WaferTech is a semiconductor manufacturer in Camas, Wash., pictured here on Feb. 1, 2023. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.

Lawmakers consider changes to make Oregon more attractive to the semiconductor industry

States all over the country are hoping to lure federal money, and semiconductor companies, after Congress recently passed the CHIPS bill. In Oregon, lawmakers are considering a major overhaul of longstanding land-use laws to do just that.

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State report shows wage gaps persist in Oregon government

In 2017, Oregon passed a law that was aimed at reducing wage disparities for employees performing the same work. Years later, a report from Oregon’s audit division found that wage gaps in government positions still remain.



Jefferson High School dancers win national award

Students from North Portland’s Jefferson High School made history earlier this month. Two members of the Jefferson Dancers won awards for choreography at the National High School Dance Festival. It was the first time any school won top honors for two different pieces.




A humpback whale calf off the Atlantic coast.

Court rules National Marine Fisheries Service must protect Humpback whales

Last week a federal judge ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service can no longer continue to issue permits for the incidental take of humpback whales when they get tangled in sablefish pot gear off the West coast. The lawsuit was filed by the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity.




Oregon faces holes in mental health services

For too many Oregonians, having a mental illness or substance use problem means repeated failed attempts to get help, and then experience a crisis: an emergency department visit, isolation in a jail cell, or an involuntary stay at the state’s overwhelmed psychiatric hospital. OPB health reporter Amelia Templeton talked to experts throughout the state to learn about several of the most pressing elements of the crisis — and about promising strategies to address them.








A person demonstrates use of a vape in this undated file photo.

Oregon bill would ban all flavored tobacco products

We hear from a pediatric cardiologist about the Oregon House bill that would ban the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including hookah, menthol cigarettes and flavored e-cigarettes.




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