A tentative agreement to fill Washington state's $5 billion budget shortfall includes cuts in nearly every corner of government, slashing pay for teachers and forcing other K-12 workers and state employees to take deeper hits. Budget negotiators said there simply wasn't the money available in the $32 billion spending plan to sustain current salaries, and lawmakers talked openly about the need to make equitable cuts. In total, they will reduce spending by $4.6 billion over the coming two years.

Seeznin's sports bar and grill is a community place with plenty to inspire Portlanders. To give Seeznin's the true Portland vibe, Thompson has decorated the bar with articles, photos and basketball jerseys that showcase successful, home-grown athletes  To give Seeznin's the true Portland vibe, Thompson has decorated the bar with articles, photos and basketball jerseys that showcase successful, home-grown athletes 

The mural's creator, the prominent mural artist, Isaka Shamsud-Din, has expressed interest in restoring the mural. The King Neighborhood Association is exploring grant funding

May is National Asthma Awareness Month. The CDC recently released a report which found that asthma rates are rising sharply across the nation

When it comes to budget decision making, there's an old saying: The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
And last week, when Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith held a meeting directed at African American males from the ages of 12 to 25, there were a lot of squeaky wheels.

It may seem geeky to some, but many observers say this week's Pacific Northwest 140 Conference on the wide array of social media tools – and how local businesses, nonprofits and individuals use them – could have a lasting impact on the region.

Voters around the state appeared to put their wallets first in last night's Special Election.

The Skanner News Group is partnering with the Oregonian and AmericanUniversity's J-Lab Institute for Interactive Journalism to create the Oregonian News Service, a new way for readers to catch up on news around the entire state of Oregon.

 "The opportunity to experience the Afghan culture and to show a different view of Americans to young children was a great way to spend Mother's Day," said Loomis, an administrative assistant here deployed from the Portland District Corps of Engineers.

Should Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield be allowed to raise their health insurance rates 22 percent? Next month the Oregon Insurance Division plans a public hearing on the proposed hike, which would affect nearly 60,000 Oregonians.
It's the only public meeting in recent memory that the Insurance Division has held for a rate hike, according to Laura Etherton, of the consumer group OSPIRG.
Public hearings on big rate hikes could become the rule if the Oregon Senate passes bill 717, which would require the Insurance Division to hold such meetings when insurance companies request rate increases.