Oregon

Oregon labor regulators ask for lawmakers’ help to tackle backlog

Published

2 years ago

January 31, 2024

Oregon labor regulators ask for lawmakers’ help to tackle backlog

When Christina Stephenson was elected Oregon’s labor commissioner in 2022, she stressed the importance of resolving the backlog of wage and civil rights claims as soon as possible.

“Especially a person who has had their wages stolen, getting them the money that they are owed could be the difference between them making rent, being able to pay for groceries,” Stephenson said in an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting. “So of course, it is a top concern for us to get these cases through as fast as we possibly can.”

At the time, there were more than 5,000 wage claims and nearly 2,000 civil rights claims waiting to be investigated.

Today, that number has dwindled to around 3,000 wage claims and nearly 1,300 civil rights claims. But Stephenson is asking lawmakers this session for more funding to support the agency’s efforts. Workers sometimes wait a year or more to get justice after experiencing discrimination or having their wages stolen. And a majority of employers don’t even wind up paying what they owe, as InvestigateWest revealed in a recent analysis of wage claim data, which Stephenson cited in a presentation this month to lawmakers.

“This is obviously not what we want,” Stephenson said. “It gives a competitive advantage to employers that don’t play by the rules. This is millions of dollars that aren’t getting back into our economy.”

Officials cite a large uptick in claims filed over the last few years and an outdated system for managing cases as main factors in the civil rights and wage claim backlogs. The pandemic also prevented other labor bureau staff from conducting in-person reviews of Oregon’s apprenticeship programs, as required by federal and state law, to ensure they’re meeting quality standards in training and instruction. Today, 98% of apprenticeships in trades such as electrical and plumbing are overdue for a review.

The Bureau of Labor and Industries is requesting two budget adjustments in the upcoming session to help.

The first request would spend $632,000 of the agency’s unused pandemic relief money on nine temporary positions in the apprenticeship review division. The bureau estimates that it can review 85 apprenticeship programs in eight months with the extra personnel in place. That would be about half of the reviews that are outstanding.

At its Jan. 12 meeting, the Legislature’s appropriations committee approved the labor bureau’s request, increasing its chances of being included in the budget reconciliation.

In addition, the Bureau of Labor and Industries is requesting $160,500 in new funds, which it will combine with $87,500 it already has, to take the first step to replace what agency leaders say is an outdated and inefficient computer system used to track and manage cases. The current system “requires extensive manual data entry, and lacks automation leading to increased workload and errors,” said Rachel Mann, a bureau spokesperson.

The agency has already tried to make parts of its process more efficient to reduce the logjam. In January, the labor bureau changed the online portal that workers use to file civil rights and wage complaints. The new system will help ensure that claims don’t get bogged down because of missing information, Mann said.

The agency has also sought more staff — most recently, the Legislature funded two additional investigators in the wage division.

“The agency is laser focused on increased investments to reduce wait times and provide Oregonians with faster and better service,” Mann said.

But in the long term, Stephenson and legislators agree that funding positions alone isn’t enough to solve the staffing capacity issues. Bureau workers also need to be paid better, they said, to help with retention and recruitment.

A recent study of the civil rights division showed that labor bureau investigators earned anywhere from 16% to 64% less than employees in comparable positions at other state agencies — and the agency’s work is suffering as a result.

“I do think that this has been the way it’s been done for a long time, and so it just requires us to rethink what we’re asking of each of these individuals,” Stephenson said. “If you’re staring down a 3,000 (case) backlog, that’s a difficult place to be when you’re not making much more than you could at Target.”

Legislators have indicated that they’re prepared to help out. Several lawmakers who listened to Stephenson’s pre-session presentations said they agreed that compensation is an important consideration in the effort to reduce backlogs.

“We’ve got a problem area that needs some addressment if we want to deal with this troubling backlog,” said Rep. David Gomberg, D-Central Coast.

Stephenson said the agency will continue to seek ways to work more efficiently aside from adding staff.

“We will persist,” she said.

— Kaylee Tornay, InvestigateWest

InvestigateWest is an independent news nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism in the Pacific Northwest. Reach reporter Kaylee Tornay at kaylee@invw.org.

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Oregon

Oregon Supreme Court overturns JonBenét Ramsey photographer conviction

Published

11 hours ago

March 26, 2026

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Oregon Supreme Court overturns JonBenét Ramsey photographer conviction

The Oregon Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a Lane County man who once photographed child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey and was convicted in 2021 on several child pornography charges.

Randall DeWitt Simons, 73, of Oakridge, was charged in 2019 with 15 counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse. He was later convicted on every count and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Simons was first arrested after authorities began investigating a report from a restaurant in Oakridge that someone had been using the restaurant’s Wi-Fi to download inappropriate and concerning images.

Law enforcement officers directed the business to track, log, and report all of the user’s internet activity to the investigating officer for more than a year, without a warrant.

Police tracked the computer’s IP address from the restaurant’s Wi-Fi system, which led officers to a man who lived near the restaurant and had given Simons a computer, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Lane County Circuit Court. Investigators obtained a warrant to search the laptop in Simon’s home, relying on information they had collected over time. He was subsequently arrested.

On March 26, the court ruled warrantless internet surveillance on public Wi-Fi violates privacy.

In an opinion written by Justice Bronson D. James, the court held that the Oregon Constitution recognizes people have a right to privacy in their internet browsing activities and the right is not extinguished when they use a publicly accessible wireless network. It’s even true in cases where that access is conditioned on a person accepting a terms-of-service agreement that says a provider may monitor activity and cooperate with law enforcement, James wrote.

During criminal proceedings in the Lane County Circuit Court, Simons moved to controvert the warrant and suppress the evidence obtained by police, arguing the business was a “state actor for purposes of Article I, section 9, and that its year-long warrantless surveillance was an unconstitutional, warrantless search attributable to the state,” the Supreme Court opinion said.

The Circuit Court denied Simon’s motion. The Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s decision in part and stated Simons had no cognizable privacy interest in his internet activities performed on a third-party network.

The Oregon Supreme Court rejected the state’s argument.

“The mere fact that a person accesses the internet through a public network does not eliminate their Article I, section 9, right to privacy in their online activities,” according to James. “Even when access is expressly conditioned on a user’s acceptance of terms-of-service provisions purporting to alert the user that the provider may monitor activity and cooperate with law enforcement.”

Justice K. Bushong suggested in a partial dissent the Court should reconsider its approach in a future case to what constitutes a “search” under the Oregon Constitution. The court’s decision reverses the Court of Appeals and sends the case back to the Lane County Circuit Court for further proceedings.

Simons has maintained his innocence since he was arrested in 2019.

Simons had been a photographer for 6-year-old Colorado beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey a few months before her still-unsolved 1996 murder, the Associated Press reported in 1998.

In October 1998, Simons was arrested on a charge of indecent exposure in Lincoln County, Colorado. According to the book “Perfect Murder, Perfect Town” by Lawrence Schiller, Simons was arrested in 1998 for allegedly walking nude down a residential street in the small town of Genoa, Colorado. Simons allegedly offered to the arresting deputy unprovoked, “I didn’t kill JonBenét.”

Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com.

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Oregon

Umatilla, Morrow counties establish Young Republicans of Oregon chapter – East Oregonian

Published

23 hours ago

March 26, 2026

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Umatilla, Morrow counties establish Young Republicans of Oregon chapter

Published 8:00 pm Wednesday, March 25, 2026

IRRIGON — Young Republicans living in Umatilla and Morrow counties now can join a local chapter of the statewide Young Republicans of Oregon organization.

The Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans will advance Republican values and leadership in young residents through political training, networking opportunities and connection to Republican leaders. The group is focused on young adults, generally attracting college-aged people, though it includes people aged 18 to 40.

The five Young Republicans of Oregon members living in Umatilla and Morrow counties elected three officers to lead their new chapter. Irrigon’s Evan Purves was elected chair, with Connor Roberts of Hermiston as his vice chair and Kaelyn Moore of Milton-Freewater serving as secretary.

“I am super grateful for this opportunity to lead my neighbors,” Purves said. “It’s going to be really fun. We have some good events planned.”

Purves, 19, is a student at Blue Mountain Community College who eventually hopes to pursue a four-year degree in public administration. He initially became interested in the Young Republicans during an internship with Oregon state Rep. Greg Smith, of Heppner. He said it was an experience that showed him how the legislature works.

The internship also inspired him to step into a leadership role with the Young Republicans and help establish a local chapter of the organization. The newest chapter of the Young Republicans of Oregon, which was announced Monday, March 23, has been in the works since November 2025.

The Young Republicans of Oregon State Chair, Tanner Elliott, said the new chapter — the fourth chapter statewide — indicates momentum for conservative values.

“In less than a year, we’ve continued expanding because young conservatives are stepping up and getting involved in their communities,” Elliott said. “I want to congratulate the chapter’s leadership team on their election and especially commend their new chair Evan Purves for taking on this role. I’m confident this group will make a meaningful impact in Eastern Oregon and help drive our organization forward.”

Future plans in Umatilla, Morrow counties

The leadership team of UMYR already is making efforts to effect change.

In early May, Purves said, Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans will host a door knocking campaign in support of Smith’s reelection campaign. There also will be an official kickoff event the same weekend celebrating the new chapter and outlining priorities for the future.

“If there’s anything that we might struggle with is membership,” he said. “The recruiting part is us going out there and hosting events and socials, having opportunities for people to come out and do something fun that anybody’s invited to.”

Regarding other priorities, voter engagement is important to Purves,

“Even though we live in a big conservative area, there’s not a lot of politically engaged people, especially in my generation,” he said. “We want to get them involved.”

He said one of his concerns is businesses leaving the state due to policies that aren’t friendly to corporations, a common issue raised by Republican lawmakers. The decisions being made impact every community, he said, and he wants to have a say in what the leaders are doing.

“These bills affect all of us,” he said. “It’s just important to get people involved and get people to vote and be a part of it.”

People interested in updates on the efforts of the Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans can follow the group on Facebook or Instagram or become a member at yro.gop.

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Oregon

Video shows ‘fireball’ briefly illuminate Oregon skyline

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2026

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Video shows ‘fireball’ briefly illuminate Oregon skyline

Yet another meteor has entered the Earth’s atmosphere.

Onlookers across parts of California, Nevada, Washington and Oregon spotted another space rock streaking across the sky on Monday, March 23.

Jason Jenkins, who spotted the fireball while driving to work, told ABC News that the meteor reminded him of a “lightning strike because it was so bright.”

“The video doesn’t do justice on how bright and close it seemed,” Jenkins added.

The American Meteor Society received 137 witness reports and 11 videos chronicling the brief but dazzling moment.

Watch ‘fireball’ streak across Oregon skyline

Videos show green fireball streaking across night sky

A green fireball was seen crossing the sky in the Pacific Northwest.

From northeast Ohio to Texas, the March 23 event was the latest in a series of sightings across the U.S. this week. Those sightings were characterized by a “loud boom” and a rogue meteor fragment.

Hundreds of people in California, Nevada and Arizona captured another “shooting star” on camera this last weekend. The vast majority of reports came out of California.

A bright, glowing orb zipping through the night sky, trailed closely by a signature fiery “tail,” is seen in various clips shared by awestruck residents over the course of the week. Some even reported a greenish-yellow glow as the space rock lit up the sky for about five seconds.

What is a meteor?

Meteors, like comets or asteroids, are space rocks that orbit the sun, according to NASA.

Often called “shooting stars,” meteors come from meteoroids − small, often pebble-sized pieces that break off asteroids or comets. When a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere, it becomes a meteor.

Because meteors enter the atmosphere at such high speeds, the space rocks burn up as they fall from our sky, creating the streak of light we commonly know as a shooting star or “fireball.”

If a meteor survives the entry and ends up on the ground (or lodged in someone’s roof), it is then called a meteorite.

Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY

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