Oregon
Literary Arts announces 2024 Oregon Book Awards finalists | Oregon ArtsWatch
Literary Arts released the names of finalists for the 2024 Oregon Book Awards on Tuesday, and the bookshelf of nominees contains volumes ranging from nonfiction takes on backyard chickens and the temperate rainforest, to a novel in which a retired librarian finds a community of peers in a senior center, to a young adult story about a wild horse trying to find his way home.
The winners will be announced April 8 at the Oregon Book Awards Ceremony, to be held in the Portland Center Stage Armory. Poet and children’s author Kwame Alexander will host. Tickets range from $12 to $65, and are available here.
Ellen Waterston of Bend will be honored for her contributions to the Oregon literary scene with the Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award. Waterston is the founder of the Writing Ranch retreat and workshops and the Waterston Desert Writing Prize, given annually to a nonfiction book proposal that examines the role of deserts in the human narrative.
In addition, Literary Arts will present the Walt Morey Young Readers Literary Legacy Award, and the C.E.S. Wood Award at the April ceremony.
Finalists announced Tuesday are:
KEN KESEY AWARD FOR FICTION
- Patrick deWitt of Portland, The Librarianist
- Marcelle Heath of Portland, Is That All There Is?
- Lydia Kiesling of Portland, Mobility
- Rachel King of Portland, Bratwurst Haven: Stories
- Jen Wheeler of Portland, The Light on Farallon Island
Sponsor
STAFFORD/HALL AWARD FOR POETRY
- Stephanie Adams-Santos of Hillsboro, Dream of Xibalba
- Jessica E. Johnson of Portland, Metabolics
- Daniela Naomi Molnar of Portland, CHORUS
- Sara Quinn Rivara of Portland, Little Beast
- Rebecca Wadlinger of Portland, Terror, Terrible, Terrific
FRANCES FULLER VICTOR AWARD FOR GENERAL NONFICTION
- Jessica Applegate and Paul Koberstein of Portland, Canopy of Titans: The Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest
- Steven C. Beda of Eugene, Strong Winds & Widow Makers: Workers, Nature, and Environmental Conflict in Pacific Northwest Timber Country
- Tove Danovich of Milwaukie, Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them
- Jacob Mikanowski of Portland, Goodbye, Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land
- Josephine Woolington of Portland, Where We Call Home: Lands, Seas, and Skies of the Pacific Northwest
SARAH WINNEMUCCA AWARD FOR CREATIVE NONFICTION
- Erica Berry of Portland, Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear
- Erika Bolstad of Portland, Windfall: The Prairie Woman Who Lost Her Way and the Great-Granddaughter Who Found Her
- Lauren Fleshman of Bend, Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World
- Alyssa Graybeal of Astoria, Floppy: Tales of a Genetic Freak of Nature at the End of the World
- Steven Moore of Portland, The Distance From Slaughter County: Lessons From Flyover Country
ELOISE JARVIS McGRAW AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Sponsor
- Valerie Coulman of Medford, Dragons on the Inside (And Other Big Feelings)
- Nora Ericson of Portland, Too Early
- Linda Meanus of Warm Springs, My Name is Lamoosh
- Stephanie Shaw of McMinnville, All By Myself
- C. E. Winters of Hillsboro, Cut!: How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation
LESLIE BRADSHAW AWARD FOR MIDDLE GRADE AND YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE
- Cindy Baldwin of Hillsboro, No Matter the Distance
- Waka T. Brown of West Linn, The Very Unfortunate Wish of Melony Yoshimura
- Courtney Gould of Salem, Where Echoes Die
- April Henry of Portland, Girl Forgotten
- Rosanne Parry of Portland, A Horse Named Sky
AWARD FOR GRAPHIC LITERATURE (BIENNIAL)
- Matthew Bogart and Jesse Holden of Portland, Incredible Doom: Volume 2
- Kelly Sue DeConnick of Portland, Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons
- Greg Means of Lake Oswego, Asylum
- David F. Walker of Portland, Bitter Root Omnibus
- Kerilynn Wilson of Oregon City, The Faint of Heart
While we continue on through the college football offseason and prepare for what’s to come this fall, the NFL ranks have been providing quite a bit of content. From the 2025 NFL draft and free agency to rookie minicamps earlier this month, content has been churning out from the professional ranks.
Now, with OTAs coming up in the next few weeks, we will be hearing more from our favorite pro-Oregon Ducks as they prepare for the 2025 season. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Mike Clay put out his projections for every offense and defense in the NFL, putting numbers to names and forecasting what’s to come.
According to Clay, it could be a fun season ahead for the dozens of Ducks in the league, with breakouts and career years projected. Whether it’s as a rookie or as an experienced veteran, Oregon fans should enjoy what’s to come. Here’s how he sees the most notable Ducks performing in the upcoming season.
QB Bo Nix
Projected 2025 Stats: 3,510 yards, 24 TD, 11 INT, 3 rush TD
Stats in 2024: 3,775 yards, 29 TD, 12 INT, 4 rush TD
QB Justin Herbert
Projected 2025 Stats: 3,741 yards, 22 TD, 9 INT
Stats in 2024: 3,870 yards, 23 TD, 3 INT, 2 rush TD
QB Marcus Mariota
Projected 2025 Stats: 512 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 1 rush TD
Stats in 2024: 364 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 1 rush TD
QB Dillon Gabriel
Projected 2025 Stats: 1,205 yards, 5 TD, 4 INT, 1 rush TD
Stats in 2024: None
RB Bucky Irving
Projected 2025 Stats: 224 rushes, 1,049 yards, 7 TD, 49 catches, 379 yards, 3 TD
Stats in 2024: 207 rushes, 1,122 yards, 8 TD, 47 catches, 392 yards
RB Jordan James
Projected 2025 Stats: 12 rushes, 51 yards, 2 catches, 15 yards
Stats in 2024: None
WR Troy Franklin
Projected 2025 Stats: 16 catches, 222 yards, 2 TD
Stats in 2024: 28 catches, 263 yards, 2 TD
TE Terrance Ferguson
Projected 2025 Stats: 16 catches, 161 yards, 1 TD
Stats in 2024: None
DL Arik Armstead
Projected 2025 Stats: 30 tackles, 2.9 sacks
Stats in 2024: 29 tackles, 2 sacks
DL DeForest Buckner
Projected 2025 Stats: 79 tackles, 7 sacks
Stats in 2024: 61 tackles, 6.5 sacks
EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux
Projected 2025 Stats: 39 tackles, 6.6 sacks
Stats in 2024: 28 tackles, 5.5 sacks
DL Derrick Harmon
Projected 2025 Stats: 33 tackles, 2.3 sacks
Stats in 2024: None
DL Jamaree Caldwell
Projected 2025 Stats: 20 tackles, 1.3 sacks
Stats in 2024: None
LB Jeffrey Bassa
Projected 2025 Stats: 6 tackles
Stats in 2024: None
LB Troy Dye
Projected 2025 Stats: 24 tackles, 0.9 sacks
Stats in 2024: 57 tackles, 1.5 sacks
CB Christian Gonzalez
Projected 2025 Stats: 68 tackles, 1.8 INT
Stats in 2024: 59 tackles, 2 INT
CB Deommodore Lenoir
Projected 2025 Stats: 94 tackles, 1.7 INT
Stats in 2024: 85 tackles, 2 INT
S Evan Williams
Projected 2025 Stats: 40 tackles
Stats in 2024: 49 tackles, 1 INT
S Jevon Holland
Projected 2025 Stats: 83 tackles, 1.7 INT
Stats in 2024: 62 tackles, 1 sack, 0 INT
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
The longtime executive director of Travel Oregon, Todd Davidson, announced he is retiring today after three decades as a public employee.
While the timing appeared sudden, it came five weeks after the Oregon Journalism Project first contacted Travel Oregon about an investigation into complaints regarding Davidson’s outsized compensation and allegations of a toxic workplace. He earned $477,000 in take-home pay for fiscal 2024, far higher compensation than that of any other state agency director.
The news of Davidson’s retirement came one day before the CEO was scheduled to sit down for a long-delayed interview with OJP.
Travel Oregon, a semi-independent state agency with 73 staffers, is funded by the statewide lodging tax of 1.5% on hotel bills that brings in more than $40 million a year.
Travel Oregon maintains its chief executive’s departure was unrelated to OJP’s questions and public records requests.
Travel Oregon, also known as the Oregon Tourism Commission, exists to promote tourism, which generates $14 billion of annual economic activity and 120,000 jobs in Oregon.
An agency that once had scraped by on $3 million a year in state lottery funds grew into a powerhouse after lawmakers approved a lodging tax in 2003.
“Travel Oregon is one of the premier state travel organizations,” David Blandford, executive director of State of Washington Tourism, said in a recent interview.
As a semi-independent agency, Travel Oregon is exempt from state budget laws; personnel, salary and expense laws; and purchasing and procurement laws. Its budget is not subject to executive branch review, nor subject to approval or modification by the Legislature.
Davidson, a native of Iowa, has been Travel Oregon’s chief executive since 1996.
Davidson’s compensation and some deficient practices at the agency were widely publicized after the 2020 release of a critical audit by the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office.
Travel Oregon is overseen by a nine-member board of commissioners who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. Eight of the nine represent lodging and tourism sectors, and one is a public-at-large member.
Calls seeking comment from commissioners were not immediately returned Thursday.
The governor’s office confirmed Davidson’s departure but declined to comment.
OJP plans to publish its full investigation in the coming days.
This story was produced by the Oregon Journalism Project, a nonprofit newsroom covering the state.
PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Some conservation groups are working to save spotted owl habitats in Oregon, Washington, and California.
On Wednesday, they filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit that was brought on by the timber industry.
In the lawsuit, the timber industry wants to reinstate a habitat rollback that was issued in the final weeks of President Trump’s first term in office.
SEE ALSO:
Back in 2021, it removed nearly 3.5 million acres from the more than nine million acres that were protected for spotted owls.
Then, ten months later, the Biden administration rescinded the final designation.
Conservation groups argue that the forests spotted owls depend on also provide people with benefits, including clean water, recreation, jobs, and climate resiliency.
Copyright 2025 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.
NH News Recap: Top corrections official resigns; State expects dip in Canadian tourism
Plainfield High School (New Jersey) announces 2025 football schedule
Alan Shoemaker: Mostly sunny skies with hot temps
Lowering U.S. and NC Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of Memorial Day
2025 ND Governor’s Travel and Tourism Award winners announced
-
Culture1 week agoBook Review: ‘Original Sin,’ by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson
-
News1 week agoAs Harvard Battles Trump, Its President Will Take a 25% Pay Cut
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Opinion | We Study Fascism, and We’re Leaving the U.S.
-
Technology1 week agoLove, Death, and Robots keeps a good thing going in volume 4
-
News1 week agoMenendez Brothers Resentenced to Life With Parole, Paving Way for Freedom
-
Education1 week agoA $5 Billion Federal School Voucher Proposal Advances in Congress
-
Technology1 week agoMeta’s beef with the press flares at its antitrust trial
-
Politics1 week agoRepublicans say they're 'out of the loop' on Trump's $400M Qatari plane deal