Oregon Speaker of the House Tina Kotek (D-Portland) just formally conceded what many had been assuming for weeks: an Oregon-led version of the controversial Columbia River Crossing is done. At least for now. "Absent clear, public commitment from (Washington) Governor Inslee and the necessary memoranda of understanding between our two states, an Oregon-led project will not be approved this year," Kotek said in a news release. The CRC—in its currently Oregon-led form—had lost the backing.
Voters in Oregon could elect the country's first lesbian governor next year and only the second LGBTQ top statewide official in the three-state West Coast region.