Through a partnership between Travel Oregon and Wheel the World, Oregon has been named the first state to be “accessibility verified,” a Wheel the World designation that recognizes the state as an accessible travel destination.
Wheel the World, a travel platform for people with disabilities, was founded in 2018 by a wheelchair user to identify and promote accessible places to explore.
“So not a travel agency, but more an Expedia for people with disabilities,” said Joy Burns, communication and partnership manager for the company. “We wanted to offer verified information on accessibility, details of hotels, attractions and also transportation options.”
The company vets destinations by sending specialized mappers to verify accessibility details of hotels and other locations. They collect over 200 specific data points. At hotels, for instance, those data points includebed height, bathroom features and doorway measurements.
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“They visited in Oregon in 43 communities across the state,” said Allie Gardner, industry communications manager at Travel Oregon. “They have assessed now over 750 tourism businesses, so hotels, restaurants, other types of businesses.”
The partnership with Travel Oregon began incrementally. Initially, Wheel the World started working with the Oregon Coast tourism agency. Recognizing the statewide potential, Travel Oregon formally launched the partnership with Wheel the World in 2024 with a $400,000 investment.
The Oregon verification process lasted over two and a half years. Using the results, Travel Oregon and Wheel the World then created accessible vacation itineraries for seven Oregon regions: the Willamette Valley, central Oregon, Portland, Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge, southern Oregon, eastern Oregon and the Oregon coast.
Fish viewing at Cascade Streamwatch Trail. Photo courtesy of Travel Oregon.Travel Oregon
Each itinerary includes detailed accessibility information for hotels, restaurants and activities in each region, giving would-be-travelers a step-by-step plan to visit Oregon cities such as Bend, Ashland and Crater Lake and Cannon Beach.
In addition to the verification initiative, Travel Oregon has supported accessibility improvements through its statewide grants program over the past two years, which funds projects that make travel experiences more inclusive.
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“We have, over the past few years, given out more than $8 million in grants towards projects and programs that either promote, maintain or improve accessibility across the state,” Gardner said, of Travel Oregon.
Through one such grant funded by Experience Mt. Hood and the Gorge in partnership with Travel Oregon, Randy and Rebecca Kiyokawa, owners of Kiyokawa Family Orchards in Mount Hood, were able to install over 600 feet of Mobi-Mats, creating wheelchair-accessible pathways through the orchard.
Mobi-Mats at Kiyokawa Family Orchards create wheelchair-accessible pathways through the u-pick blocks. Photo courtesy of Kiyokawa Family Orchards.Kiyokawa Family Orchards
Randy Kiyokawa said the mats benefit many of the orchard’s visitors.
“Not only people in wheelchairs, but people with baby strollers, it’s just improving the experience for everybody,” he said. “It’s almost like the yellow brick road. It shows people where to go and where we laid out the flow of traffic.”
The $27,000 project is the first in Oregon to feature Mobi-Mats in a u-pick farm setting, according to Experience Mt. Hood and the Gorge. Previously known for improving beach access for wheelchair users, the mats provide stable, nonslip pathways across soft or uneven ground and can be used in all weather conditions. Randy Kiyokawaexpects the new Mobi-Mats will improve tourism in the Columbia Gorge.
“It’s going to be huge once word gets out that the gorge and Oregon are friendly for people that have accessibility issues,” he said.
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He explained that the mats were placed to make navigation easier in key areas, including the parking lot, near the farm stand, throughout the u-pick blocks and around spaces used for entertainment and picnics. The Mobi-Mats will remain in place through the end of the u-pick season in late October, and Kiyokawa said he plans to expand the accessible pathways in future seasons.
According to Burns and Gardner, the accessibility improvements across the state have already yielded positive responses from travelers with disabilities.
“We invited travelers with disabilities to come experience these itineraries that we’re creating,” Gardner said. “They had really positive feedback. Some of them were doing activities that they never thought they would be able to do or be able to be part of.”
Both organizations say they plan to continue adding destinations and activities to their travel itineraries.
The Oregonian/OregonLive receives support from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to bring readers stories on religion, faith and cultural connections in Oregon. The Oregonian/OregonLive is solely responsible for all content.
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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.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
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“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
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On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
