The year in Pacific Northwest news for 2024

When those of us in the OPB newsroom started assembling a list of the biggest stories of the year in the Pacific Northwest, it took some deep thinking to even remember anything that happened before Nov. 5.

A contentious and consequential U.S. presidential election has a way of overshadowing other major news events.

Door plug falling off a plane over Portland? That happened this year. Moon partially blocking out the sun? Also this year. Giant green fireball over Oregon? Also also this year.

As 2024 draws to a close and we prepare to cover the year ahead, we’re taking a moment to pause and reflect on the year that was.

The following is a roughly chronological reminder of the stories that defined 2024 in our region:

Door plug falls off plane over Portland

The year began with a bang and a thud. On Jan. 5, a door plug fell off a Boeing 737 Max 9 in flight over Portland. The wayward airplane part landed in the yard of a Catlin Gabel science teacher.

It was a continuation of troubles for Boeing. Safety of the Seattle-based aviation company’s planes was called into question throughout 2024.

In late summer, unionized Boeing machinists, including some in Gresham, went on strike seeking better pay. The strike lasted nearly two months. Boeing reached an agreement with the union on a new contract in November.

The company later issued layoff notices to hundreds of engineers and other workers in Washington and California. The company has said the layoffs were unrelated to the strike.

Ice storms paralyze Willamette Valley

A series of ice storms knocked out power for thousands of Oregonians in mid-January. The weight of the ice paired with occasionally high winds brought down trees, sometimes directly onto people’s homes.

In Cottage Grove, neighbors banded together to keep each other sheltered and fed during a week without many critical services. The storm offered a preview of what life could be like in the immediate aftermath of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake.

Cottage Grove’s interim emergency manager told OPB that residents struggled to survive the week, and that Oregonians need to be better prepared for natural disasters like an earthquake, which could cut off fuel and other services for a month or more.

Oregon Supreme Court rules chronically absent state senators can’t seek reelection

The Oregon Supreme Court on Feb. 1 upheld a law that punishes state legislators who participate in walkouts. Lawmakers who accumulate 10 or more unexcused absences can’t seek reelection.

Several Republicans subject to the new penalties after a lengthy walkout in 2023 challenged the measure in court, saying language inserted into the state Constitution was murky and actually allowed them to reclaim their seats.

The court determined that while the wording may be unclear, the intent of the voters was not.

Oregon abandons drug decriminalization

Oregon lawmakers in March voted to reinstate criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of illegal drugs, officially ending the state’s experiment with drug decriminalization under Ballot Measure 110.

Legislators passed the bipartisan House Bill 4002, despite protests from Measure 110 advocates to give the law more time. New misdemeanor charges took effect in September.

Rollout of the new penalties and deflection programs looked vastly different county to county.

Growing role of Oregon’s first lady prompts resignations

Top staffers for Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek announced in March that they were resigning, citing among their reasons the expanding role of first lady Aimee Kotek Wilson. The governor later apologized and walked back plans to create an Office of the First Spouse.

Bird flu puts Oregon agriculture officials on alert

The Oregon Department of Agriculture said in April it was taking precautions as cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, were confirmed in cows in other states. The disease has killed millions of birds, including hundreds of thousands of commercial chickens in Oregon, since 2022.

No cases have been reported in Oregon dairy cattle, but the country’s first-known case of bird flu in a pig was confirmed in a Crook County farm in October. One worker at an Oregon poultry farm was also confirmed to have the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say bird flu virus has a moderate chance of “emergence,” evolving to sustain human-to-human transmission. Even if the virus does cause another pandemic, it wouldn’t necessarily resemble the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two major Oregon employers announce layoffs

In April, footwear and apparel giant Nike announced it would lay off more than 700 employees at its Beaverton headquarters. Intel told investors in August it would lay off thousands of workers too — 1,300 in Hillsboro.

By the fall, chief executives at Nike and Intel had both stepped down, and new leaders were named.

Economists told OPB the layoffs suggest growth in two of Oregon’s primary industries — footwear and semiconductors — is slowing or stagnant. But they may not have long-term implications for the state’s economy.

For its part, Intel in November won $1.8 billion in federal funding to upgrade its Hillsboro campus.

Anti-war protesters take over Portland State University library

A small group of protesters at Portland State University in April joined nationwide protests on college campuses to oppose Israel’s war on Gaza. The protest camp at PSU grew over the course of a few days, and protesters eventually took over the school library.

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On May 2, Portland police cleared ramshackle barricades, entered the library and forcibly removed protesters who remained inside. The protests were tense and disrupted campus life for close to a week. Twenty-seven people faced criminal charges related to the protest.

Demonstrations at Portland State and across the country called attention to what many anti-war protesters called Israeli genocide against Palestinian people — and the ways, directly and indirectly, American universities perpetuate conflicts like it.

Vasquez wins race to become Multnomah County district attorney

In May, Multnomah County voters chose longtime prosecutor Nathan Vasquez to be their next district attorney.

During the campaign, Vasquez promised to be tougher on crime than his boss and opponent in the race, District Attorney Mike Schmidt.

Nation’s high court upholds Grants Pass homelessness rules

The U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled in favor of Grants Pass in Southern Oregon, upholding the city’s rules penalizing people for camping on public property like city parks.

A lawsuit filed in 2018 on behalf of people experiencing homelessness in Grants Pass argued the ordinances amounted to cruel and unusual punishment, violating the Eighth Amendment. Similar lawsuits followed in cities across the country.

But the court ultimately sided with Grants Pass. Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said the criminal punishments of fines or jail time associated with the city’s homelessness rules were neither cruel nor unusual.

The court’s decision has had ripple effects nationwide, allowing cities to punish people for sleeping outside — even if they have nowhere else to go. But it’s likely to have less impact in Oregon due to state law.

Ashlanders question whether a cult has invaded their town

In May, OPB published an investigation into the New Age spiritual group known as TwinRay, whose leaders moved to Southern Oregon in 2020. People who claimed to be former followers of the group said they fear its leaders, a mysterious couple who hosted “elixir ceremonies” at their Ashland mansion, exploit vulnerable people to take their money.

The group’s secretive nature led some in Ashland to question whether it was a cult.

The Haven, TwinRay’s cryptic storefront downtown where it sold teas, candles and so-called “bioceuticals,” closed in June.

Another year, another record-setting Oregon fire season

This year’s wildfire season was the most expensive on record in Oregon. Nearly 2 million acres burned across the state.

The Durkee Fire in Baker and Malheur counties started by lightning in July. It torched some 300,000 acres and killed untold numbers of cattle. The devastation forced ranchers to make difficult decisions about the future of their businesses.

The season was so bad that the state of Oregon struggled to pay bills associated with fighting those fires. Oregon lawmakers called a special session in December to approve emergency funding to cover those expenses. The state’s method of paying for wildfires could be a big topic in the upcoming legislative session in 2025.

Oregon College of Oriental Medicine closes

The Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in Portland was one of the leading alternative medicine programs in the country, awarding degrees in programs like acupuncture.

As the school closed in August, an OPB investigation found its graduates have one of the highest debt-to-income ratios in the nation.

Owner of beloved Oregon businesses stops paying its bills

In September, OPB published an investigation into Sortis Holdings. The private equity firm bailed out popular but struggling Oregon businesses like Sizzle Pie and Rudy’s Barbershop during the COVID-19 pandemic. But its “endless supply of money” started running out, and the firm now faces several evictions and lawsuits.

Students in OPB’s Class of 2025 start senior year

Oregon made an ambitious goal several years ago to achieve a 100% high school graduation rate by 2025. In 2012, OPB began following a group of 27 first graders on their educational journey.

Those students started their final year of high school in September. The same month, OPB also premiered a documentary all about the students' junior year.

WNBA announces expansion team in Portland

The WNBA announced on Sept. 12 that a professional women’s basketball franchise is coming to Portland. The yet-unnamed team will begin play in 2026.

Biden administration approves plan to cut more old trees in Oregon

The Bureau of Land Management sold off 561 acres’ worth of trees as part of the Blue and Gold logging project in the southern Oregon Coast Range in September. The Biden administration promised years ago that it would protect the nation’s old forests, but it has regularly approved plans to cut them down.

OPB and ProPublica in November published an investigation into logging policies under President Biden.

Feds cancel Oregon offshore wind auction

The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in September canceled a planned offshore wind auction after companies bidding to erect floating wind turbines off the coast of Southern Oregon backed out.

Offshore wind at one point looked to be a sure part of Oregon’s clean energy future. OPB looked into how those plans fell apart.

Klamath River dams come falling down

After years of planning, four hydroelectric dams on the lower Klamath River finally came out, opening up hundreds of miles of salmon habitat in Southern Oregon and Northern California.

Work wrapped up on Oct. 2, making it officially the largest dam removal project in U.S. history.

Not long after, salmon began returning to spawning grounds that had been inaccessible for more than a century. OPB recorded video of four sites on the Klamath before and after completion of the $500 million project, showcasing the newly free-flowing river.

Another unrelated dam removal project near Pendleton moved forward this year too. Removing Peterson Dam on Birch Creek has been a priority for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation since 1984. The tribe says unblocking smaller waterways like Birch Creek can be huge wins for fish, even if they don’t grab the same attention.

Oregon defeats Ohio State, rises to top of college football poll

The Oregon Ducks narrowly defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in Eugene, 32-31 on Oct. 12. The Ducks routed Purdue the following week, propelling them to the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press college football rankings for the first time since 2012.

Oregon claimed the top seed in the expanded College Football Playoff. The Ducks will get a rematch with Ohio State in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Ballot box fires and erroneous registrations rattle voter confidence

Beyond the results, perhaps the biggest story of the Oregon election season was ballot security and integrity of the vote.

In September it was revealed that more than 1,200 people were mistakenly registered to vote due to an error at the state Driver and Motor Vehicles Division. Gov. Tina Kotek in October ordered a pause to automatic registration through Oregon’s pioneering Motor Voter law.

Elections officials in October temporarily shut down phone lines at the Oregon secretary of state’s office after they were flooded with conspiracy calls about Donald Trump’s decision not to appear in the voters pamphlet.

Someone also set ballot boxes on fire in Portland and Vancouver the week before Election Day. Hundreds of ballots were destroyed at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center in Vancouver. The fire at a ballot box outside the Multnomah County elections headquarters in Portland was quickly extinguished, and most of the ballots inside were spared.

Trump wins handily, but Democrats secure key Northwest seats

The 2024 general election in November was marked nationally by a significant rightward shift in the electorate that carried Trump back to the White House and gave Republicans majorities in both chambers of Congress.

Oregon also moved to the right in the presidential race, but the state’s eight electoral votes went to Kamala Harris.

Democrats Janelle Bynum and Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez also secured victories in hotly contested congressional races in Oregon and Southwest Washington, respectively. Incumbent Gluesenkamp-Perez held off challenger Joe Kent, while Bynum ousted incumbent U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

Chavez-DeRemer didn’t have to wait long to find another job in Washington, D.C., however. Trump nominated her to be his labor secretary.

Oregonians voted Democratic supermajorities into the state Legislature. Democrats also won races for Oregon attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer.

Voters largely rejected ballot measures promoting new statewide experiments in Oregon. Measure 118, which would have taxed big businesses and distributed the proceeds directly to Oregonians, failed spectacularly. A measure to implement ranked choice voting statewide, Measure 117, also flopped.

Ranked choice voting did have its time to shine, though, in Portland, where it was used for the first time in citywide elections. Portland voters selected Keith Wilson, a trucking company executive with no government experience, as their next mayor. Thus ended the Ted Wheeler era in Portland politics. The two-term mayor did not seek reelection in 2024.

Portland voters also picked 12 city councilors, three from each of four new geographic districts in the city’s new form of government, which kicks off in 2025. It’s the most diverse Portland City Council ever.

Bend voters also picked two new city councilors and sent a Democrat, Anthony Broadman, to the Oregon Senate for the first time in 17 years. Deschutes County also elected Kent Vander Kamp as its next sheriff, following a dramatic campaign.

In Washington, voters selected longtime attorney general Bob Ferguson as their new governor. They also upheld a landmark cap-and-invest climate law, which requires businesses covered by the program to bid on a limited number of pollution “allowances” the state reduces over time.

Judge rules Lake Oswego can’t restrict access to Oswego Lake

A circuit court judge in Oregon decided that the city of Lake Oswego’s rules limiting access to its eponymous lake are unreasonable. Access to Oswego Lake has for years been mostly restricted to people who own properties (many of them large, pricey homes) on the waterfront.

Sexual abuse scandal rocks St. Helens schools

Allegations of sexual abuse against educators roiled the St. Helens School District in northwest Oregon late in the fall.

Police arrested a math instructor and choir director at the high school in mid-November on sexual abuse charges. Indictments allege the educators inappropriately touched multiple students over the course of several years.

The arrests led students to walk out of classes in protest. They accused district staff and administrators of brushing off allegations of abuse. The district put the superintendent on leave, and the high school principal was arrested and charged with official misconduct and criminal mistreatment.

This came months after the St. Helens School District agreed to pay $3.5 million to a former student and her family, settling a sexual abuse lawsuit they brought against the district in 2019.

The arrests and ongoing investigations in St. Helens shed light on the broader issue of sexual abuse by educators in Northwest schools.

AI slop is already invading Oregon’s local journalism

In December, OPB published an investigation into the takeover of the Ashland Daily Tidings, a Southern Oregon newspaper in print for more than 140 years before closing in 2023.

Not long after the paper shuttered, a new website for the Daily Tidings emerged, publishing bylined stories at a steady clip. A deeper look at the site revealed that the stories were put there by scammers using artificial intelligence — and in some cases stolen identities — to trick local readers.

The Daily Tidings coup is a warning of how local news is at risk of disappearing in Oregon’s rural communities.

Also this year, Mississippi-based Carpenter Media went on a Northwest newspaper buying spree, absorbing papers like the Portland Tribune and Bend Bulletin. The company has laid off an undetermined number of reporters and editors in the Portland suburbs, Central Oregon, Eastern Oregon, Southern Oregon, and Everett, Washington, since taking over.