Wyden: political groups should expect IRS scrutiny

By   /  May 21, 2013  /  Northwest, Northwest WatchBlog  /  No Comments

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

Tuesday morning, the Senate Finance Committee grilled IRS officials over the agency’s targeting of conservative nonprofit groups. Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden defended the scrutiny.

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OR budget talks get heated as Republicans respond to Kitzhaber’s ultimatum

By   /  May 20, 2013  /  Northwest, Northwest WatchBlog, Oregon, WatchBlog  /  No Comments

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By Shelby Sebens | Northwest Watchdog

Is it getting hot in here?

Budget talks are getting heated in Salem as the fight between Democrats who want more taxes and Republicans who are pushing for pension reform rages on. The political lines have been drawn and now the elected officials are taking their frustrations out through press releases.

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OR: Kitzhaber calls for budget compromise: more pension reform and taxes

By   /  May 15, 2013  /  Northwest, Northwest WatchBlog, WatchBlog  /  No Comments

Gov. John Kitzhaber holds a press conference Wednesday calling on lawmakers to come together on a budget deal.

By Shelby Sebens | Northwest Watchdog
PORTLAND – Gov. John Kitzhaber on Wednesday called for lawmakers to make a budget deal: Democrats trade additional pension reforms for Republican support on increased taxes.
A day before the state’s office of economic analysis is expected to release its quarterly report, laying out the budget picture for the next two [...]

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OR, WA legislatures grapple over budgets

By   /  May 14, 2013  /  Northwest, Northwest WatchBlog, WatchBlog  /  No Comments

Lawmakers in Salem expect to get an updated budget forecast this week.

By Shelby Sebens | Northwest Watchdog
PORTLAND – Tis the season for budget wrangling.
Oregon and Washington state legislatures are struggling to pass multi-billion dollar budgets that pit the typical showdown of conservatives looking to cut spending and progressive lawmakers hoping to increase taxes.
In Oregon, Democrats are proposing tax increases on the wealthy and corporations that would [...]

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Oregon House unanimously urges Congress to rescue U.S. Postal Service

By   /  May 7, 2013  /  Northwest, Northwest WatchBlog  /  No Comments

BEST BUDDIES: Your BFF, the local postman, like Jamesa Euler of Atlanta, may soon meet his demise, says a new union-backed ad.

By Shelby Sebens | Northwest Watchdog
PORTLAND – The Oregon House of Representatives is urging Congress to rescue the flailing United States Postal Service.
The House voted unanimously on Tuesday in favor of a resolution that asks Congress to pass the proposed Postal Service Protection Act of 2013. The proposed legislation, which would reverse a decision by the [...]

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