Oregon
Oregon Sens. Sollman, Thatcher to revive veteran income tax break proposal – Oregon Capital Chronicle
A bipartisan pair of Oregon state senators will try again to give retired veterans an income tax break after running out of time in the most recent legislative session.
Sens. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, and Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, said Wednesday they plan to revive a bill they introduced this spring to allow veterans aged 62 or younger to exempt up to $17,500 in military pensions from their taxable state income.
State fiscal analysts estimated this spring such an exemption would apply to about 7,000 veterans in Oregon and cost the state about $8 million annually. Oregon already exempts military pensions earned before 1991 from state income tax.
“Veterans have served our country and bring a rich work experience, professional training, strong work ethic and commitment to purpose to our workforce,” Sollman said in a statement. “In a time where many positions remain open and unfilled in Oregon, we should be doing all we can to make it easier for veterans to live, work and thrive right here in Oregon.”
Eight states, including Washington, have no income taxes. Another 25 states don’t tax military retirement income at all, according to TurboTax.
States that provide tax incentives for veterans do so to encourage them to retire there. Thatcher described the bill as a small step to making Oregon a better place for veterans to retire.
“It’ll help a lot of people and hopefully, help us attract and or retain some of these veterans that have chosen to live in other states because of our pension taxation,” Thatcher said.
Thatcher, Sollman and Sen. Mark Meek, D-Gladstone, backed the same bill in the 2023 session, but the session ended before it could receive a vote from the full Senate. The Senate Finance and Revenue Committee, chaired by Meek, approved the measure on a 4-1 vote just three days before the deadline for the Legislature to adjourn for the year and as senators worked through a backlog of hundreds of bills that piled up while Thatcher and other conservatives participated in a six-week walkout.
The only senator to vote against the measure, Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, said he supported veterans but didn’t agree with a blanket exemption that didn’t take into account financial need. State fiscal analysts estimated that one-third of the eligible veterans had an adjusted gross income below $80,000, one-third fell between $80,000 and $150,000 and the remaining third had an adjusted gross income above $150,000.
Oregon has four tax brackets, and they increase steeply. For 2023, single Oregonians are taxed 4.75% on their first $4,050, then 6.75% on every dollar earned up to $10,200. The third tax rate, 8.75%, kicks in at $10,200, and any income beyond $125,000 is taxed at 9.9%.
“I have constituents, I imagine we all do, who struggle to meet their income tax liability,” Golden said when he voted against the measure.
Thatcher said she’s not opposed to a broader look at the state’s tax system, but that the exemption for veterans is doable now.
“This is what’s been supported and this is what’s been vetted through the committees of the legislature as it exists right now, and it’s indexed to consumer price increases,” she said. “Hopefully, it’s something that can go through.”
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
After winning its first two NCAA Tournament games, USC baseball entered Sunday on the cusp of its first super regional appearance in nearly two decades. With a victory over old Pac-12 foe Oregon State Sunday night, the Trojans would win the Corvallis Regional and head to the tournament’s second weekend for the first time since 2006.
Instead, however, USC suffered a humiliating blowout loss. The Beavers dominated the Trojans 14-1, setting up a winner-take-all game to decide the regional on Monday.
Things went awry from the start for the Trojans. After Brayden Dowd led off the first inning with a single, Ethan Hedges hit a double. Dowd was sent home by the third base coach despite there being no outs in the inning. Dowd was thrown out at the plate, and the Trojans did not score in the frame.
The very next inning, Oregon State was helped significantly by poor defense from USC. Everything the Trojans did so well in their tournament opener against TCU on Friday, they essentially threw out the window. They did the complete opposite in this game and allowed the contest to spiral out of control. Oregon State built a 6-1 lead with some line-drive singles, but also a number of infield hits USC fielders did not handle as well as they could have.
The game’s other turning point came in the fifth inning. Trailing 6-1, USC loaded the bases with no one out, a golden opportunity to get back in the game. Instead, however, the next three Trojans batters all struck out, and they did not get a single run across. The very next inning, Oregon State hit a three-run home run to go up 9-1, and the rout was on.
The two teams will now play a decisive winner-take-all game on Monday. The winner will move on to the super regionals to face Florida State, while the loser will go home. First pitch from Corvallis is set for 3 p.m. Pacific time on ESPNU and ESPN+.
Oregon
Oregon State baseball vs. Saint Mary’s in Corvallis Regional: Preview, starting lineups, how to watch elimination game
CORVALLIS — The top-seeded Oregon State Beavers play the fourth-seeded Saint Mary’s Gaels Sunday afternoon in an elimination game at the Corvallis Regional at Goss Stadium.
First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
(Follow the game live here)
It’s the first outing of a double-header that will see the winner advance to face No. 3 seed USC on Sunday night. The Trojans are 2-0 in the double-elimination event and sit one win away from reaching the super regionals.
If the OSU-Saint Mary’s winner defeats USC in Sunday’s nightcap, the teams would meet again on Monday in a winner-take-all finale.
After suffering an opening-round upset against Saint Mary’s, the Beavers vowed to fight back and “do something special” … and they backed up the pledge in their first elimination game, defeating TCU 7-2 on Saturday to keep their season alive.
Freshman right-hander Dax Whitney was electric and the Beavers’ offense slugged four home runs in the win. Afterward, Saint Mary’s suffered a 6-4 defeat to USC, setting up today’s losers’ bracket rematch.
Here are details about the first game of Sunday’s double-header:
Oregon State Beavers (42-13-1) vs. Saint Mary’s Gaels (36-25)
When: 3 p.m. PT, Sunday, June 1
Where: Goss Stadium, Corvallis
TV channel: The game will not be broadcast on television, but will stream live on ESPN+.
How to watch live stream online: The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ via a subscription. Visit osubeavers.com and click on the baseball schedule for a direct link or visit plus.espn.com for subscription information.
Radio: All games air on the Beaver Sports Network. Pregame starts 30 minutes before the first pitch and you can listen live anywhere via the Varsity Radio Network. Local affiliates include KEJO 93.7-FM & 1240-AM (Corvallis), KKNX 105.1-FM & 840-AM (Eugene), KCFM 104.1-FM & 1250-AM & 104.1-FM (Florence), KLAD 104.3-FM & 960-AM (Klamath Falls), KCFM 103.1-FM (Mapleton), KTMT 96.1-FM & 580-AM (Medford), KCMX 880-AM (Medford), KCMX 99.5-FM (Phoenix), KEX 1190-AM (Portland), KSKR 1490-AM (Roseburg) and KBZY 1490-AM (Salem).
Probable starters: TBA
This and that: Neither team has announced its starting pitcher, but the Beavers are expected to go with sophomore Ethan Kleinschmit, who was their Sunday starter all season. The 6-foot-3 left-hander has been OSU’s most consistent starter this year, going 7-3 with a 3.84 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 72 2/3 innings. And Kleinschmit is coming off one of his best performances, a one-hit, seven-strikeout gem against Long Beach State in the regular-season finale. … Wilson Weber, Trent Caraway, AJ Singer and Tyce Peterson bashed home runs for OSU in Saturday’s elimination game. It was the fourth time this season the Beavers have hit four or more homers in a game and it pushed their season total to 89, tied for the second-highest single-season total with the 2023 club. The Beavers hit a school-record 118 in 2024. … Caraway has belted a home run in each of the first two games of the regional and in three of his last four games. The sophomore third baseman hit six during the regular season. … Gavin Turley enters the game with 179 RBIs in his career, tied with Michael Conforto for the most in program history. … The Gaels have been carried all season by the strength of their lineup — not their pitching — and the depth of their staff will be tested today. Saint Mary’s likely will start right-hander Lukas Sarantos, who is 3-0 with a 5.40 ERA this season. He’s made 15 appearances, including seven starts. … The Gaels’ staff ERA is 6.17.
OSU’s projected starting lineup
1. Easton Talt, RF
2. Aiva Arquette, SS
3. Gavin Turley, LF
4. Wilson Weber, C
5. AJ Singer, 2B
6. Canon Reeder, CF
7. Trent Caraway, 3B
8. Tyce Peterson, 1B
9. Dallas Macias, DH
Saint Mary’s projected starting lineup
1. Eddie Madrigal, 1B
2. Cody Kashimoto, 2B
3. Aiden Taurek, LF
4. Ryan Pierce, 3B
5. Brian Duroff, DH
6. Diego Castellanos, RF
7. Jared Mettam, SS
8. Ian Armstrong, C
9. Tanner, Griffith, CF
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | @freemanjoe.bsky.social | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
The Oregon Ducks are in the heat of the recruiting cycle for the class of 2026, with commits landing at schools across the country by the day. The Ducks are in the hunt for one of the most coveted safeties in the country, five-star Jett Washington. Washington is a top recruit and will visit four Power Four schools that will each try and sway him to come play for their team.
Washington, who stands at 6-5, anchored one of the best high school defenses in the country during his time with Bishop Gorman. Washington was awarded the MaxPreps Nevada Player of the Year and won the 5A state title with Bishop Gorman while compiling 38 tackles, 5 interceptions, and a forced fumble.
He is one of the most highly coveted players in the class of 2026. He still has official visits planned with Ohio State, Alabama, and Oregon, according to 247 Sports, and the No.1 recruit in Nevada has recently scheduled a visit with USC. Washington has ties to California; his uncle was the late Kobe Bryant, a five-time NBA champion.
Washington is set to visit Tuscaloosa and Alabama coach Karen Deboer on May 30, then he will turn around and fly to Los Angeles to meet with the USC coaching staff. Washington has a trip planned to Ohio State on June 6.
His final official visit of this cycle will be one week after his trip to Ohio State when he travels to Eugene to meet with Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks. Oregon having the last official visit can only be good news for Ducks fans, as Lanning will most likely have the last impression on the No.1 recruit out of Nevada.
Washington has already been to Eugene once and had good things to say about his trip. Washington had this to say to On3 when asked about his visit.
“My last visit to Oregon was great. It is a great program and they are recruiting me as hard as anyone. coach Hampton is a great coach, coach Lanning has the program going up and I liked it a lot when I was up there,” Washington told On3.
MORE: New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu Out Duels Caitlin Clark, Makes Franchise History
MORE: Washington Commanders’ Josh Conerly Jr. Changing Positions? Laremy Tunsil Trade Impact
MORE: Longest College Football Home Winning Streaks: Georgia, Washington, Oregon Ducks
Oregon has had talented safeties since Lanning has been at the helm with former Duck Tysheem Johnson playing a big role in his final two seasons with the Ducks. Just last year, safety Kobe Savage played a large role in Oregon’s defense. Lanning seems to have struck gold at the safety position again this season, grabbing Dillon Thieneman out of the transfer portal from Purdue.
Washington committing to Oregon by the end of the summer would be much needed good news for Oregon fans. It has been a surprising recruiting cycle for Ducks fans, with much to be pleased about but a sour taste is still in the mouth due to five-star offensive tackle Kodi Greene flipping from Oregon to Washington, and the Ducks losing out on both five-star quarterback Jared Curtis and five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell.
Hundreds of peonies destroyed at University of Michigan garden
Broken concrete on Richmond-San Rafael bridge prompts emergency repairs, traffic delays
Cowboys ‘Swiss Army knife’ could play vital role for offense in 2025
911 calls reveal chaos during Miramar shooting near Aldi supermarket
NBA insider suggests Boston Celtics rival as threat to sign Al Horford
-
World1 week agoNeo-Nazi cult leader extradited to US for plot to kill Jewish children
-
Business1 week agoPlastic Spoons, Umbrellas, Violins: A Guide to What Americans Buy From China
-
Movie Reviews7 days agoMOVIE REVIEW – Mission: Impossible 8 has Tom Cruise facing his final reckoning
-
World1 week agoCade Cunningham Gains $45 Million From All-NBA Honors
-
Movie Reviews1 week agoKapkapiii movie review: Horror-comedy signals a saturation point for the genre
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago‘Magellan’ Review: Gael Garcia Bernal Plays the Famous Explorer in Lav Diaz’s Exquisitely Shot Challenge of an Arthouse Epic
-
Rhode Island1 week agoAssessors find ‘nonconformities’ with national standards at RI Crime Lab. What to know.
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Judge Blocks Trump Move to Ban Foreign Students at Harvard