Reports that seven Republican legislators, including the House leadership team, visited a topless bar during a vacation to southern California in January come at an awkward time for Oregon Republicans, who are trying to take control of the House in November.

Oregon's Democratic co-speaker is running for the state Senate, giving up the potential to remain in his powerful House leadership position after the 2012 election.

Senate President Peter Courtney and Co-Speakers Bruce Hanna and Arnie Roblan said the portrait was removed from the capitol out of respect for the former Oregon governor's sexual abuse victim, who recently passed away.

Two lawmakers from rural Oregon will lead the state House of Representatives in the 2011 session when the legislature begins work in earnest next week.

Two captains will guide the politics in Oregon’s House this session after last November’s election left the chamber evenly split. Both co-speakers say they don’t intend to let the ship bottom out on a partisan sandbar.

Republicans appeared early Wednesday to be on their way to increasing their power in Oregon's statehouse.

With voters scared about the economy and sour on incumbents, Oregon Democrats are at risk of losing their supermajority in the state Legislature. Republicans say the political climate favors their candidates and issues.

For the ninth time in about two years, state economists have delivered bad news to the Oregon's political leaders: Tax collections are going to be even less than we told you a couple of months ago.

Thanks to legislation presented by state Reps. Bruce Hanna and Tim Freeman, Oregonians can now choose more conveniently to opt out of ethanol fuel. Still, gasoline-ethanol blends will continue to dominate gas sales in Oregon until a better solution is found.