Dirk VanderHart
JPR Oregon State Capitol CorrespondentDirk VanderHart is JPR's Salem correspondent reporting from the Oregon State Capitol. His reporting is funded through a collaboration among public radio stations in Oregon and Washington that includes JPR. Before barging onto the radio in 2018, Dirk spent more than a decade as a newspaper reporter鈥攎uch of that time reporting on city government for the Portland Mercury.
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More than a third of Oregon's county clerks have departed since the 2020 presidential election, and it's come as election administrators face many challenges, including conspiracy theories, onerous record requests, and insufficient resources. -
Lawyers that vie for business from the State of Oregon have become a mainstay in races for attorney general and treasurer. This year is no different. -
Virtually every major player in Oregon politics has come out against the proposal. That鈥檚 a big change 鈥� and no guarantee it can鈥檛 succeed. -
Following U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the state鈥檚 most powerful Democrats have given little sign they want to alter state policies. -
Oregonians will see five statewide measures on the November ballot, including a vote to allow the legislature to potentially impeach the governor and an effort to tax business to support universal basic income. -
Peter Courtney, the longest-serving state lawmaker in Oregon history whose booming oratories and one-of-a-kind style made him a Salem legend, died Tuesday. He was 81. -
Finding a solution to the state鈥檚 road funding problems is one of the highest-profile 鈥� and politically tricky 鈥� problems lawmakers will consider next year. -
Ethics laws allow Oregon First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson to work in governor鈥檚 office, commission saysWhile not surprising, the findings could pave the way for an expanded role for Kotek Wilson in the executive office on a volunteer basis -
The declaration helps the state move resources and funding to hard-hit communities. -
The issue could demand attention when lawmakers meet next year. -
The ruling won鈥檛 immediately allow Oregon cities to begin penalizing unhoused people for resting on public property, due to a state law that puts limits on sweeping public camping bans. -
A memo by two Republican state lawmakers is the latest sign that the party believes it will benefit in November by attacking Democrats鈥� record on the nation鈥檚 southern border.
