Author

Lucille McNamara

Lucille McNamara is a Daily Tidings reporter with 27 years of journalism experience, covering Oregon public safety, crime and courts, plus statewide policy and community impact stories including housing, education, health, and immigration. She previously worked at The Star.
Contact: [email protected]

News

Oregon Governor Clashes With County Over Preschool Tax Blamed for Wealth Exodus

Lucille McNamara Jun 20, 2025

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has expressed concern that Multnomah County’s Preschool for All tax may be the reason why high-income residents are leaving the Portland area. Multnomah Chair Argues Concerns Rely on Old Data However,…

News

Oregon Risks Surge in Homelessness as Lawmakers Propose Slashing Eviction Aid by 74 Percent

Lucille McNamara Jun 20, 2025

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has pledged to fight lawmakers who want to slash the budget on eviction prevention funding by a staggering 74%, cutting assistance from 27,713 to 4,331 people in the next two years. If passed by legislators…

News

Oregon Governor Threatens to Tap $161 Million Rainy Day Fund as Wildfire Funding Talks Stall

Lucille McNamara Jun 19, 2025

As lawmakers wrestle with ideas to raise funds to fight wildfires, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek says she will allocate all the interest from the state’s reserve fund if legislators fail to reach consensus by the end of the session. …

Oregon Unemployment Tops the Nation as Job Losses Mount Across Construction and Tech Sectors

Lucille McNamara Jun 19, 2025

The Oregon unemployment rate continues its relentless climb, and by May 2025, had 0.6% more residents out of work than any state nationwide. Oregonians Out of Work in May Reached 4.8% Unemployment in the state is now pegged at…

Environment

Public Worker Pensions in Oregon to Go Green as Lawmakers Shift Money Away From Oil and Gas

Lucille McNamara Jun 18, 2025

The Sierra Club, America’s most influential and largest grassroots environmental organization, has praised the Oregon Legislature for recognizing the economic threats that climate change poses to the retirement savings of public workers.…

Crime & Courts

Former Oregon Nurse Sentenced for Supplying Fatal Dose of Fentanyl to Friend

Lucille McNamara Jun 18, 2025

A former nurse from Oregon will spend four years and three months behind bars for helping a friend obtain fentanyl and methamphetamine that ultimately led to her death by overdose. Danika Danielle Whitman (46) was sentenced on Monday by…

Crime & Courts

Surveillance Leads to Arrest After DHS Vehicle Smashed Outside Eugene Federal Building

Lucille McNamara Jun 17, 2025

EUGENE, Ore. — A 33-year-old Eugene resident is in custody after allegedly damaging a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) vehicle in a rock-throwing incident. Kielan Robert Eugene Fitzsimonds is charged with willful damage to federal…

Politics & Elections

Oregon Votes to Hide Home Addresses of Officials as Political Threats Escalate

Lucille McNamara Jun 17, 2025

Before the shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses on Saturday, Oregon lawmakers passed a bill that will conceal the residential addresses of elected public officials and candidates. Yesterday, Oregon lawmakers in the House…

Education

As Oregon’s Legislative Session Closes, Advocates Make a Final Plea to Fund Early Reading Reform

Lucille McNamara Jun 14, 2025

As the Oregon legislature enters the final weeks of its current session, Stand for Children is hoping lawmakers will seriously consider the need for an additional $300 million in funding to improve reading proficiency in elementary schools.…

News

Oregon Caps Rent Hikes for Thousands in Floating and Park Homes to Ease Housing Strain

Lucille McNamara Jun 14, 2025

Many residents of park homes and floating homes with more than 30 spaces will sleep easier now that Oregon lawmakers have capped their annual rent increases to no more than 6%. House Bill 3054 has passed through both the House of…

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