-Greater Hillsboro) announced HB3179, the “FAIR Energy Act,” and said it’s designed to “lower utility bills by requiring the Public Utility Commission to thoroughly consider the impact on consumers before approving a rate increase.” Rep. Pam Marsh (D-Ashland) introduced HB 3546, the “POWER Act,” and said it aims to hold large energy users “accountable for paying for their own energy needs.” Marsh said this bill would require the Public Utility Commission to “create new policies that help protect Oregon households from paying for high-energy users such as data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities.” Marsh said it will also make “for-profit utilities identify the costs that high-energy users are adding to the system.” Marsh added that “state regulators can prevent Oregonians from covering the cost of these businesses.”

“I have heard repeatedly from my constituents how frustrated they are with the dramatic and repeated increases in their utility bills. The scope of this problem is staggering. Over the past few years, electric and gas rates from investor-owned utilities have gone up by nearly 50%. This is not sustainable,” wrote Marsh in a release Thursday.

“The bill is intended to reform the rate-setting process in various ways to ensure that the interests of Oregon consumers are prioritized. The FAIR Energy Act is designed to prevent residents from continuing to be hit with repeated and historic utility rate increases,” wrote Rep. Sosa.

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“Oregon utility customers should not have to bear the costs of enormous demand for power by data centers and other large energy users. HB 3546 requires those users to pay their fair share,” Rep. Marsh added.

The House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment will hold a public hearing on HB3546 “in the coming weeks.”



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Oregon

Oregon City health care facility sees measles exposure, Oregon Heath Authority warns

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Oregon City health care facility sees measles exposure, Oregon Heath Authority warns


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Oregon Top High School Baseball Players For 2026

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Oregon Top High School Baseball Players For 2026


The 2026 MLB Draft is approaching, and Baseball America is providing a comprehensive, state-by-state look at the talent across the country with our rankings of the the top 2026 high school baseball players by state.

Our state lists collectively include rankings for more than 1,000 players from across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, offering an in-depth look at the 2026 high school class. Players are listed in the state where they attend high school, with the depth of each list varying depending on the level of talent in each state.

More MLB Draft Rankings

These rankings are based on Baseball America’s extensive scouting coverage, combining first-hand evaluations and industry feedback to line up players based on their projected future talent. The rankings reflect the full spectrum of talent in the 2026 class. The players who project to be the best major league players—and thus will likely end up being high draft picks—are at the top of our rankings.

In addition to elite draft prospects, these lists include high-end college recruits, many of whom project to be impact college players who could raise their MLB prospect profiles after getting to campus. They also include other players who have the potential to be quality Division I regulars.

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The players at the top of the lists stand out right now with the highest long-term major league projection, but there are future major leaguers throughout these lists. Player further down the rankings have a greater chance of getting to college, where they have the potential to emerge after more development at that level.

These lists offer a resource for tracking the best 2026 high school baseball prospects who could shape the 2026 MLB Draft and make an impact on college baseball programs in the years ahead. For college programs, major league teams and fans, these lists provide a deeper look into the pipeline of talent that will shape the 2026 MLB Draft class, future draft classes and the next half decade of college baseball.

Oregon Class Of 2026 Baseball Rankings

RANK PLAYER POS SCHOOL COMMIT
1 Grady Saunders RHP Thurston Oregon State
2 Sawyer Nelson SS South Salem Loyola Marymount
3 Teagan Scott C South Salem Oregon State
4 August Ware LHP Gencoe Oregon State
5 Trenton Hertzog C/3B Tualatin Oregon
6 Jake Rolling SS Jesuit Gonzaga
7 Zack Hankins LHP Taft Oregon
8 Ryan Hemsley RHP West Linn Portland



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Oregon tattoo artists push back on topical anesthetic ban

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Oregon tattoo artists push back on topical anesthetic ban


PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Tattoo artists across Oregon are voicing concerns after a recent rule clarification from the Oregon Health Authority says topical anesthetics cannot be used by any tattoo artist.

Sean Lanusse has been tattooing for nearly two decades, and sits on the committee that reviews curriculum for Oregon tattoo schools. During their last committee meeting, a memo was introduced with little warning.

“They just kinda slid it out and said we are not going to talk about this because it does not pertain to this meeting but here is this information,” Lanusse said.

The practice clarification says under no circumstance can tattoo artists in Oregon apply topical anesthetics. The reasoning: it could constitute practicing medicine.

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Only one other state in the U.S. bans all topical anesthetics for tattoo purposes.

Lanusse said it’s common to see a numbing agent like Bactine in a tattoo studio.

“I did use bactine for a while just to ease it up a little bit, help the client through the extra 20 mins or whatever but generally I’m not using those things,” Lanusse said. “I don’t think it’s as big of a problem for us as it is for cosmetic tattooing.”

Cosmetic tattoo artists say ban will hurt business

At her private studio, Exuvium Studios Body Art & Beauty, Kaysie Anderson tattoos more than just permanent makeup. She does a lot of work with scar camouflaging and post-mastectomy areola reconstructing tattooing.

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“I have used numbing creams up until this clarification for nearly every single service I perform,” Anderson said.

After the new rule came out, she sent a poll to her clients asking if they would be willing to get their tattoos without numbing cream. Since most of the tattoos Anderson applies are in very sensitive areas of the body, a vast majority of her clients said no.

“This will 100% drive business out of our state, this will also drive licensees out of our state so the HLO will loose that revenue too,” Anderson said. “If I am not able to get clarification on how this is to be enforced or applied then I would have to relocate.”

In an email from the Oregon Health Authority, the agency cited two instances of topical anesthetics being used during a cosmetic tattoo appointment that led to the client going to the hospital for eye irritations. Both of those cases were from more than 10 years ago. One happened in Albany in 2016, the other in Bend in 2012.

Both Lanusse and Anderson are hoping for more clarity from the Health Licensing Office as to why they are making these clarifications now.

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“The ideal answer would be to have the HLO reconsider their interpretation of existing policy because it doesn’t seem to be supported by and existing statute,” Anderson said.

“I don’t like that they did it that way because this effects thousands of tattooers, cosmetic and artistic tattooers,” Lanusse said. “The rollout of this was very surprising, very sudden and not well communicated to everyone, it’s going to have far-reaching impact and no plan going forward.”

The organization “Reform Oregon Tattooing” said they will be lobbying this next legislative session to separate the licensing process for artistic tattooing and cosmetic tattooing.



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