What it'll take to save the salmon

Why Liquor Officials Won’t Face Charges

A year-long investigation into Oregon’s liquor commission found that officials didn’t break the law in obtaining 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle and other rare top-shelf liquor for their own personal use. The scandal forced the head of the commission to resign. The officials paid for the liquor themselves but used their insider connections to get it. [AP via Washington Post 🔒]

Suit Over I-5 Rose Quarter

Opponents of expanding I-5 at the Rose Quarter are suing in an effort to halt the project. A lawsuit is not the only obstacle the expansion faces: Its $1.9 billion price tag is more than four times the original estimate, and the Oregon Department of Transportation doesn’t yet have the money for it — particularly after the governor canceled a plan for tolls. [OPB]

The First Lady’s Longtime Influence

New reporting shows Gov. Tina Kotek has long relied on and bent conventional protocols for her first lady, Aimee Kotek Wilson. “This governor has one blind spot,” a longtime associate says. “It’s Aimee.” As you may recall three members of Kotek’s four-member executive team left over the issue; Kotek has yet to find replacements. [Willamette Week]

Saving the Salmon

Overfishing and climate change have decimated salmon populations. OPB investigations editor Tony Schick talks about OPB’s new podcast “Salmon Wars” as well as the history of the fish, the radical efforts to preserve them, and the threats they still face. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Hippo Hardware gets its name from a sculpture created by a friend of the owner. But the shop has added related decor, including the murals of the enormous mammals, some clad in attire appropriate to ancient Rome (or a frat boy party).

After nearly 50 years in business, the store, which carries vintage lighting and other fixtures, was struggling last year. But, happily, it lives on.

• Reader Beth Sethi learned about the shop from a story on its struggles: “My husband was putting the finishing touches on a pergola in our backyard and was looking for vintage rivets. I sent him to Hippo Hardware, and he found exactly what he needed, and he described a palace of other treasures he enjoyed exploring as well!”

Apparently, only one person has ever “taken a deuce” in a vintage toilet; here’s looking at you “Jackass.”

(That factoid is from a lovely Reddit thread, which includes the store owner’s answer to the most beautiful thing in the shop.)

Thanks to the dozens of readers who responded, and a shoutout to the first 10: Randi Saulter, Melissa Meyer, Anna N, Marilyn M, Monica, A Rouse, Susan, Beth Sethi, Mary Clare Girolami, and Melody Larsen.

Here’s another mural of a large gray mammal. Do you know it?

As always, please email me your answer (and your name as you’d like it to appear in the reader shoutout next week). Plus, I always love to hear your stories about the location.

It’s an unusual year for statewide races. There are no incumbent candidates for secretary of state, treasurer, or attorney general. That sets up competitive races in the May primary — and potentially November. (Yes, this blue state has elected Republicans on occasion.)

❓Trivia: When did Republicans last win a statewide election? Award yourself bonus points for naming the last three times. (Answer is below in the signoff note ⬇️)

Secretary of State — Democratic Primary 🟦

There have been eight secretaries of state in the last decade — the latest unexpected transition came when Shemia Fagan resigned last year after revelations she had a six-figure contract with the cannabis company La Mota.

The job is to oversee elections, audits, and state records, including business registrations. The secretary of state is also first in line to replace the governor (as happened in another surprise turnover, when Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned in 2015).

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

• James Jim Crary, retired attorney
• Paul Damian Wells, retired electrical engineer
• Tobias Read, Oregon treasurer
• Dave W Stauffer, former state securities analyst
• James Manning Jr, state senator

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

• A guide to the primary. [OPB]
• The run-down of the five Democratic candidates. [Statesman-Journal]
• Profiles of Read and Manning. [Oregon Capital Chronicle]

Secretary of State — Republican Primary 🟥

State Sen. Dennis Linthicum joined the race as his party’s leading contender after being barred from a reelection bid after the Republican walkout.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

• Brent Barker, commercial real estate agent
• Dennis Linthicum, state senator

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

• Guide to the candidates. [Oregon Capital Chronicle]
• The run-down of the candidates. [Statesman-Journal]

Treasurer — Democratic Primary 🟦

The job is to manage the state’s financial investments including the $100 billion Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund. The current treasurer, Tobias Read, is term-limited and is running for secretary of state.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

• Jeff Gudman,, financial analyst
• Elizabeth Steiner, state senator and doctor

🗞️ The Inside Scoop

Gudman is making his third run for treasurer, though his first as a Democrat. Steiner has led the legislature’s budget writing and oversight. The winner will face state Sen. Brian Boquist (R-Dalles), the only Republican running. (Boquist participated in the Republican walkout and was among the lawmakers barred from seeking reelection as a result.)

📖 Read Up on the Candidates With:

• Profiles of Gudman and Steiner. [Oregon Capital Chronicle]
• Guide to the race [OPB]

Fighting for Oregon’s Salmon, From Broken Treaties to Black Markets

For millennia, the Columbia River’s millions of salmon sustained Indigenous people. But overfishing and climate change have decimated fish populations. OPB investigations editor Tony Schick talks about OPB’s new podcast “Salmon Wars” and the history of the fish, the radical efforts to preserve them, and the threats they still face.