Calendar & News

Events Calendar

Aug-Sept 2026

HRC Dems Monthly Meeting
Thurs., Aug. 13, 6:30-7:30 pm
Hood River Library (502 State St.)

  • Meet in the downstairs meeting room. Arrive early for social time (6-6:30pm).

  • Bring your favorite snack to share.

  • Hybrid access: Sign up here to get the zoom link.

Exhibition: The Yasui Family: An American Story
Running through Sun., Sept. 6, 5:00 pm
Oregon Historical Society (1200 Park Ave., Portland)

Flip the Vote Info Night
Thurs., Sept. 17, 7:00 pm
Crush Cider Cafe (1020 Wasco, Hood River)

NOTES:

Deadline to file for local office for the November 3 election is August 25 or August 18 for incumbents.
Deadline to request endorsement by HRCD is August 18.

News

  • In a rule finalized in the federal register on Christmas Eve 2025, the Trump administration changed the way rural postmarks are counted for VOTING and tax-paying. Oregon’s primary election is May 19. Because of these changes, election officials will urge voters to mail their ballots back at least a week prior or use drop boxes instead of relying on timely mail delivery. The shift to regional processing centers and ending evening mail collection means envelopes won’t receive postmarks until they’re processed at the Portland center — so someone mailing a ballot, filing a tax return by mail or who otherwise counts on a postmark as proof a letter was sent by a deadline will have to send their mail earlier or ask for a manual postmark at a post office.

  • Oregon Legislators Enact Protections for Immigrants - Oregon lawmakers advanced several bills this session aimed at strengthening protections for immigrants and limiting federal immigration enforcement in sensitive spaces such as schools and hospitals. The legislation responds in part to the Trump administration’s rollback of prior federal protections.

  • Americans of Conscience Checklist

  • Chop Wood, Carry Water: a political activism newsletter by Jess Craven that comes out 5 days a week. Subscribe to receive a short, encouraging email in your inbox each weekday (except Wed.) telling you how you can make a difference by taking 5-7 minutes worth of EASY actions. The almost weekly Sunday "Extra! Extra!" editions contain a long list of hopeful news, Democratic accomplishments, and all the “blue wins”. August 9  “Extra! Extra!” edition:

    • Democrats flipped 4 seats and won a majority in Tennessee’s Montgomery County Commission race. The 21-member Commission has gone from being evenly split to having an 11-member Democratic majority.

    • New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport launched a civil rights investigation into Delaney Hall, issuing investigative subpoenas to the Newark facility run by the GEO Group.

    • Associate Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the felony vandalism case against Olympian David Hearn.

    • A U.S. District Court Judge ruled the Shenandoah County School Board violated federal civil rights laws by reinstating Confederate names to two schools, ordering the board to promptly remove the monikers.

    • The CLARITY Act will not be voted on before the recess! We know Republicans never give up so we still have to do calls again later, but the awful crypto bill’s odds of passing just plummeted. A big WIN!!

    • A federal judge issued yet another blow to Trump’s war on wind, ruling that the Defense Department must resume its review of onshore wind permit applications.​

    • Joanna Whaley, a former megachurch pastor who endured 15 years of conversion practices, is set to become the first transgender member of Michigan’s state legislature after winning her Democratic primary election on Tuesday.

    • A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million and make changes to the way young people can use its platforms, in its ongoing legal battles over social media harm and addiction. The ruling was in addition to $375 million that Meta was ordered to pay in the same case in March, when a jury found that the company misled users about the safety of its platforms and enabled the sexual exploitation of young people.

    • The DOJ took its latest blow in a failing voter roll crusade as a federal judge dismissed its case targeting Washington, D.C. This marks a 0-21 record for them.

    • A federal appeals court panel ruled that Trump cannot continue building the ballroom without explicit approval from Congress. The ruling does not immediately halt construction, but it is a blow to the president and all but guarantees that the Supreme Court will decide the fate of the ballroom.

    • Two Republican mayors from the reddest parts of Georgia are breaking ranks to back Jon Ossoff’s reelection bid, telling The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the Democrat’s work for their communities outweighs partisan differences.

    • Maryland lawmakers approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would clear a major legal obstacle to redrawing the state’s congressional map before 2028, giving voters the final say on whether Maryland can fight back against Trump’s expanding wave of GOP gerrymanders.

    • Embattled North Carolina Republican congressman Chuck Edwards withdrew from his reelection campaign, two days after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured for unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female aides in his office.

    • And much more!