Veto override shields retirees from PERS errors

By Peter Wong, Statesman Journal (Salem)

Public employees will be shielded from state agency math errors that could have forced them to repay retirement benefits under a bill that the Oregon Legislature repassed over Gov. Ted Kulongoski's veto.
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Recovery will be slow, state economist says

By Peter Wong, Statesman Journal (Salem)

Monday's economic forecast, the seventh in a row to show declining tax collections, will prompt lawmakers to find more than $100 million in spending cuts, reserve shifts or reduced tax breaks to balance the state budget.
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Supporters cheer Oregon House vote to ban off-shore drilling for 10 years

By Michelle Cole, The Oregonian (Portland)

Oregon's coastal waters -- at least the 3-mile-wide strip that the state controls -- would remain off-limits to oil and gas drilling for the next decade under a bill that passed the House on Monday. Read More

Ore. agriculture sales fall almost 15 percent

By Abby Haight, Corvallis Gazette-Times

Oregon's agricultural sales plunged almost 15 percent last year, pounded by a weak economy, low prices and oversupply, according to a report released Monday by Oregon State University. Read More

Poll shows support for Kulongoski's kicker reform idea

By Harry Esteve, The Oregonian (Portland)

A majority of Oregon voters support changing Oregon's "kicker" law to create a bigger state budget reserve fund, according to a statewide poll commissioned by Gov. Ted Kulongoski. Read More

Oregon Appeals Court backs former Vernonia pastor in First Amendment case, upholds $355,000 judgment in defamation suit

By Andrew Scoggin, The Oregonian (Portland)

A church can't use the First Amendment as a defense against a defamation lawsuit if church officials accuse a former pastor of being a thief in front of the congregation, according to a game-changing ruling from the Oregon Court of Appeals. Read More

KBR contractor wants suit by Oregon National Guard soldiers thrown out

By Julie Sullivan, The Oregonian (Portland)

Lawyers for the war contractor Kellogg, Brown & Root on Monday asked a federal judge to dismiss an Oregon Army National Guard soldiers' lawsuit against it, saying the court in Oregon lacks jurisdiction. Read More

To keep Oregon bats healthy, avoid their homes

By Staff Reports, Corvallis Gazette-Times

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife asks Oregonians, especially those who work in or enjoy exploring caves or mines, to help limit the spread of white-nose syndrome, a new disease that has killed more than a million bats in the northeast. Read More

Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D)
Elected: November 2002, 2006
Term expires: January 2011

	State capital: Salem
	State nickname: The Beaver State
	Secretary of State Kate Brown (D)
	Attorney General John Kroger (D)
	Senate President: Peter Courtney (D)
	House Speaker: Dave Hunt (D)

The seventh annual Hal Hovey Award was presented Feb. 3 to Marc Perrusquia, an enterprise and investigative reporter for The Commercial Appeal, the daily newspaper in Memphis Tenn. The award is made jointly by Stateline.org, which is part of the Pew Center on the States, and Governing Magazine for outstanding coverage of state and local government.

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Oregon daily news roundup

Veto override shields retirees from PERS errors

Recovery will be slow, state economist says