PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Governor Tina Kotek joined Oregon farmers, advocates, and legislators at Topaz Farms on Sauvie Island on Wednesday to commemorate the signing of House Bill 4153, a bill from this year’s legislative session that protects existing farm stand permits and gives farmers new options to support the long-term success of their farms.

“Oregon’s family farms are the backbone of our rural economies, and this bill will help them adapt and succeed,” Kotek said. “This new law gives certainty to farmers who diversify their revenues through agritourism and on-site sales while still preserving and honoring the farmlands that make Oregon special.”

The law creates an optional permit for farms that want to open a small farm store on land zoned for farming. It also provides clearer guidelines for agritourism activities such as farm tours, educational exhibits, hayrides, and seasonal events while ensuring these uses serve as a supplement to farming activities, not a replacement.

“Agriculture collectively provides the largest economic impact to Oregon. It is the foundation of our state,” said the bill’s chief sponsor, state Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson (R-Prineville). “This bill is a true example of what happens when ag champions come together for the industry and Oregonians. Signing HB 4153 into law secures a future for family farms in Oregon.”

Breese-Iverson said the new permit overcomes the limitations of the previous law, which in many cases could prohibit family-friendly structures, require strict income caps, and not allow educational events.

Under the new law, she said, a farm operation will be allowed to sell farm products, offer local goods from other producers, and host limited agritourism events such as pumpkin patches, corn mazes, flower festivals, and farm tours at their farm store.

The Central Oregon lawmaker says the bill gives counties modern, clear, and enforceable rules to regulate access, egress, parking, hours of operation, noise, sanitation, and public health and safety. The bill prohibits using a farm store as a residence, hotel, café, or drive-thru.

HB 4153 was developed though a robust process with a broad coalition of stakeholders, including the governor and her advisory staff, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Department of Land Conservation and Development, Oregon Property Owners Association, Oregon Farm Bureau, Association of Oregon Counties, and farmers across the state.

Topaz Farm co-owner Kat Topaz said, “At a time when most of us feel helpless, everyone together made this bill happen. It would have never passed without the overwhelming support from the public.”

“Oregonians want to connect with farms and the farmers who grow their food. So many advocates made this happen: lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Oregon Farm Bureau, the Association of Counties and of course, the governor, who has been a huge supporter from the start.”

Others who joined the ceremonial signing include state legislators and representatives from the Oregon Farm Bureau, Travel Oregon, the Oregon Property Owners Association, the Association of Oregon Counties, Plumper Farms, Frog Pond Farm, Packer Orchards, Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, and former State Senator Betsy Johnson.

Governor Kotek signed the legislation on a Topaz Farm picnic table that was surrounded by letters she received from students in Lincoln City who supported the legislation because of the enrichment opportunities available to them on farms in their region.

The law takes effect on Jan. 1, providing time for farmers and counties to learn more about the updated framework.

An entangled humpback whale that stranded near Yachats in November 2025 had chronic diseases in multiple organ systems that likely contributed to the stranding, a final necropsy report concluded.

The whale’s empty stomach and intestine also indicated that it had not eaten for weeks, leaving the whale with minimal fat stores, according to the report, by the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the Gary R. Carlson, MD, College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University.

On Nov. 15, 2025, the young male whale was stranded on a beach north of Yachats, on the central Oregon Coast. It was euthanized Nov. 17 after attempts to return it to the ocean were unsuccessful.

The whale was entangled in fishing gear leftover from the 2023-24 commercial Dungeness crab season.

In February 2026, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to deny a petition to modify commercial crabbing rules to reduce the risk of whale entanglement, although it urged the state agency to continue its current efforts to reduce the number of whales getting caught in fishing lines.

The failed rescue attempt was heartbreaking for dozens of volunteers and the thousands of members of the public who spent a few days following along, hoping the whale would make it back to open water.

The laboratory’s examination found evidence of spinal cord disease, likely caused by an infection, according to the report.

The whale’s intestine and colon had signs of severe widespread inflammatory disease, likely the result of intestinal parasites.

The whale, which was about 1 to 2 years old, also had evidence of chronic congestive heart failure as well as acute heart failure resulting from the stress related to the stranding.

“When I look at all the results in the context of what we know about the whale, there are many signs it was having problems long before the stranding,” said Dr. Kurt Williams, director of the laboratory and lead pathologist on the case. “My interpretation of events is that the animal’s pre-existing disease challenges contributed to the whale’s entanglement and then to the live stranding.”

Williams reviewed the findings with marine mammal pathologists and scientists from around the world before finalizing the report.

“We hope the findings from this case expand our understanding of whale diseases and spur future investigations to understand and improve the health of whales and the oceans around the globe,” the report reads.

The Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network, coordinated by Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute in Newport, responded to the stranding in coordination with other partners.

The Oregon program is part of the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network and responds to strandings on the central and southern Oregon Coast.

Tracy Loew covers the environment at the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips: tloew@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6779. Follow her on X at @Tracy_Loew

Some Oregon Democrats are calling for the removal of President Donald Trump from office after he made explicit threats against Iran and its infrastructure, including warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if the government does not open the Strait of Hormuz on April 7.

Trump’s statements have sparked nationwide backlash among political leaders and fueled warnings about potential war crimes and the risk of escalating international conflict.

Many Oregon Democrats elected to national office are urging Republican representatives to intervene and rein in the president, while others are calling to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to remove a president from power if they determine the president is unable to discharge the duties of the office.

Cliff Bentz, the lone Republican representing Oregon in Washington, D.C., has not weighed in on the president’s statements. His office did not respond to a request for comment.

Here’s how Oregon’s elected representatives reacted to Trump’s claims:

Sen. Ron Wyden

“Donald Trump is deranged. He must be impeached and removed from office,” Sen. Ron Wyden said in a statement posted to social media on April 7. “Republicans who don’t stop him will have blood on their hands, and anyone who carries out an order to bomb civilian targets will be complicit in war crimes and will be held accountable.