ECONOMY & FINANCE ●On the Job. Oregon added 8,100 jobs in September, according to data from the Oregon Employment Department. The state’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.5%, which is 0.2% below the national average. HEALTH CARE ●Health Care Strikes Continue. More than 1,300 technical, maintenance and laboratory health care workers at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver and PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview, Wash., began a strike against the health care system. POLITICS ●Wagner Cleared. A bipartisan panel composed of four members of the Oregon Legislature dismissed complaints against Senate President Rob Wagner from Republican Sens. Lynn Findley and Cedric Hayden over Wagner’s decision to deny their requests for excused absences while they participated in a legislative walkout. MANUFACTURING ●Chip Shot. The Kotek administration announced awards totaling nearly $240 million to 15 semiconductor-related companies, including $115 million to heavyweight Intel, as part of a state effort to use federal CHIPS Act funds to boost the state’s semiconductor sector. REAL ESTATE ●End of an Era. Deborah Imse, executive director of Multifamily NW, announced she will retire on Jan. 1. Imse led the landlord lobbying group for 23 years. Gary Fisher, who has served as Imse’s deputy executive director since 2022, will succeed her. FARMS & FORESTS ●Bird Flu, Take 2. The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service detected the highly pathogenic avian influenza in a noncommercial flock in Union County but said there were no immediate health concerns. ●Rolled Into One. The Oregon Cannabis Association and the Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon, Oregon’s two major cannabis trade associations, will merge into the Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon following a vote by the boards of both groups. ●Up a Creek. The U.S. Department of Commerce declared a chinook fishery disaster for 2018, 2019 and 2020 after salmon populations declined sharply all three years. The disaster declaration releases financial assistance for fishermen and potentially for other businesses, along with funding to help restore the fishery and protect future chinook runs. ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT ●Gird the Grid. The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, along with regional utilities Portland General Electric and PacifiCorp, received a combined $450 million as part of the federal government’s TRAVEL & TRANSPORTATION ●Traffic Tech. The Oregon Health Authority launched the Oregon Transportation and Safety Classroom, a data dashboard to monitor trends in deaths and hospital visits related to a range of transportation-related injuries. OHA data also show transportation deaths nearly doubled in Oregon from 2010 to 2022. ●Snowbound. Facing a lowered budget and hiring challenges this year, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced it would reduce snow plowing and salting during winter months but would prioritize routes I-5, I-84 and I-205. TOURISM & HOSPITALITY ●Brews Blues. Portland-based Pono Brewing announced it would cease all production. The news comes after the 7-year-old microbrewery shut its original location in the city’s Hollywood District three months ago. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ●Curtains. Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland laid off artistic director Jeanette Harrison one year into her tenure and two months after announcing the suspension of its 2023-24 season because of financial woes. EDUCATION ●Long Suspension. The Oregon Board of Education extended its 2020 suspension of reading, writing and mathematics proficiency as a requirement for graduation until at least 2029. The board cited disproportionate numbers of students of color and disabled students in remedial courses as reasons for the continued suspension. Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships to fortify the region’s power grid. ●Hit the Gas. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a certificate to Canada-based TC Energy to upgrade the Gas Transmission Northwest Xpress, a three-state, 1,400-mile-long natural-gas pipeline passing through Idaho, Washington and Oregon, despite opposition from Gov. Tina Kotek and Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, as well as environmental groups. ●Join the Hub. President Biden and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced Oregon and Washington — as well as six other “Clean Energy Hubs” around the country — would receive roughly $1 billion each to develop low-emissions hydrogen and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. RESTAURANT & RETAIL ●Laced Up. Nike mandated employees return to the office four days per week, expanding on its previous three-day in-person policy. ●Plight Aid. Rite Aid announced it would close its warehouse in Wilsonville next spring, putting 136 workers out of work. The Pennsylvania-based retailer, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in mid-October, will also close 100 stores nationwide, including one in Medford and one in Portland. ⁄Newsfeed⁄ Bird flu has been detected in a noncommercial flock in Union County. SHUTTERSTOCK 8
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