Oregon
Oregon State Fair announces even more concerts for its 2026 lineup
Watch the sights and sounds from past Oregon State Fairs
The 160th Oregon State Fair runs from Friday, Aug. 22, through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1.
The Oregon State Fair has added more big names to its 2026 Columbia Bank Concert Series lineup.
The newly announced performers include country singer Nate Smith on Aug. 28, legendary surf rock group The Beach Boys on Aug. 29 and country artist Jo Dee Messina on Sept. 4.
The lineup joins other acts previously announced, including BigXThaPlug, who performs Aug. 31, and R&B singer Black, who performs on Sept. 1.
The 2026 headliner will be comedy musician “Weird Al” Yankovic, who will close out the concert series Sept. 7 as part of his “Bigger & Weirder” 2026 tour.
Most concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Weird Al’s Labor Day performance is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Oregon State Fair said additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks that will take place during this year’s 11-day event in Salem.
How can Oregonians purchase concert tickets?
Concert tickets are available only through the official state fair website via FunCard at https://oregon.funcardapp.com/. Fair organizers warned visitors to avoid unauthorized sellers and scam ticket websites.
Officials also reminded fairgoers that concerts are held rain or shine. Umbrellas are not allowed inside the L.B. Day Amphitheater, though ponchos and blankets are permitted.
The fair runs from Friday, Aug. 28, through Labor Day, Sept. 7, at the Oregon State Fairgrounds.
Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval is a lifelong Oregonian who covers trending news, entertainment, food and outdoors. She can be reached at GSandoval@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @GinnieSandoval.
Oregon
OHA reverses course on adult supervision mandate for children at public pools
The health authority said it will engage in “community conversations” for similar rulemaking processes going forward.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Public health leaders are walking back a rule requiring adult supervision for some minors at Oregon pools.
Public pools statewide must now post signage stating the Oregon Health Authority recommends that individuals over 18 accompany children under the age of 14, officials announced on Tuesday. The agency previously adopted an adult supervision mandate in April 2025, with Portland Parks & Recreation set to implement the policy for open swim sessions starting this summer.
But the health authority has reversed course due to pushback.
“After hearing from parents and caregivers of older elementary and early middle school-age children, the Food, Pool and Lodging Health and Safety Program is proposing additional discussion with the community and regulated partners to gather more input, ensure equitable access to public pools and continue to keep kids safe,” Gabriela Goldfarb, manager of OHA’s Environmental Public Health Section, explained in a statement.
The agency said it worked alongside a Rule Advisory Committee to develop the previous policy that aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Model Aquatic Health Code. The code was established using national CDC data, which found swimming pool deaths are significant through the age of 13 before declining at 14, according to Oregon leaders.
Officials said the data also revealed drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths for those between the ages of 5 and 14.
And while OHA noted committee members unanimously approved the adult supervision mandate, the agency added that “a broad range of more technical issues” like pool equipment and chemistry appeared throughout the rulemaking process.
The health authority is now working to implement a process in which parents, caregivers, pool operators and lifeguards can weigh in on the rule later this fall.
“Given the technical nature of most of the rules, OHA typically gets participation from pool facility operators and builders, and not the community members using the pool,” Goldfarb noted. “Going forward, when CDC updates its model codes, we’ll work to identify proposed changes that need community conversations to find the right path for Oregon.”
Oregon
Oregon Lottery Powerball, Pick 4 results for June 8
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 8 drawing
03-24-34-43-49, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 8 drawing
1PM: 1-1-0-3
4PM: 0-2-8-8
7PM: 4-7-5-1
10PM: 5-6-4-0
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Win for Life numbers from June 8 drawing
10-22-36-41
Check Win for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Megabucks numbers from June 8 drawing
02-23-28-33-36-41
Check Megabucks payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
- Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Oregon
Oregon Releases Provisional 2027 Health Insurance Prices, And They’re Not Pretty
Oregonians will have fewer options for health insurance plans in 2027, and the plans that remain are seeking to raise prices at a rate with no recent precedent.
That’s according to data released Monday by Oregon regulators, showing that insurers of individual and small group health plans are seeking to raise premiums in the state by a whopping 17% average in 2027.
The requests, which make rate increases of 6% to 10% in recent years pale in comparison, are subject to public input and are not yet finalized. But in recent years, the state has generally ended up letting health insurers raise rates to something close to the increases they sought.
If history repeats, it would mean Oregon households and small businesses that get their insurance through the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace would be on the hook to pay several hundred dollars per year more per person on health insurance, which is already for many a crushing expense.
This is not just an Oregon phenomenon. Health care costs, already a huge chunk of national spending, have been increasing far faster than inflation in recent years, drawing further from the coffers of governments, businesses, and households alike. Experts debate the causes, but generally cite an aging population and rising drug, labor and equipment costs.
Another factor in rising insurance prices may be that some people are not getting plans at all. Oregon regulators say that Congress’s decision to eliminate enhanced subsidies on Affordable Care Act-regulated plans has contributed to an exodus from that market. In Oregon from 2025 to 2026, the number of enrollees in ACA-regulated plans shrunk from 303,000 to 274,000. This in turn, means a worse risk pool for insurers, causing them to raise prices even more for those who remain.
Whatever the cause, a WW review of recent rate hikes shows that Oregon prices industrywide have risen in recent years at an astounding clip. Between 2021 and 2026, the cheapest individual Silver plan in the Portland area jumped from $425 to $518 per month.
If the requested rates are approved, the cheapest such plan, from Kaiser, would in 2027 cost $581 monthly.
The same goes for small group plans. In 2021, the cheapest such Silver-rated plan in the Portland area jumped from $321 to $450 per month.
In 2027, that cheapest such plan could cost $509.
The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation, which announced the rate increase, described an array of justifications it heard from insurance companies for raising prices. These ranged from “generalized federal policy uncertainties” to tariffs, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, as well as general inflation.
At the same time, the DFR is touting the Oregon Reinsurance Program as a force of market stabilization. Under the program, the state is among those that operate as “essentially insurance for insurance companies,”according to Healthinsurance.org, helping insurers to pay high cost claims. Oregon regulators say rates are 10% lower than they would be if not for the program.
Still, as hospitals and other providers demand more, the health insurance market is evidently getting tougher, and for some companies, the state support and prior rate increases have not been enough. Providence Health Plan, once a stalwart of the Oregon health insurance market, is shutting down nearly entirely at the end of the year. And another local insurer, PacificSource, will stop offering health plans on the individual health insurance market.
“Oregon consumers are facing challenging times with expiring premium tax credits, rising health insurance rates across the country, and two carriers leaving the Oregon market,” said TK Keen, Oregon’s insurance commissioner. “With the losses of Providence and PacificSource in the individual market, there are fewer options, but there are still three options in every Oregon county to choose from.”
Residents of Multnomah County, for their part, will have access to four individual ACA plans in 2027: offered by BridgeSpan, Kaiser, Moda and Regence. Of these, Moda is seeking the largest rate increase—25%.
Meanwhile in the ACA small group market, the company seeking the largest rate increase—28%—is the behemoth UnitedHealthcare. Last year, that company reported a profit of $12.2 billion.
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