OPB’s First Look: Missed tax payments hamper Washington hospital

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Good morning, Northwest.

A Southwest Washington hospital is facing a potentially massive penalty at a challenging time in health care.

PeaceHealth St. John may have to pay the city of Longview a decade’s worth of missed tax payments. It could also lose future tax exemptions, costing the hospital $400,000 per year.

OPB’s Erik Neumann leads off the newsletter explaining the implications for the city and for PeaceHealth.

In Portland, city councilors are poking holes in Mayor Keith Wilson’s plan to end unsheltered homelessness. And a longtime Washington state lawmaker is entering what could be a contentious congressional race to try to unseat Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

Wine enthusiasts mark Aug. 13 as Prosecco Day, so we’re rounding out today’s First Look with a feature on sparkling wines making a splash in Oregon.

Temperatures are finally cooling off after a brief Northwest heat wave. Here’s your First Look at Wednesday’s news.

— Bradley W. Parks

PeaceHealth St. John could pay Longview a decade of missed taxes, lose future exemption

PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview, Washington, may have to pay a decade of back taxes to the city.

Last month, city officials discovered that the hospital had failed to pay business and occupation tax for 14 years.

In addition to a one-time back tax repayment, Longview officials will consider whether to end any future exemptions for PeaceHealth St. John during an Aug. 26 city council meeting. (Erik Neumann)

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2 things to know this morning

• Since Mayor Keith Wilson entered office in January with an ambitious plan to address the city’s homelessness crisis, Portland city councilors have generally allowed Wilson to begin rolling out his strategy without interference. That’s changing. (Alex Zielinski)

• Washington state Sen. John Braun, a Centralia Republican, yesterday announced his plans to challenge U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for her seat in Congress. The district is again expected to be highly contested in 2026 midterms. (Ryan Haas)

Headlines from around the Northwest

• Rite Aid plans to close its two stores in Eugene and Springfield (Zac Ziegler)

• Coos County hospital deal with Tennessee-based Quorum Health falls apart (Justin Higginbottom)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• Oregon State University study maps noise pollution in Portland

• Oregon will lose $15 billion in federal money

Oregon’s sparkling wine scene is popping locally — and beyond

Last November, Wine Enthusiast released its list of the 100 best wines of 2024 across varietals and the globe. Five of the wines were from Oregon — and they were all sparkling.

There are more than 1,100 wineries across Oregon, with the majority in the Willamette Valley.

While Oregon remains mostly known for pinot noir, more than 100 wineries make sparkling wine in the Willamette Valley alone. There are events that celebrate the wines that fizz and even a “best Oregon bubbles trail.”

In 2022, Travel + Leisure called the valley the “next big sparkling wine destination.”

And the numbers back up that distinction. (Meagan Cuthill)

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Subscribe to OPB’s First Look to receive Northwest news in your inbox six days a week.