This article was updated at 9 p.m. following the students’ Shabbat observance. A group of Willamette University students are occupying the Putnam University Center on campus, demanding the university divest from the U.S. arms industry which they said is profiting from genocide in Gaza. The occupation, organized by the university’s Students for a Democratic Society, joins a growing protest movement on campuses around the U.S. seeking to call attention to the Israel-Hamas war and urge divestment from Israel. Willamette students gathered Friday afternoon in Jackson Plaza outside the campus librar ..read more

After weeks of criticism from within and outside her office and the departure of key staff, Gov. Tina Kotek is abandoning plans to expand first lady Aimee Kotek Wilson’s role in the office.  Kotek announced her change of heart in a statement Wednesday and answered questions from reporters during an afternoon news conference, repeatedly apologizing for the way she handled giving Kotek Wilson a larger role in policy decisions than what first spouses in Oregon have historically had. “I regret that this hasn’t been very clear, and it’s been a little messy,” Kotek said. “I apologize to Oregon ..read more

Mayor Chris Hoy and Councilor Julie Hoy agreed on one item Tuesday night: they have little in common besides their name. In an hour-long debate at the Elsinore Theatre, the two candidates for Salem mayor offered voters a choice between a business owner who’s still learning the ropes of city government, and a veteran elected official who sees his primary job as finding a way to get voters to support paying more for city services. The event was hosted by the Salem City Club and Salem Reporter. More than 300 people attended with more watching Capital Community Media’s broadcast. Chris Hoy put fo ..read more

Four candidates are looking to fill the seat left by retiring Marion County Circuit Court Judge Donald Abar in the May 21 primary election. When incumbent circuit judges retire mid-term, the governor temporarily appoints their successor until the next election. But Abar is retiring at the end of his term, leaving that decision in the hands of Marion County voters. A circuit judge in Oregon is a nonpartisan position with a six-year term, and all voters in the county get a say in the race. Circuit court judges preside over criminal and civil cases as well as sentence criminal defendants. The ann ..read more

Two city leaders who want to be Salem’s mayor will meet in a public debate on Tuesday, April 30. The free event is being conducted as a community service by Salem Reporter and the Salem City Club. The race is one of most high-profile election choices facing Salem voters in the May 21 election, being conducted by mail-in ballot. Here are the details: Who’s debating: Chris Hoy is the current mayor, seeking a second term. Julie Hoy, a local restaurateur, is serving on the Salem City Council. The Hoys are not related. Who’s asking questons: Cindy Condon of Salem City Club and Abbey McDonald of Sal ..read more

Top staff in Gov. Tina Kotek’s office raised concerns internally about first lady Aimee Kotek Wilson’s growing role in the administration, public records released Friday show. The governor’s office began releasing thousands of pages of emails and other correspondence on Friday afternoon in response to March records requests from the Capital Chronicle and other media outlets. A preliminary review of those documents shows that staff had deep concerns about the governor and Kotek Wilson crossing ethical lines and compromising the office’s ability to effectively tackle the state’s pressing ho ..read more

Marion County’s longtime clerk faces two challengers who work for him in a rare three-way race for the job of running local elections. The county clerk is nonpartisan and elected to a four-year term with a salary of $127,296. In addition to running elections, the clerk processes marriage licenses, records deeds and oversees the county’s board of tax appeals. Bill Burgess is seeking re-election to the office he’s held since 2005. His challengers are Jo Anne Lepley, a longtime government worker who’s been the county’s deputy elections clerk since 2022, and Anna Munson, a retired ultrasound techn ..read more

In about a week, ballots for the May 21 primary election will begin reaching mailboxes in Salem and across Oregon. Voters have a chance to weigh in on everything from presidential candidates to Salem city councilors. What appears on your ballot will depend on where you live and what political party, if any, you’re registered with. Those variables mean Marion County has 408 distinct styles of ballots being mailed to voters, Clerk Bill Burgess said. Voters have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to return ballots to a dropbox. Ballots postmarked by Election Day will be counted so long as they’re recei ..read more

The attorney general race is open this year, with the retirement of Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum in January. Two of the four candidates in the race – Will Lathrop and Michael Cross – are Republicans vying to be the state’s top law enforcement official. The attorney general oversees a staff of about 1,300 people and represents the state in court actions and legal proceedings of interest to the state.  Editor’s note This Q & A follows one for the two Democratic candidates. We’ve also profiled all four candidates. Check Oregon Capital Chronicle’s primary page to s ..read more

After 12 years in the Oregon Legislature and as a lead budget writer, Portland Sen. Elizabeth Steiner would like to become the state’s chief investment officer.  She is running for the Democratic nomination for state treasurer in the May 21 primary against investment manager and former Lake Oswego City Councilman Jeff Gudman. The winner of the primary will run in the Nov. 5 general election against the lone Republican candidate, state Sen. Brian Boquist of Dallas. Steiner, also a family physician and professor at Oregon Health & Science University, would be the first woman in Oregon h ..read more