Oregon
Oregon’s unemployment insurance, paid leave programs will go offline to prep for new website
A screenshot of Oregon’s paid leave website. The Oregon Employment Department is upgrading its online system to apply for unemployment insurance to Frances Online.
Oregon Employment Department
Oregonâs online system to apply for unemployment insurance is getting an upgrade, a move years in the making as evidence mounted that the Employment Departmentâs outdated technology was too rigid and confusing for modern-day benefits.
On Monday, people seeking unemployment benefits will begin using Frances Online, a new system built for the state. Employers and the stateâs paid leave program already use Frances.
âThe new system is going to be a lot more flexible and a lot more agile,â Lindsi Leahy, the unemployment insurance director, said in an interview. âIt has more security features and itâs really going to provide increased customer service for our claimants.â
In preparation for the launch, the departmentâs old and new online systems, along with the customer service phone lines, will go offline at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Phone lines and the online portal will reopen at 8 a.m. Monday.
People seeking new unemployment claims must apply by 5 p.m. Tuesday in the old system or wait until Frances goes online. Those with existing claims must submit weekly material in the old system by 5 p.m. Wednesday to avoid a disruption in benefits.
âIf they happen to miss those deadlines, they can go ahead and file after the system comes back online on March 4,â Leahy said. âBut their benefits will be delayed because they filed after the deadline.â
Officials said the stateâs $106 million, multiyear effort to upgrade the Oregon Employment Departmentâs technology should help alleviate some â but not all â of the issues identified through public feedback and official state audits.
âLong-term, we will see a lot of efficiencies from the new system after everybody learns it,â Employment Department Director David Gerstenfeld said in an interview. âBut the bottom line is we still will need more staff.â
The department has come up against tight funding over the years, he said, as it has tried to add features to increase accessibility, like offering websites in multiple languages.
âThe federal funding levels nationally for state unemployment insurance programs for decades has just not been enough,â Gerstenfeld said.
Past audits from the Oregon secretary of stateâs office have detailed the need for more staff. Audits in 2012 and 2015 also made note of the confusing online system, saying the technology dating back to the 1990s had a hard time handling complex claims and rule changes.
A 2022 audit detailed how the system failed to get out timely payments when the pandemic pushed Oregonâs unemployment rate to historic highs.
âOregon Employment Departmentâs antiquated computer systems could not easily handle the many program changes implemented during the pandemic,â the auditors wrote. âAnd the agencyâs phone-based approach, while generally adequate in normal times, could not accommodate the wave of phone calls OED received.â
The department has settled one lawsuit regarding the rate at which it issued decisions and paid benefits when the pandemic hit. It settled another suit over how the agency communicated about benefits. And there is a lawsuit pending that claims the agency didnât communicate properly about overpayment of benefits.
While the need for more staff â especially ones who can research and communicate with claimants about complex cases â will likely persist, Gerstenfeld said the new online system will solve some of the frustrations users and audits have reported.
Frances offers more self-serve options, he said, like the ability to chat with unemployment insurance staff and a secure messaging feature to ask and answer questions about specific claims.
After staff and the public become familiar with the website, Gerstenfeld hopes it will cut down on the number of phone calls seeking online help. That could make more staff available to talk with Oregonians who have complicated claims.
Frances Online also offers a one-stop site for communication about claims, a feature that didnât exist before. In general, officials said, the new website is easier to understand and navigate.
Still, in the interim, Gerstenfeld acknowledged the transition could be bumpy.
For the migration to Frances Online, he said the department is using one-time funds to hire 40 temporary staff. But that wonât solve long-term issues, he said.
âThe customer expectations that the public has â and that we have â have gone up immensely,â Gerstenfeld said. âWe have more access points, more languages, better expectations about tools and timeliness of responses. And the funding that was inadequate before has just gotten more and more inadequate.â
Oregon
Timeline video traces SB 1008’s impact on Oregon juvenile justice, viewers can watch now
Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
Oregon
New Jersey man sentenced in Oregon federal court for conspiring to distribute fentanyl
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
Oregon
4 Takeaways From Oregon State Baseball’s Run At The Eugene Regional
Oregon State’s season came to an end in Eugene on Sunday evening, after a rocky 7th inning doomed them against the 11th-ranked Oregon Ducks. The Beavers put up a valiant effort to try and fight their way back from the loser’s bracket, but they couldn’t accomplish this incredible feat that they pulled off in 2025.
A Bad Start Changed Everything
Winning the first game of a regional is almost a must if you want to advance, and this is where things started to go south.
After a nearly two-week layoff (since they didn’t have a conference tournament), OSU’s bats were rusty against a very solid left-hander in WSU’s Nick Lewis. Though the Beavers were able to put up a run early on, Lewis rolled with the punches and ended up throwing a complete game against the country’s seventh-ranked team. Though their bats came to life the next day, the uphill climb proved to be too much.
Pitching Wasn’t the Issue
Oregon State came into this tournament with the nation’s best ERA, and their starting rotation was exactly as advertised.
After a good outing from Kleinschmit on Friday afternoon, Eric Segura threw a 6.2 inning gem in an elimination game against Yale. True freshman Trey Morris threw 117 pitches in the rout of WSU early Saturday, and Wyatt Queen was excellent against the Ducks off of short rest later that evening.
The Power Just Wasn’t There
In today’s era of baseball where starting pitchers are so talented, it’s crucial to have guys that can get you runs with just one swing of the bat, especially when the man on the hill is striking a lot of people out.
Throughout the entirety of this season, the Beavers have not been a club that hits for much power, and this makes things difficult in the postseason. In four games across the Eugene regional, Oregon State didn’t hit a single ball out of the park. In 2026 they only hit a total of 55 homers, a stark contrast from the 107 of 2025’s Omaha year.
They Ran into a Good Team With a Deep Pitching Staff
In Mark Wasikowski’s tenure with the Ducks, his team’s pitching has often been a crutch that holds them back from big postseason runs. This certainly doesn’t seem to be the case this year.
Throughout the regional that they hosted, Oregon starters looked nearly untouchable. Will Sanford struck out 14 batters and didn’t allow a run against Washington State. Yesterday against the Beavers, left-hander Miles Gosztola was phenomenal, bouncing back after allowing a run in the second inning. The Ducks also have great relievers in guys like Tanner Bradley and Devin Bell. With a lot of reliable arms to go to, it would’ve been difficult to beat Oregon twice.
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