Oregon
Oregon Ethics Commission nixes investigation into Gov. Kotek, First Lady
The commission said its analysis would be different if Aimee Kotek Wilson received a salary or other private benefits
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has decided against launching a full investigation into complaints concerning Gov. Tina Kotek and her wife, Aimee Kotek Wilson.
At a meeting on Friday, the agency examined the preliminary report on the case involving a potential Office of the First Spouse before determining that the governor did not violate any ethics laws — including those on conflicts of interest or nepotism.
“We note that had the Governor unilaterally decided to provide the First Lady with a salary or other private benefits, the above analysis would be different,” the commission wrote in its preliminary review. “The analysis would also be different if there was any suggestion that the public duties of the First Lady could financially benefit a private business with which the First Lady was associated.”
In late March, news broke that Kotek Wilson had an office in the governor’s base of operations at the state library and an on-loan staffer from the Department of Administration Services. With a master’s degree in social work, the First Lady was also known to attend official meetings regarding behavioral health.
The following week, the governor clarified that her wife was solely an “unpaid volunteer with both lived and professional experience.” Kotek also announced she had asked the Ethics Commission for guidance on a potential Office of the First Spouse, but the commission later said it couldn’t advise her because of its plans to review complaints on the same matter.
Subsequently, the governor abandoned plans to create the First Lady’s office.
“After listening to and reflecting on the concerns of Oregonians who have contacted my office, as well as the advice of staff, I want to be clear about next steps: There will not be an Office of the First Spouse,” Kotek said.
The announcement came after her office released several emails from senior staff members who abruptly left their positions earlier in the year. In one email, Kotek’s former Chief of Staff Andrea Cooper said she was “asked not to attend” a meeting where events were added to Kotek Wilson’s calendar.
UCLA will look to stay undefeated in conference play this season, but three key Oregon players stand in the way and could threaten the Bruins.
Last game, the Bruins really struggled against individual performances, especially against star center Hannes Steinbach, a player who put up 29 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 11 for 12. UCLA has a new set of talent looking to bring them down.
Nate Bittle | Center
Hannes Steinbach exposed a key weakness in UCLA’s defense — the Bruins struggle against skilled centers. Fortunately for UCLA, they haven’t faced many this season. That changes against Oregon, where they’ll match up with a player on Steinbach’s level in Nate Bittle.
The 7’0 center from Oregon is averaging 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, while shooting 48.3%. Bittle is the Ducks’ leading scorer and rebounder this season. Shutting him down quickly will be in the Bruins’ best interest.
Xavier Booker will have to learn quickly from the Washington showdown if there is any hope in slowing down Bittle.
Kwame Evans Jr. | F
Like Bittle, Kwame Evans Jr poses as a serious rebounding threat. Something that Eric Dailey Jr will have to slow down. Dailey Jr has struggled as of late, but we can be sure that he will not be outplayed on a stage as big as this one.
Evans Jr is averaging 12.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting an impressive 50% from the field. His ability to rebound and score at a high level will make him a threat in this game.
In his last game against USC he scored 23 points, while shooting 6-12. He also shot well from three going 2-5, highlighting another aspect of his game that UCLA needs to be cautious of.
Jackson Shelstad | G
The Ducks’ second-highest scorer this season has been Jackson Shelstad, a player who could prove to really make things hard for the Bruins’ star Donovan Dent.
At this point of the season, Shelstad has been very solid, averaging 15.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. He has been doing this on an OK 36.9% shooting percentage. Shelstad has proven to be the Ducks’ number two threat this season, and figuring out how to stop him and Bittle will be a tall task.
With Dent looking better all-around, this matchup will be a huge decider in this one. However, that is only a third of the challenge; the Bruins will also need to figure out how to slow down Bittle and Evans Jr.
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Port of Morrow’s East Beach Facility in Boardman, Oregon, on April 15, 2022. Monica Samayoa / OPB
The legal team behind a lawsuit against some of Eastern Oregon’s biggest agricultural businesses is headed back to court with a new case over drinking water pollution.
On Friday, the attorneys filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of four Lower Umatilla Basin residents.
The complaint accuses Portland General Electric and Columbia River Processing, a Morrow County subsidiary of Tillamook Creamery, of polluting the basin’s groundwater by sending nitrate-rich wastewater to the Port of Morrow.
The port delivers the wastewater to farms that reuse it to fertilize fields. The Dec. 5 complaint comes on the heels of a 2024 lawsuit accusing the port, as well as several farms and food processors, of polluting the basin’s groundwater.
“We believe Portland General Electric and Tillamook need to do right by their Oregon communities and cease all practices contributing to this contamination,” according to a statement from Steve Berman, a lead attorney for the residents.
A representative from PGE declined to comment. Tillamook Creamery did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nitrates are chemicals often found in fertilizers and wastewater. Consuming large quantities of nitrates can lead to illnesses like cancer and kidney disease. Babies and pregnant parents are especially vulnerable.
The state has known about Eastern Oregon’s problem with nitrate pollution for more than 35 years. Oregon declared parts of western Umatilla County and northern Morrow County, the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area in 1990, but nitrate levels have only risen since then.
Studies have shown that the largest contributor to nitrate pollution is irrigated agriculture, which often uses fertilizer and wastewater to maximize crop yields. Excess nitrates then seep through the soil and groundwater. Food processors and livestock farms are also contributors.
The lawsuit argues that PGE’s Coyote Springs power plant and Columbia River Processing were significant polluters.
The lawsuit states that all four of the plaintiffs were harmed because they lived near farms that used PGE and Tillamook’s wastewater to fertilize crops.
Private wells, which many basin residents who live outside cities rely on for water, are especially at risk for nitrate pollution because they’re not subject to the same water quality standards as municipal systems. Two of the plaintiffs, Michael Pearson, who is also a part of the lawsuit filed last year, and Jeffrey Fleming, are on private wells.
But the other two plaintiffs, Rosa Cavasos of Boardman and Jon Haley of Irrigon, rely on their cities for their drinking water.
The lawsuit states that both started buying bottled water after learning about local nitrate pollution. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has labeled both Boardman and Irrigon’s water systems as having “substantial nitrate risk” because of elevated levels found in the cities’ supplies.
Should a jury ultimately side with basin residents, it could require action from PGE and Tillamook, in addition to financial compensation.
The lawsuit is also seeking to certify well water owners and municipal water customers as classes that could later join the other plaintiffs, a move that could potentially add thousands more people to the lawsuit. Although efforts are already underway to connect basin residents with clean water, the complaint asks the court to make the companies cover the costs of connecting residents to municipal water systems or digging deeper wells.
The companies would also be required to create a medical monitoring program for residents on private wells.
The basin residents filed their complaint as the 2024 lawsuit continues to wind its way through the court system.
The businesses in that case tried to get the complaint dismissed by arguing that federal courts don’t have jurisdiction over nitrate regulation. They claimed that authority belongs with state agencies like DEQ and the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
In March, a federal judge in Pendleton allowed the lawsuit to proceed and referred it to a federal court in Portland. Reused wastewater is at the center of residents’ latest complaint against industry giants.
Ashland Community Hospital’s childbirth and inpatient services will be consolidated to Asante’s Medford medical center.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Another Oregon health care organization is making cuts.
The brick-and-mortar Ashland Community Hospital will shutter in 2026, Asante revealed on Wednesday. The Medford-based medical care provider announced that the facility will continue operating through the year before transitioning into a “satellite campus” of the nearby Rogue Regional Medical Center in the spring.
In a statement, Asante President and CEO Tom Gessel said the “transition is the only option” as health care entities across the U.S. — and specifically in Oregon — continue to struggle. He noted that the Ashland Community Hospital has “lost millions of dollars” over the past year, as the facility simultaneously recorded a significant decrease in birth rates and inpatient admissions.
According to Asante, 37 Ashland residents have given birth in the hospital so far in 2025. Meanwhile, the organization reported that the demand for outpatient services and emergency department visits has risen.
“Legislation implemented in Salem has put hospitals in an untenable situation,” Gessel added in a statement, in part. “This will only worsen with the future reductions to Medicaid funding. For smaller communities like ours, consolidating duplicative services are inevitable — especially those in such close proximity. What this means for the Ashland campus is to maintain emergency and outpatient services being used most by residents, while consolidating services that are underutilized.”
The Asante announcement comes days after Portland’s Vibra Specialty Hospital announced it will cease operations around Feb. 1, 2026. The closure will impact 310 employees.
The Oregon Nurses Association has condemned both organizations’ decisions to cut back, arguing that workers and patients deserve “long-term investments” in medical care.
“These closures represent a devastating loss of critical healthcare access for Oregonians, forcing patients to travel farther for care, increasing risks in emergencies, and placing additional strain on an already overburdened health system,” ONA said in a release.
Providence Seaside Hospital also stopped offering labor and delivery services earlier in October of this year.
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