By Julia Shumway | Editor
“Oregon should not be the testing ground for extreme measures that threaten affordability, local food production, consumer choice and thousands of jobs that connect us with putting food on the table with our farms and ranches. Activities like farming, ranching, hunting and fishing are all a part of our heritage, our economy and our everyday lives.” — state Sen. Christine Drazan, the Republican nominee for governor, announcing she’ll back an effort to enshrine rights to hunt, fish and farm in the Oregon Constitution. A proposal to change state law to prohibit most killing of animals failed to gather the signatures needed to appear on the November ballot.
Also in today's edition:
Democrats propose three-year moratorium on data centers
Food aid for wildfire victims
Commentator Blair Bobier on ranked choice voting
And one more thing:
Oregon Health & Science University’s hospital is in southwest Portland. A photo caption in yesterday’s newsletter incorrectly referred to it as being in southeast Portland. We regret the error.
News tips, feedback or questions? Email us at [email protected]
By Alex Baumhardt
State Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, and the Republican nominee for governor (center), organized an event at White’s Country Meats in Gresham on Aug. 4, 2026 to announce a proposed amendment to Oregon’s Constitution that would guarantee fishing, hunting and farming rights. (Photo by Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
GRESHAM — To counter a failed ballot initiative from animal rights activists that attempted to ban hunting, fishing and animal slaughter in Oregon, the state’s Republican leaders pledged to introduce their own constitutional amendment to guarantee fishing, hunting and farming rights.
By Alex Baumhardt
An explosion of data center facilities, including the one pictured here in Umatilla County on May 18, 2026, have been built in Oregon along the Columbia River Gorge during the last few years. (Photo by Jordan Gale/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Four Oregon Democratic lawmakers, and two hopefuls, are calling for a three-year moratorium on new data centers in the state in response to growing public concern over energy and water demand, farmland loss, tax fairness and community benefits, and a general lack of transparency from the industry.
By Mia Maldonado
A Safeway grocery store in Salem on May 12, 2026. Safeway and its parent company Albertsons were listed more than any other company on SNAP recipients’ income verification forms. (Photo by Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Oregonians in 12 counties who lost their federal food assistance in July because of a wildfire evacuation can request replacement benefits until Aug. 14.
Commentary: Ranked choice voting makes sense for Oregon
By Blair Bobier
It’s hard to imagine a scenario where ranked choice voting — or, more to the point, the lack of ranked choice voting — won’t have an impact on this year’s race for governor.
FROM OUR D.C. BUREAU
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OTHER OREGON NEWS Some stories may be behind paywalls.
How to help Eugene, Springfield students in financial need prepare for a new school year | Lookout Eugene-Springfield
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