By Julia Shumway | Editor
“Our children are collectively experiencing billions of days of smoky air each year.” — Molly Kile, a lead researcher and an environmental epidemiologist at Oregon State University. Kile and other researchers found that as wildfires get worse, the average number of annual smoke days at public schools rose from 6.8 to 54.4 days. The haze makes it harder for kids to safely play outside and can get into classrooms with subpar ventilation. In some cases, air quality was worse inside than outside.
Also in today's edition:
Disability Rights Oregon has a voter help hotline
Oregon prepares to launch new health marketplace website
Columnist Randy Stapilus on school closures
And one more thing:
Are you following us on Instagram? You’ll be the first to see videos like today’s from Mia Maldonado explaining where ballots go.
News tips, feedback or questions? Email us at [email protected]
By Mia Maldonado
Firefighters on the Claremont Fire in Boise, Idaho on July 6, 2026. Drought across the Northwest has exacerbated wildfire conditions in the region. (Photo by Brenen Helgerson/ National Interagency Fire Center)
Children are breathing in unhealthy air for longer periods of time as wildfires worsen across the country, according to a new study by researchers at Oregon State University’s College of Health.
By Shaanth Nanguneri
A health insurance form seeking patient information. Oregon is trying again at launching its own state-run health insurance marketplace after a failed rollout of a similar effort more than a decade ago. (Photo by Getty Images)
More than a decade after a botched rollout earned Oregon a reputation for having one of the worst state-run health insurance marketplaces in the nation, the state is poised to launch its own system once again.
By Alex Baumhardt
A Disability Rights Oregon hotline and resources webpage meant to help people with disability-related voting issues is open ahead of the Nov. 3 election. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)
Disability advocates announced Thursday they’ve opened their phone hotline and a new website for people with disability-related voting problems to get assistance and report issues in the run-up to the Nov. 3 midterm election.
By Randy Stapilus
Memo to the Oregon Legislature: The increasingly raucous battle over plans for public schools — mainly elementaries — in the Portland School District makes for a good reason for never making school district elections partisan. The realities of this debate are intensely practical.
FROM OUR D.C. BUREAU
MORE FROM THE CAPITAL CHRONICLE
Here’s what happens to an Oregon ballot once it hits the dropbox | Mia Maldonado
Business group pushes to open Oregon land for industry ahead of 2027 session | Shaanth Nanguneri
OTHER OREGON NEWS Some stories may be behind paywalls.
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