Oregon’s initiatives, ever more expensive endeavors themselves, take their toll on the state’s finances — and are poised to do it again this election.

What if you could get small-business owners to vote as one block? Impossible, you say: There are around 100,000 businesses with 50 or fewer employees in Oregon and getting them on the same page come political season would be like herding cats.

Ben, Ben! It’s like watching the paint dry, now that you’ve dropped out of the race for governor. Once the independent candidate and (yeah, it’s true) media darling Ben Westlund backed out, we were left with candidates with the personality of … we’ll just leave it there.

The vast majority of Oregon’s timber harvest is happening west of the Cascades, as Eastern Oregon harvests decline to a point that’s threatening remaining mills there.

The Wildhorse Resort and Casino, owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, continues to expand.

The third annual Bend Venture Conference is Oct. 20, at the Tower Theatre in downtown Bend.

Yarrow, a new mixed-use development in east Madras, received approval form the city’s planning commission for a tentative two-phase plan.

Skiers can buy a double-duty pass for the first time this winter.

With the help of a $750,000 loan and grant package from the Portland Development Commission, LaCrosse Footwear moved its headquarters from Gresham to a 145,000-square-foot building near the airport in Portland.