CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) _ An ocean of clean energy pours from the sky. We could forget about nonrenewable climate-altering sources, like gas, oil and coal, if we could fill the tank or power our homes with a sunbeam. But how do you bottle sunshine? Bacteria may hold the key ...

Minimum-wage workers in Oregon began 2009 with a bump of 45 cents an hour, but those still employed at the end of a year of widespread job losses aren't likely to see an increase for 2010.

First elected to the Oregon House in 1984 and elected to the Senate in 2000, she was the first female African American member of the Oregon Legislature and first female to hold the post of Senate President Pro Tempore.

Three African American candidates in King County will likely advance to the November elections, pending official certification expected in about two weeks.

Once Sen. Margaret Carter leaves the state Senate on Aug. 31, there will be only two Black elected officials in the state of Oregon – Jackie Winters in the state Senate and Harold Williams on the Portland Community College Board of Directors.

Just months after its re-launch, the Salvation Army has shuttered the Moore Street Computer Clubhouse after nine years of service to North Portland ...

The Better Business Bureau is warning small businesses to steer clear of mass-distributed "vanity awards." The U.S. Local Business Association or USLBA is now using the name U.S. Commerce Association or USCA to distribute these vanity awards in the state.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) _ With overall lottery revenue declining, Oregon Lottery officials are opening debate on whether to cut more deeply into the video gambling commissions paid to bars and taverns that host the machines. Last year, the lottery paid out about $187 million in such commissions, averaging about $71,000 for every bar and tavern with machines.

State Sen. Margaret Carter, the first African-American woman elected to the Oregon Legislature, is resigning at the end of the month to take a job with the Oregon Department of Human Services.

With new grants from Spirit Mountain, the Collins Foundation, the Legacy Foundation and the local Rotary, operations at the Children's Community Care clinic are no longer the pressing issue of the day. For now, at least, Hicks can focus on more important things – health care for children.