Oregon

▶️ Want your Oregon kicker tax credit faster? Circle Monday on the calendar.

Published

2 years ago

January 24, 2024

▶️ Want your Oregon kicker tax credit faster? Circle Monday on the calendar.

This coming Monday, Jan. 29, is the first day that Oregon will begin processing electronically filed 2023 state income tax returns. And that’s when the countdown will begin for taxpayers to get their share of Oregon’s record $5.61 billion kicker tax credit.

Both the IRS and Oregon are opening tax filing season that day. The Oregon Department of Revenue (DOR) said e-filed returns will begin to be processed on that day. Some tax software will let you submit your taxes ahead of time, but they won’t be sent out until filing season opens Jan. 29.

The Revenue Department said e-filed returns will be processed in the order they are received, but the department won’t issue refunds until after Feb. 15. The state says it’s due to the department’s efforts to prevent tax fraud and to confirm the amounts claimed match what employers report. To check the status of your refund after February 15, or make payments, visit Revenue’s website.

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How much are you getting from Oregon’s record kicker? Calculator now online.

Tax filing season opens Jan. 29: Here’s what to know before you file

A DOR spokesman says it’s important you submit an accurate return. Mistakes, such as missing documents or receipts, could end up delaying the return and, therefore, the kicker.

Paper returns won’t be processed until at least mid-February.

So, what about the kicker?

To get your share of the kicker, you need to make sure your 2022 tax return from last year has been filed in addition to your 2023 return this year. That’s because the amount you receive will be based on your 2022 tax liability. The state says it can’t calculate your kicker without that 2022 return.

The Department of Revenue has these tips to file faster:

View your account information online

Taxpayers can make sure their information is current at Revenue Online, the state’s online tax portal. While there, taxpayers can use the “What’s My Kicker” calculator, view their 1099-G (available by January 31, 2024), and verify any estimated tax payments they’ve made.

Gather and organize your tax records

Organized tax records make preparing a complete and accurate tax return easier and help avoid errors. Wait to file until you have all your tax records including:

• Forms W-2 from your employer(s)

• Forms 1099 from banks, issuing agencies and other payers including unemployment compensation, dividends, distributions from a pension, annuity, retirement plan, or other non-employee compensation

• Forms 1099-K, 1099-MISC, 1099-NEC, or other income statement if you worked in the gig economy

Use a bank account to speed tax refunds with direct deposit

File electronically, choose direct deposit and you will get a refund faster. Information is available at this IRS website.

Choose a reputable tax return preparer

Taxpayers should choose a tax return preparer wisely. This is important because taxpayers are responsible for all the information on their return, no matter who prepares it for them. The Oregon Board of Tax Practitioners offers a Licensee Lookup website. The IRS has a website with information.

Free help filing a return is available for those who need it.

Oregon resident taxpayers preparing their own returns in 2024 can file electronically at no cost using one of Oregon’s free file options. Free guided tax preparation is available from several companies for taxpayers that meet income requirements. Free fillable forms are available for all income levels. Using links from the department’s website ensures that both taxpayers’ federal and state return will be filed for free.

Free tax preparation services are available for low- to moderate-income taxpayers through AARP and CASH Oregon. United Way also offers free tax help through their MyFreeTaxes program. Visit the Department of Revenue website to take advantage of the software and free offers and get more information about free tax preparation services.

To get tax forms, check the status of your refund, or make tax payments, visit www.oregon.gov/dor or email questions.dor@oregon.gov. You also can call 800-356-4222 toll-free from an Oregon prefix (English or Spanish) or 503-378-4988 in Salem and outside Oregon. For TTY (hearing- or speech-impaired), they accept all relay calls.

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Oregon

Texas man wanted for child sex crimes, theft arrested in SW Oregon

Published

2 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

Texas man wanted for child sex crimes, theft arrested in SW Oregon

CURRY COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV) – A Texas man wanted for child sex crimes was arrested in Curry County on Tuesday afternoon.

The Curry County Sheriff’s Office says Kenneth Leatherwood of Bastrop, Texas, was arrested with the help of Oregon State Police and U.S. Marshals just after 12:30 p.m.

Kenneth Leatherwood(Curry County Sheriff’s Office)

Leatherwood, who is accused of sex-related crimes involving a child in Texas, was reportedly found camping in a heavy wooded area near Lucas Lodge in Agness.

Investigators say Leatherwood has been on the run from Curry County law enforcement since June 16 after reports that he had been seen with a stolen car in the Agness area.

Leatherwood was also believed to have stolen weapons with him.

His dog was also found and returned to the suspect’s family in good shape, according to the sheriff’s office.

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Oregon

Fireworks on sale in Oregon until July 6

Published

12 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

Fireworks on sale in Oregon until July 6

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Fireworks are on sale in Oregon until July 6, but state and local rules limit where they can be used and what types are allowed.

In Portland, fireworks use and sales are banned year-round.

Fireworks are also banned on beaches and in state and national parks.

Statewide, fireworks that fly into the air, explode, act unpredictably or move more than 12 feet horizontally are illegal. Banned fireworks include sky lanterns, missiles, rockets, Roman candles, firecrackers, cherry bombs and M-80s.

Fountains, sparklers, ground spinners and smoke devices are among the fireworks allowed under state rules.

Officials said people should not call 911 to report illegal fireworks. They said reports should go to the non-emergency line for the area.

First responders said there were 263 fires across Portland during last year’s fireworks season, and 27 were caused by fireworks.

For more details about fireworks regulation in Oregon, click here.

In Washington, fireworks sales legally begin Sunday and run through July 4.

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Oregon

Gray whale carcass washes ashore in Gearhart on Oregon coast

Published

23 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

Gray whale carcass washes ashore in Gearhart on Oregon coast

GEARHART, Ore. (KATU) — Another gray whale washed up on the Oregon coast last week, this time in Gearhart, according to Seaside Aquarium.

The 41-foot-long male had been dead for months before washing up on the beach, Seaside Aquarium general manager Keith Chandler said.

He noted that there have been 19 total whale strandings or carcasses washing up on beaches just this year on the Oregon coast region.

The Cascadia Research Collective is reporting at least 30 on Washington coastline alone. | TIMELINE

Of those deaths, more than half were at least partially attributed to malnutrition. That could have been the cause in more strandings, however, necropsies were not performed in roughly a dozen of the 30 strandings.

Chandler said strong wind from the west this year has been contributing to why coastal towns are seeing a lot of whales and other things washing up on shore. However he also noted that many of the Grey whales washed ashore were emaciated with necropsies showing signs of malnourishment.

“The food sources have been compromised. The warmer water means the nutrients that they’re getting aren’t as good, so the whole food chain is kind of not as healthy,” Chandler said.

He pointed to the warming waters with climate change as the main reason noting that warm water plankton–Grey Whale’s main food source–is thinner and has fewer nutrients than plankton in cooler waters.

Chandler says this whale will not have a necropsy done because of its level of decomposition.

“The fresher ones, the team from Portland State [University] will come down and they’ll go in and do measurements, take samples and stuff, measurements of the internal organs. But on one this decayed, you won’t gain anything from it scientifically. And it’s just kind of a mess to do when they’re this rotten,” he said.