Federal funding could be cut off for some rural Oregon library services and a long-running statewide reading competition for elementary, middle and high school students, as President Donald Trump works to eliminate a small federal agency that routed money to states for libraries and museums.
Money is also in jeopardy for a state library division that assists libraries at schools and other locations around the state, said Oregon’s State Librarian Wendy Cornelisen.
Trump issued an executive order in mid-March to effectively eliminate the small federal agency that distributes funding to libraries, called the Institute of Museum and Library Services. But the state library had continued collecting reimbursements for spending under its current federal grant through late March.
Then on Monday, the Trump administration placed everyone at the federal library and museum agency on paid administrative leave. Cornelisen said she does not know if or how Oregon will receive any future reimbursements through its grant that was part of funding approved by Congress. She can’t reach anyone at the federal agency for answers.
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“There is so much that goes on behind the scenes to make the local library work,” Cornelisen said in an interview Wednesday. “From some change in the couch cushions of the federal budget, we get money from (the Institute of Museum and Library Services) to make this happen.”
Just as the federal agency is small, Oregon’s annual grant for libraries and related services is relatively little: approximately $2.6 million for the current budget year, Cornelisen said. Yet it pays for seven of the 10 state library employees who help local librarians across the state with developing community programming, children’s services and other work.There is more than $980,000 remaining for the Oregon State Library to collect from the current federal grant, according to Cornelisen.
Oregon’s state library has also awarded some of the federal funding to the state’s Oregon Battle of the Books, a voluntary statewide reading competition for students, and to a courier system that allows 77 libraries spread across 15 central and eastern Oregon counties to share books.
Cornelisen said the federal funding covers approximately 35% of the cost of Oregon Battle of the Books, or about $26,000. The competition’s statewide championship will take place in Salem later this month.
Valley Catholic Elementary students discuss an answer during the final round of the Oregon Battle of the Books state tournament in 2011.LC- The Oregonian
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Federal funding covers a larger share of the cost for rural Oregon libraries’ Sage courier system: 50%, or $68,000, Cornelisen said. It transports interlibrary loan materials, including to some tiny libraries that don’t have the space or money for large collections.
“It’s one of those economies of scale that really makes libraries in some ways a little bit magic,” Cornelisen said of the courier system. “You can walk in and request a book that your library does not own and they will find a copy for you.”
Library materials circulating between libraries in central and eastern Oregon counties are pictured. Last year, the courier program transported 91,582 items across 15 rural counties in Oregon, between 77 different libraries at schools, colleges and public libraries . Libraries pay half the cost with local funds and the Oregon State Library uses a federal grant to cover the remainder. The Trump administration has placed that grant in jeopardy, through a move to eliminate the tiny agency that administers the congressionally approved money.Baker County Library District
If the federal Library Services and Technology Act grant is ultimately terminated, Cornelisen said the state library will work with its partners to figure out how to proceed but there is currently no plan in place. “There is no precedent for this happening, as this federal grant has been reliably in place for more than 30 years.”
In a statement, Gov. Tina Kotek said that Oregonians who pay federal taxes expect those dollars “to come back into the state to improve their lives.”
“Library Services and Technology Act dollars directly benefit all communities, particularly rural Oregon, with programs that help communities stay connected like the Sage Courier service,” Kotek said. “People that live in rural communities shouldn’t have to live with uncertainty about whether or not the resources their community has today will be gone tomorrow.”
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Hillary Borrud is an investigative reporter. Reach her at 503-294-4034 or hborrud@oregonian.com.
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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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.
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.”
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“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.
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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.
