skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

3 days in, Trump is backtracking on his tariffs on Mexico and Canada; AL faith leaders call for more congressional oversight of Trump team; Court rules MS Legislature not a 'public body,' allows closed-door meetings; WI group pitches in to help voters share views with reps in Congress.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Democrats push back on Trump s order to dismantle the Department of Education, red states aim to deny public education to undocumented children and the Wisconsin Supreme Court election could be the most expensive judicial race in history.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Immigrant communities are getting advice from advocates as the reach of ICE expands, experts in rural America urge lawmakers to ramp up protections against elder abuse, and a multi-state arts projects seeks to close the urban-rural divide.

OR Senate Republican Walkout Endangers Anti-Hunger Policies

play audio
Play

Wednesday, May 24, 2023   

Three weeks into state Senate Republicans' walkout from the Oregon Legislature, concern is growing the move could sink action on important issues such as addressing hunger in the state.

Susannah Morgan, CEO of Oregon Food Bank, said rates of hunger are still above pre-pandemic levels, and it is anticipated the food assistance system in the state will serve more than a million people this year.

"This is a crisis that so many of us need help feeding our families," Morgan pointed out. "In order to meet that crisis we need our government to work."

Republicans walked out on May 3 in part because of a bill which would expand abortion rights and further protect transgender health care. Senate Republicans have pledged to come back on the final day of the session, scheduled for June 25, to pass bipartisan bills. Morgan argued one day does not give the Legislature enough time to pass a number of important bills.

She said one important measure is Senate Bill 610, which would ensure people who are undocumented can receive food assistance. It is estimated more than 62,000 Oregonians are excluded from federal food aid.

"This would really, really, really help us address this deep hunger crisis," Morgan explained. "And that is stuck because nothing is moving in the Oregon Legislature right now."

Morgan added she is asking Republican senators to go back to Salem.

"This is not intended as a partisan statement," Morgan cautioned. "This is intended as a statement about what our communities need to ensure that their food needs are met right now."

Disclosure: The Oregon Food Bank contributes to our fund for reporting on Community Issues and Volunteering, Education, Health Issues, and Hunger/Food/Nutrition. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
On March 7, 1965, police and state troopers brutally attacked civil rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. Known as Bloody Sunday, the violence left many injured and sparked national outrage, fueling the fight for voting rights. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Sixty years ago this weekend, young activists marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, demanding their right to vote and changing …


Social Issues

play sound

As new federal policies and proposed funding cuts spark confusion and chaos, Wisconsinites are looking to voice their concerns to their elected …

Environment

play sound

Wisconsin's largest utility provider is seeking approval for a new gas plant to help meet growing electricity demand, but a new report argues there …


Social Issues

play sound

A Mississippi judge has ruled the State Legislature is not a "public body" under the state's Open Meetings Act, a decision allowing lawmakers to hold …

The current avian flu outbreak surfaced in 2022, with a big effect on wild birds and commercial poultry. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Dawn Attride for Sentient.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaboration…

Social Issues

play sound

A bill pending in the West Virginia Legislature would increase the length of penalties for "serious" felony convictions, but critics have said it …

Social Issues

play sound

More testimony was heard yesterday about term limit reforms in North Dakota, an issue voters around the state might have to decide again. In 2022…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021