About 70% of Oregon schools will offer free breakfasts and lunches to all students during the upcoming school year, up from around 55% a year ago, the state Department of Education said Monday.
Their ranks now include almost every school in the metro area, including all in Portland Public Schools, the state’s largest district, and the Beaverton School District, its third largest, both of which offered free meals only in higher need schools last year.
Universal school meals are having a national moment, after briefly being on the menu coast-to-coast for all students during the pandemic’s immediate aftermath. The federal government discontinued that effort in October, 2022.
Most recently, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, soon to be the Democrats’ formal nominee for vice president, went viral after being inundated with hugs from children when he signed a bill to make school breakfast and lunch free for all in 2023.
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The topic isn’t without controversy though. Only eight states, all of them led by Democrats, have passed legislation guaranteeing free school meals regardless of income. Republican governors and legislators have pushed back, arguing that the program wastes money giving free meals to children from families who can afford to buy school food or pack a lunch from home.
Anti-hunger advocates have pointed to studies showing that making meals at school free for all students can reduce the stigma associated with getting them and that feeding all students translates to better behavioral and academic outcomes.
In Oregon, a bill that would have funded free school meals statewide died in the 2023 legislative session. But advocates are planning to renew that request in the 2025 session, said David Wieland, a policy advocate for Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. It would cost less this time, Wieland said, because of changes in federal reimbursement policies that helped fuel this year’s expansion in Oregon.
The proposed bill is still taking shape, but advocates envision grants to help districts for whom it is a logistical struggle to serve meals — for example, to purchase more scratch cooking equipment, Wieland said. There are also ongoing conversations about how to ensure that students have time to eat cafeteria meals and meal choices appeal to their palates to cut down on waste, he said.
Last October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that if at least 25% of students in schools and districts were enrolled in government assistance programs like food stamps or Head Start or were homeless, migrants or in foster care, the entire school or district could qualify for free meals and get reimbursed for up to 90% of the cost of providing them. Previously, the threshold had been set at 40%. Oregon lawmakers pitched in an extra $17 million to help schools defray the extra costs.
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Another big factor that aided the expansion, said Matt Newell-Ching, a policy manager for the Oregon Food Bank: a federal pilot program that has allowed all Medicaid-eligible Oregon children to be automatically registered for free school lunches, taking the paperwork onus off of their parents.
In schools that aren’t offering universal free school meals this year, a family of four needs to make under $90,000 annually to qualify for their students for free lunches. Every school district sets its own prices for lunch, and costs can vary widely. There are no free meals planned in ???
In addition to Portland and Beaverton, free meals will also be offered in North Clackamas, Tigard-Tualatin and Hillsboro.
“Everyone’s food budgets are high right now, and this helps all families,” Newell-Ching said. “Instead of putting in means tests about who needs it, this is a recognition that food costs are high for everyone.”
— Julia Silverman covers education for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach her via email at jsilverman@oregonian.com or find her on X.com at @jrlsilverman.
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Oregon hit back in the battle over transgender health care Tuesday, leading a coalition of states suing to block a proposed Trump administration policy that would cut off federal funding to institutions that provide gender affirming care to minors.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that rule change Dec. 18, with a declaration that condemned “sex-rejecting procedures” for minors as “neither safe nor effective”—putting the force the the U.S. federal government on the side of a mounting global movement that sees medical interventions, ranging from puberty blockers to hormone therapy to surgery, as plainly inappropriate treatments for youth diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
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In the new suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon and 18 other plaintiffs states say the declaration is not only wrong—”research and clinical data support gender-affirming care as a safe and effective treatment for gender dysphoria in adolescents”—but in violation of multiple federal laws.
The declaration violates laws banning the federal government from intervening in certain ways in the practice of medicine, the plaintiffs say. They also argue it violates laws governing how new federal rules are established. And though the declaration says it is issued “pursuant to the authority vested in” HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the plaintiffs say he does not in fact have the authority to declare the standard of medical care in the United States.
The suit also notes the way federal guidance conflict with the laws of certain plaintiff states. For example, Oregon law guarantees that the Oregon Health Plan cover gender-affirming care. If systems like Oregon Health & Science University and Legacy Health cease to provide this care, the plaintiffs say, patients under the Oregon health plan will lose access to gender-affirming care for which they are statutorily guaranteed coverage.
The legal battle comes as different countries, and U.S. states, issue divergent policies governing medical treatment for transgender youth.
Compounding the confusion is the fact that gender affirming care is a rather capacious term. It can refer to social affirmation of someone’s chosen gender identity, or legal affirmation, where government documents reflect that identity (the Trump administration has moved to restrict this too).
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The term can also refer to medical treatments, such as puberty blockers, which are generally reversible, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. It says other treatments like hormone therapy are partially reversible, while surgery is not reversible. The AAP endorses carefully-administered gender-affirming care in minors with gender dysphoria as a way to promote their physical and social well being.
The stakes in this debate are high for Oregon because OHSU has in recent years become a major provider of such care. The university’s press office hasn’t offered details on the scope of its patient base but, in a 2023 report, OHSU described its Transgender Health Program as one of the “largest and most comprehensive” in the United States.
The new Holgate Library opens in Southeast Portland on Saturday, July 13, 2024. The expanded space is now one of largest libraries in Multnomah County.Sean Meagher/The Oregonian
The Multnomah County Library on Tuesday released the names of its most popular books in 2025, and the lists include several gems, including classics by literary giants Jane Austen and (for the under 5 set) Mo Willems.
Multnomah County’s 19 branches together hosted visitors more than 2 million times and checked out or renewed books and other items almost 9 million times so far this year.
Are your favorite books on the lists? Here are the most popular titles as of Dec. 1:
Physical books:
Top adult titles:
James: A Novel by Percival Everett (1,089 checkouts)
Tilt: A Novel by Emma Pattee (1,059 checkouts)
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (1,004 checkouts)
All Fours by Miranda July (973 checkouts)
Intermezzo: A Novel by Sally Rooney (758 checkouts)
Top teen titles:
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (507 checkouts)
The Blue Line Letters by Steven Christiansen (338 checkouts)
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (217 checkouts)
Heartstopper. Volume 5. by Alice Oseman (192 checkouts)
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (168 checkouts)
Top kids titles:
The Thank You Book by Mo Willems (636 checkouts)
Pigs Make Me Sneeze!: An Elephant & Piggie Book by Mo Willems (625 checkouts)
My New Friend Is So Fun! by Mo Willems (611 checkouts)
Watch Me Throw the Ball! by Mo Willems (569 checkouts)
I Will Surprise My Friend!by Mo Willems (560 checkouts)
E-books and audiobooks (checkouts combined):
Top adult titles:
Solito by Javier Zamora (10,006 checkouts)
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (7,835 checkouts)
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (6,320 checkouts)
Pride and Prejudiceby Jane Austen (4,923 checkouts)
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson (4,824 checkouts)
Top teen titles:
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (3,215 checkouts)
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (2,958 checkouts)
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (2,902 checkouts)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (2,822 checkouts)
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (1,923 checkouts)
Top kids titles:
Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney (2,814 checkouts)
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (1,923 checkouts)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1,808 checkouts)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling (1,478 checkouts)
Beth Slovic is an editor on the public safety/breaking news team. She previously covered Portland City Hall at The Oregonian/OregonLive and has taught journalism at a number of Portland-area universities and…
Forecasters with the National Weather Service are closely monitoring the windstorm but say it’s still too early to predict how strong those winds will be on Wednesday.
A car is crushed by a fallen tree on Northeast 24th Avenue on Wednesday, Dec. 17., 2025 in Portland.
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Saskia Hatvany / OPB
A windstorm packing gusts of up to 65 mph could hit western Oregon and Southwest Washington on Christmas Eve, triggering power outages and downing trees, forecasters and electric utilities warned Monday.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service are closely monitoring the windstorm as it moves up the coast, but say it’s still too early to predict exactly how strong those winds will be on Wednesday.
Gusts of at least 45 miles per hour could pass through much of western Oregon and Southwest Washington between 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
While there is still a lot of uncertainty around the windstorm, now is the time for residents to get ready, said Hannah Chandler-Cooley, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Portland.
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“People should take precautions such as securing any outdoor decorations, garbage bins, and be prepared for the potential for some localized power outages or tree damage,” she said.
Further south, two winter storms will bring snow and rain to Southern Oregon and northern California this week, just in time for holiday travel.
California’s Siskiyou County will get the brunt of the storms, particularly at higher elevations, starting Tuesday and lasting through Friday.
Heavy snow is expected on mountain passes over 4,500 feet, and some snow could fall on Interstate 5 in the area around California’s Mount Shasta on Friday as the snow level drops, according to the forecast.
Portland General Electric urged residents to prepare an outage plan and get emergency kits ready in case the power goes out. The utility company is also warning people of potential weather hazards like downed power lines.
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“You should always assume they are alive,” John Farmer, a spokesperson with PGE, said. “You should never go near them. Don’t touch them. Don’t use a stick or a branch to move. Just stay away.”
Following the heavy rains that plummeted the region last week, the NWS also warns that soils across the state are still really saturated. That, combined with gusty winds, could knock over weakened trees and branches.
Mindy McCartt, a spokesperson with the Oregon Department of Transportation, says their crews are still working to clear up debris left behind by last week’s storms.
“Crews will continue cleanup from the previous storms while also preparing and staffing up for the next potential event,” she said. “If the storm hits as forecast, maintenance crews will be ready to respond as soon as conditions allow.”
McCartt says people who are planning to hit the road this holiday week should take extra precautions. She also recommends checking road conditions before heading out for possible closures or delays.
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