CLAIRE RUSH

Statehouse reporter

Rush is a statehouse reporter based in Portland, Oregon. She is a Report for America corps member.
In this image taken through the reflection of a car window, a person walks along W Burnside Street near a repaired patch in the road on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Electric vehicle owners don’t buy gas. States look for other ways to pay for roads and bridges.
States with aggressive climate goals like Oregon are facing a conundrum. Electric vehicles can help reduce emissions in the transportation sector, the nation’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions; but they also mean less gas tax revenue in government coffers.
 
Student protesters gather inside their encampment on the Columbia University campus, April 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, File)
Some universities are freezing hiring and laying off staff as Trump cuts federal funding
 
Ukrainian veterans Denys Kryvodubski, left, Stanislav Povkhan, center, and Mikhailo Danylo, top right, ski down a slope to warm up during a lesson with Oregon Adaptive Sports on the three track skiing method at Hoodoo Ski Area in central Oregon on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Ukrainian war veteran amputees learn adaptive skiing in Oregon
A group of Ukrainian war veteran amputees have been in Oregon learning a form of adaptive skiing for people with one leg.
 
U.S. Forest Service crew members put tree branches into a wood chipper as they prepare the area for a prescribed burn in the Tahoe National Forest, June 6, 2023, near Downieville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
How Trump’s mass layoffs raise the risk of wildfires in the US West, according to fired workers
The termination letters that ended the careers of thousands of U.S. Forest Service employees mean fewer people and less resources will be available to help prevent and fight wildfires.
 
U.S. Forest Service ranger David Needham walks through a pile of burning tree debris during a controlled burn in Hatch Gulch, Feb. 23, 2022, near Deckers, Colo. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson, File)
Trump wants states to clean up forests to stop wildfires. But his administration cut off funds
President Donald Trump’s administration is holding up money for wildfire mitigation projects funded through legislation championed by his Democratic predecessor.
 
Trump policies on gender-affirming care and passports for transgender people challenged in court
Two Trump administration executive orders targeting the rights of transgender and nonbinary people are facing fresh court challenges.
 
A volunteer holds on to a wheelchair as they help Max Hartfelt into his tent after relocating him from one park to another on Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Grants Pass, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Oregon judge pauses camping ban enforcement in city at heart of Supreme Court homelessness ruling
An Oregon judge has ordered the city at the heart of a major U.S. Supreme Court homelessness ruling to pause enforcement of its camping rules for 14 days.
 
With Fruitdale Elementary School in the background, a homeless man adjusts his shoe at Fruitdale Park, March 23, 2024, in Grants Pass, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Fresh lawsuit hits Oregon city at the heart of Supreme Court ruling on homeless encampments
A small Oregon city is facing a fresh lawsuit over its homeless camping rules. Disability Rights Oregon sued Grants Pass on Thursday. The city is the heart of a major U.S.
 
This image provided by the City of Bend, Ore., shows a pair of googly eyes placed on a public art sculpture in Bend. (City of Bend, Oregon, via AP, File)
Man says he was behind some of the viral googly eyes on public art in Oregon
A man in the central Oregon city of Bend says he was responsible for some of the googly eyes placed on sculptures there. The googly eyes sparked a viral sensation covered widely by news outlets last month.
 
Fires scorched campuses across Los Angeles. Many schools are seeking places to hold classes
The Los Angeles wildfires have forced thousands of students to relocate to other schools. Students from two elementary schools that burned down in the Palisades Fire arrived Wednesday for their first day of class at two other Los Angeles campuses where their classes are being held temporarily.
 
A damaged ballot drop box is displayed during a news conference at the Multnomah County Elections Division office, Oct. 28, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
FBI releases new details on metal compounds used to spark Pacific Northwest ballot box fires
The FBI has released new information regarding the incendiary devices used to spark ballot drop box fires in the Pacific Northwest during the 2024 election.
 
Largest health care strike in Oregon history begins as thousands picket Providence hospitals
Some 5,000 hospital health care workers have walked off the job in Oregon as they picket all eight Providence hospitals in the state. The Oregon Nurses Association union says it’s the largest health care strike in state history.
 
A woman cries as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Harrowing escapes from Los Angeles wildfires were made by foot, by car or by the grace of strangers
Thousands of residents made harrowing escapes as devastating wildfires bore down on the Los Angeles area. Some fled by foot, some by car and some by the grace of good Samaritans.
 
In this photo provided by the Deschutes County Sherriff's Office, smoke rises from a wildfire near La Pine, Ore., June 25, 2024. (Sgt. Kyle Kalambach/Deschutes County Sherriff's Office via AP, File)
Oregon places new rules on homeowners living in certain high-risk wildfire areas
Oregon homeowners who live in certain areas at high risk of wildfire must now meet new building and so-called defensible space codes.
 
In this photo provided by NOAA Fisheries, the orca known as J35 (Tahlequah) carries the carcass of her dead calf in the waters of Puget Sound off West Seattle, Wash., on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (Candice Emmons/NOAA Fisheries via AP)
An orca that carried her dead calf for weeks in 2018 is doing so once again
An endangered Pacific Northwest orca that carried her dead calf for over two weeks in 2018 is doing so once again following the death of her new calf.
 
Chairs stand at a post office in the aftermath of the Santiam Fire in Gates, Ore., Sept 9, 2020. (Mark Ylen/Albany Democrat-Herald via AP, File)
Oregon lawmakers to introduce bill barring utility rate increases amid unresolved wildfire lawsuits
Three Oregon lawmakers say they plan to introduce a bill that would bar utilities from raising rates if they have unresolved wildfire lawsuits for three or more years. The Republican state representatives announced the plan on Monday.
 
A boat is seen on the Susitna River near Talkeetna, Alaska, on Sunday, June 13, 2021, with Denali in the background. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
President-elect Trump wants to again rename North America’s tallest peak
President-elect Donald Trump says he wants to revert the name of Alaska’s Denali back to Mount McKinley. Trump’s comments at a Sunday rally in Phoenix wade into a decades-old conflict over the name of North America’s tallest peak.
 
Contents of a tent are seen in bags as workers dismantle the tent after Portland police detained the person residing there on Friday, June 28, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Fentanyl fuels record homeless deaths in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland
Fentanyl fueled a record number of homeless deaths last year in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland. An annual report released by the county on Friday says 456 homeless people died in 2023.
 
Portland Mayor-elect Keith Wilson speaks during an interview with the Associated Press before being sworn in, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Portland, Oregon, swears in new government and mayor who campaigned to end homelessness
A businessman with no experience in public office is taking over as mayor of Oregon’s biggest city. Voters elected trucking company executive Keith Wilson as Portland mayor last month after he ran on an ambitious pledge to end unsheltered homelessness within a year.
 
This image provided by the City of Bend, Oregon, shows a pair of googly eyes placed on a public art sculpture in Bend, Ore. (City of Bend, Oregon, via AP)
Mysterious googly eyes go viral after appearing on public art in Oregon
Googly eyes have been appearing on sculptures around the central Oregon city of Bend. It has delighted many residents and sparked a viral sensation covered widely by news outlets and featured on a popular late-night talk show.
 
This photo provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation shows the Durkee Fire burning in eastern Ore., July 22, 2024. (Oregon Department of Transportation via AP, File)
Oregon lawmakers approve $218M in emergency wildfire funding in special session
Oregon lawmakers have approved $218 million in emergency wildfire funding after convening for a special session. The state has seen a historic wildfire season in 2024.
 
People dance during a powwow at Chinook Winds Casino Resort, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Lincoln City, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Oregon tribe has hunting and fishing rights restored under a long-sought court ruling
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in Oregon have just celebrated newly lifted restrictions on their rights to hunt, fish and gather. The celebration came as the tribe marked 47 years of regaining federal recognition.
 
Mushrooms for patient use are shown at a psilocybin service center in Gresham, Ore., Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)
A growing number of Oregon cities vote to ban psychedelic mushroom compound psilocybin
Drug reform advocates hailed Oregon as a progressive leader when it became the first in the nation to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin, the compound found in psychedelic mushrooms.
 
FILE - A damaged ballot drop box is displayed during a news conference at the Multnomah County Elections Division office, Oct. 28, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
FBI offers up to $25,000 reward for information about suspect behind Northwest ballot box fires
The FBI is offering up to $25,000 as a reward for information about the suspect behind recent ballot box fires in Oregon and Washington state.
 
Portland mayoral candidate Keith Wilson with his wife, Katherine, watch local news election returns on a large screen at Old Town Brewing in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP)
In Portland, Oregon, political outsider Keith Wilson elected mayor after homelessness-focused race
Voters in Portland, Oregon, have elected political outsider Keith Wilson as their next mayor. Wilson, a Portland native and CEO of a trucking company, ran on an ambitious pledge to end unsheltered homelessness within a year of taking office.
 
FILE - Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., accompanied by Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., left, and House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., right, speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
The top US House races in Oregon garnering national attention
One of the most competitive U.S. House races in the country is playing out in Oregon, where the state’s GOP-held 5th Congressional District is considered one of just over two dozen toss ups nationwide.
 
A damaged ballot drop box is displayed during a news conference at the Multnomah County Elections Division office on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Police say the man behind ballot box fires has metalworking experience and might plan more attacks
Investigators say the man suspected of setting fires in ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington state is an experienced metalworker and may be planning additional attacks.
 
Visitors enter the Lizzie Borden House, site of an 1892 double axe murder, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Fall River, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
As Halloween approaches, tourists visit a home with a gruesome past and tunnels said to be haunted
October has long been considered the spookiest month, and as Halloween approaches, many tourists find it the ideal time to visit a home with a gruesome past or descend into a darkened basement clutching a lantern.
 
In this image made from a video provided by KGW8, authorities investigate the scene as smoke pours out of a ballot box on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Vancouver, Wash. (KGW8 via AP)
Fires set in drop boxes destroy hundreds of ballots in Washington and damage 3 in Oregon
Incendiary devices have been set off at two ballot drop boxes — one in Portland, Oregon, and another in nearby Vancouver, Washington — in what one official called a “direct attack on democracy.”
 
This undated image provided by the Bureau of Land Management shows the bat Hoary Potter. (Emma Busk/Bureau of Land Management via AP)
It’s almost Halloween. That means it’s time for a bat beauty contest
A special kind of beauty contest featuring bats kicked off in the lead-up to Halloween. The Bureau of Land Management hosts its “Bat Beauty Contest” to raise awareness about the animal’s ecological importance.
 
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