Dick Hughes

2 days ago | oregoncapitalinsider.com | Dick Hughes

Published 5:55 pm Thursday, June 5, 2025 Rep. Mark Owens uttered a dire prediction as the 2025 Oregon Legislature entered its final four weeks. “I’m not sure there’s a way to land this plane without crashing it in the next 26 days,” Owens, R-Crane, said Tuesday evening. Oregon’s constitution requires that the legislative session end by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 29.

2 days ago | oregoncapitalinsider.com | Dick Hughes

Published 1:40 pm Thursday, June 5, 2025 Troy Britting is the new superintendent of MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn after filling the position on an interim basis. Dan Berger, superintendent since 2013, stepped down last fall but remained on staff as a special adviser until retiring at the end of 2024. Britting joined the Oregon Youth Authority in 2011 as a group life coordinator at Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility, which has since closed.

1 week ago | oregoncapitalinsider.com | Dick Hughes

Published 1:17 pm Thursday, May 29, 2025 A former president/CEO of St. Charles Health System will take over as interim superintendent of Oregon State Hospital on June 4. James Diegel led the Central Oregon health system during 2006-2014. Since then, he has been a consultant, chief strategy officer for Maui Health in Hawaii and CEO of Howard University Hospital. He also was a hospital administrator in Washington state and the Marshall Islands.

2 weeks ago | oregoncapitalinsider.com | Dick Hughes

Published 5:49 pm Thursday, May 22, 2025 Back in January, before the 2025 Legislature convened, I asked Gov. Tina Kotek what she had learned from her previous two legislative sessions while governor. She replied that she was looking forward to being present, having now completed her visits to Oregon’s 36 counties and nine federally recognized tribes. “My goal this session is to make more time to have personal conversations with legislators. They have very difficult jobs,” she said.

2 weeks ago | oregoncapitalinsider.com | Dick Hughes

Published 5:46 pm Thursday, May 22, 2025 Amy Schlusser, who serves on the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission, will join Gov. Tina Kotek’s staff on June 2 as climate adviser. She replaces Karin Power, whom Kotek appointed to the Public Utility Commission. Schlusser, who will leave the EQC, is senior climate action policy analyst and climate policy lead at the Oregon Department of Energy.