Oregon

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek asks Biden for federal help after historic wildfire season

Published

1 year ago

October 24, 2024

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek asks Biden for federal help after historic wildfire season

Gov. Tina Kotek is asking the federal government to declare a major disaster following a historic wildfire season on the east side of the state.

Kotek sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting the declaration, which could free up grants to help pay for costs “incurred for responding and recovering from wildfires” between July 10 and Sept. 7, the letter said.

The Oregon wildfire season saw 1.9 million acres burned, which broke the previous record of 1.2 million acres set in 2012. The fires were predominantly on the east side of the state and burned in large rangeland and grassland areas.

“I am asking President Biden and the federal government to provide relief to the rural Oregon communities who weathered an unprecedented, destructive wildfire season,” Kotek said in a statement. “Our rural communities are still in profound crisis as a result of this season, and I am resolved to secure the federal assistance needed for Oregon to recover and rebuild.”

The request applies to six Oregon counties — Gilliam, Grant, Jefferson, Umatilla, Wasco and Wheeler. Those areas were hit by multiple megafires, blazes that grew over 100,000 acres, and experienced significant damage to utility poles and lines, resulting in power, communication and internet outages, Kotek said.

Oregon’s congressional delegation echoed her call for relief and urged Biden to grant the request.

“The 2024 wildfire season has been one of the most devastating and costly fire seasons on record,” U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley as well as U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Cliff Bentz, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas and Lori Chavez-DeRemer wrote in a letter to the president.

Fires destroyed at least 42 homes and 132 other structures, according to data from Northwest Coordination Center.

If approved, the declaration would provide federal grants for state, tribal, local governments and certain private nonprofits for costs incurred for responding and recovering from wildfires between July 10 and Sept. 7.

Kotek also requested that Biden waive the state’s share of the cost for emergency work in response to the disaster.

“The rural counties impacted by the wildfires have limited resources to support the standard share of the cost and the magnitude of state resources deployed across Oregon means state funding is insufficient to reimburse these communities,” the news release said.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 16 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.

Source link

Click to comment

Oregon

Beavers Open Season with Win – Oregon State University Athletics

Published

9 hours ago

November 8, 2025

Press Room

Beavers Open Season with Win – Oregon State University Athletics

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State controlled Friday’s season-opener from start-to-finish in an 86-45 victory over Corban.

The Beavs dominated on the defensive end with 14 blocks and 13 steals while holding the Warriors to 29 percent shooting from the field.

“Tonight was a fun adventure to navigate through the ups and downs of the game. It wasn’t perfect for sure, but in the second half I thought we settled in and executed. The ball moved much more freely, which is a good sign of things to come,” head coach Scott Rueck said.

Five Beavers scored in double figures, led by Lara Alonso-Basurto’s 14-point, 11-rebound double-double. She is the sixth Beav all-time to record a double-double in her debut and first since Taylor Jones in 2020.

Tiara Bolden got the Beavers going early, scoring eight of her 13 points in the opening frame to pace the Beavs to a 23-7 lead. Bolden’s strong all-around performance included seven rebounds and six steals.

A slow second quarter followed the hot first, but the Beavs entered halftime up 35-14 and Kennedie Shuler ensured they would pull away even further in the second half. The junior scored the first four points of the second half on a blow-by drive and turnaround jumper, part of a 19-0 run when combined with a 9-0 end to the second quarter. Shuler finished the day with 10 points, five rebounds, 5 assists and three blocks.

Lizzy Williamson combined with Alonso to own the paint. The seventh-year senior scored 10 points with seven rebounds in just under 15 minutes. Fellow Aussies Keira Lindemans and Katelyn Field combined for 10 more points in their first collegiate action.

Ally Schimel added 11 points thanks to a 3-for-6 day from deep, leading a sophomore class that combined for 23 points. Cloe Vecina poured in eight on 4-of-5 shooting and Elisa Mehyar added four.

Oregon State committed just six fouls in the game, their fewest since being whistled five times on December 10, 2021 against Monmouth.

The Beavers are back in action on Monday when they take on Air Force at 6 p.m. Veterans can claim free tickets to the game on VetTix.

OUR MISSION

Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).

Source link

Oregon

Oregon vs. Iowa score prediction by expert football model

Published

1 day ago

November 7, 2025

Press Room

Oregon vs. Iowa score prediction by expert football model

A major Big Ten matchup kicks off this weekend as No. 9 Oregon goes across the country in a test against newly-ranked No. 20 Iowa in Week 11 college football action on Saturday.

Iowa broke into the first College Football Playoff rankings on the back of a strong defense and a 4-1 record in Big Ten play, while Oregon is at one loss and with little room for error in this road test.

What do the analytics predict as the Ducks visit the Hawkeyes this weekend?

For that, we turn to the SP+ prediction model to get a preview of how Oregon and Iowa compare in this Week 11 college football game, and use it to lock in our own projection.

The model likes the Ducks to stand firm in this road test against the Hawkeyes.

SP+ predicts that Oregon will defeat Iowa by a projected score of 28 to 20 and will win the game by an expected margin of 7.5 points.

The model gives the Ducks a 68 percent chance of outright victory over the Hawkeyes.

SP+ is a “tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency” that attempts to predict game outcomes by measuring “the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football.”

How good is it this season? So far, the SP+ college football prediction model is 263-253 against the spread with a 55.8 win percentage. Last week, it was 29-23 (55.8%) in its picks against the spread.

The betting markets are siding with the Ducks over the Hawkeyes, but not by as much as a touchdown.

Oregon is a 6.5 point favorite against Iowa, according to the game lines at FanDuel Sportsbook.

FanDuel lists the total at 42.5 points for the matchup, and set the moneyline odds for Oregon at -240 and for Iowa at +198 to win outright.

Oregon arrives with elite offensive balance and a defense that’s allowed less than 15 points per game, and they need this one to stay on a playoff trajectory.

Iowa brings a stout defense and home-field edge at Kinnick Stadium, aiming to capitalize on the Ducks’ road trip vulnerability.

Expect Oregon to edge the Hawkeyes, but Iowa could stay close if they dominate time of possession early.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks

Source link

Oregon

Oregon tribes to receive $1 million for food assistance amid SNAP pause

Published

2 days ago

November 6, 2025

Press Room

Oregon tribes to receive million for food assistance amid SNAP pause

(This story has been updated to include new information.)

Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes will receive a combined $1 million to combat food instability from delays to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program disbursements, Gov. Tina Kotek said Nov. 6.

The funding will come from the Oregon Department of Human Service’s Office of Resilience and Emergency Management.

Grant agreements were to be shared with the tribes by Nov. 7.

It was not immediately clear how much of the $1 million each tribe would receive.

“The refusal of the Trump Administration to maintain SNAP benefits during the federal shutdown is creating instability for families and communities that rely on this critical help to buy food,” Kotek said in a statement. “We are moving quickly to ensure that Tribal governments and local partners have the resources they need to meet immediate food security needs.”

Kotek put $5 million toward Oregon’s food banks on Oct. 29 from prior years’ excess Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds.

The distributions come as more than 750,000 Oregonians, about 90,000 of whom are residents of Marion and Polk counties, did not receive SNAP benefits beginning Nov. 1.

Food stamps were not distributed due to the federal government shutdown, now the longest in history.

The Trump administration must fund November SNAP benefits by Nov. 7, a judge ordered on Nov. 6. Recipients had been expected to get some of the funds for November this month, potentially up to 65%, after earlier court orders called for benefits be disbursed. When and how those funds would be sent out was unclear.

USA Today reporter Sarah D. Wire contributed to this story.

Anastasia Mason covers state government for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at acmason@statesmanjournal.com or 971-208-5615.

Source link