Year: 2013

Construction jobs in Oregon are on the rise. The state ranks 17th in the nation for construction job growth, up from 43rd in 2012. Oregon added 2,700 construction jobs last year.

Walmart’s effect on Cornelius has been overall positive since its debut in 2010, an analysis of taxes, jobs and traffic finds. Cornelius’ acceptance of Walmart is much different than other metro-area cities that are protesting incoming Walmart locations, such as Sherwood.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is giving Oregon $2.9 million of a nationwide $150 million in grants to hire advisors to help patients enroll with health insurance marketplaces. Nearly 3,000 people will be hired nationwide.

A provision that could make industrial hemp farming legal made it into the U.S. House-passed farm bill. Rep. Earl Blumenauer is happy that colleges and universities would be able to grow hemp for research purposes.

Oregon must get better at tracking the unemployment benefits it pays out, the U.S. Department of Labor says. Last year, Oregon managed to get back only $20 million of the $44 million it overpaid in unemployment benefits.

Portland General Electric expects to spend up to $12 million to replace power lost from unplanned shutdowns of its coal-fired plants. It is still unknown how long the repairs will take.

The only homeless shelter in the Eugene-Springfield area, the Eugene Mission, is retooling to deal with an “overwhelming number of homeless people in town,” Executive Director Jack Tripp says. The shelter is cutting down on the number of people it lets in and toughening its drug and alcohol rules.