Subscribe to OPB’s First Look to receive Northwest news in your inbox six days a week.
Good morning, Northwest.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon is resigning as President Trump’s labor secretary.
Mounting allegations of misconduct against Chavez-DeRemer and people close to her have fed speculation she would soon be removed from her Cabinet post. OPB’s Bryce Dole leads off today’s newsletter with the story.
In other news, Portland’s mayor has proposed significant job and program cuts to address a yawning budget gap.
Here’s your First Look at Tuesday’s news.
— Bradley W. Parks
FILE - Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, center, listens while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington.
Evan Vucci / AP
Lori Chavez-DeRemer steps down as Trump’s labor secretary
Facing mounting allegations of misconduct, Lori Chavez-DeRemer is stepping down as labor secretary.
Chavez-DeRemer is a small business owner and the former mayor of Happy Valley. She served one term in Congress, representing Oregon’s 5th Congressional District as a Republican. Trump tapped her to serve as labor secretary weeks after she lost her reelection bid in 2024.
In recent months, a series of news reports has detailed a wide range of allegations against Chavez-DeRemer, her top aides and her husband, Shawn DeRemer. (Bryce Dole)
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon visits the student store at Crook County High School on Monday, Apr. 20, 2026.
Courtesy of Crook County School District
3 things to know
- U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon stopped in Central Oregon yesterday, visiting a college, a high school and an elementary school as part of an education tour across all 50 states. (Elizabeth Miller)
- Portland Mayor Keith Wilson has proposed cutting nearly 150 jobs and slashing public safety and homelessness programs to address a significant budget shortfall. (Alex Zielinski)
- Oregon lawmakers agreed to spend $365 million to renovate the Moda Center, a huge win for the Portland Trail Blazers. Records show that Blazers lobbyists spent $100,000 on the effort in the first three months of 2026. (Dirk VanderHart)
FILE - People line up to enter the Oregon Zoo on June 28, 2019, in Portland, Ore.
Laurie Isola / OPB
Northwest headlines
- Metro struggles to carry out voter-backed Oregon Zoo makeover, audit finds (Bryce Dole)
- Washington’s gray wolf population reaches highest count to date (Gabriel Spitzer and Kathryn Stone)
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):
- Portland emergency medical response now among the best in the world
- New film showcases 3 Bend athletes’ commitment to outdoor sports after life-changing spinal cord injuries
A matriarch tries to shepherd her family toward their dreams in "A Raisin in the Sun."
Courtesy of Jenny Graham via Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Bronze plaque, new production in Ashland honors legacy of playwright Lorraine Hansberry
The Playwrights Walk near Railroad Park in Ashland now features a bronze plaque honoring Lorraine Hansberry.
Hansberry is best known as the playwright of “A Raisin in the Sun,” which portrayed a more complex story of Black life in America than had been seen on stage to that point.
The public arts initiative aims to install 100 plaques in Ashland’s Playwrights Walk by 2035 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Hansberry’s plaque joins others for William Shakespeare and Lauren Gunderson. “A Raisin in the Sun” is showing at OSF until July 19. (Vanessa Finney)
Subscribe to OPB’s First Look to receive Northwest news in your inbox six days a week.
