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Good morning, Northwest.

Economic and political leaders meet today for the annual Oregon Leadership Summit. They have their work cut out for them.

More Oregonians are out of work and some fear going to work, or school, with increasing federal immigration enforcement activity. And the cost of food, utilities and housing keeps climbing.

OPB’s Kyra Buckley provides a look at what the state’s business and political leaders are facing.

Also in the news, OPB’s Lauren Dake reports on a new, potentially costly state plan that would buy or build homes to house foster children, rather than placing them in hotels.

And in sports, the final College Football Playoff rankings came out and the No. 5 Oregon Ducks learned they will host No. 12 James Madison University on Saturday, Dec. 20 in Eugene in the first round.

—John Hill

Oregon’s economy isn’t working for most people. State leaders meet today to chart a new path

The annual Oregon Leadership Summit takes place today in Portland, and it comes as slow population and economic growth have put pressure on state leaders to attract more business opportunities to Oregon.

Last week, Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek made attracting and retaining businesses a key pillar of her reelection campaign, and she will speak midday at the summit about her economic agenda.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, another Democrat, said he expects rural education and health care, along with housing and affordability, to be the main topics of discussion.

“There’s no question that we’ve got work to do,” Wyden said. ”We’ve got work to do in terms of mental health, we’ve got work to do in terms of downtown Portland. But what we consistently do – you stay at it and you get results.” (Kyra Buckley)

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3 things to know this morning

• Oregon has spent more than $57 million housing foster children in hotels since 2018 — the year it agreed to stop — as it continues to struggle with placements, failed efforts to send kids out-of-state again, and mounting lawsuits. (Lauren Dake)
• Oregon is at No. 5, and at the top of the College Football Playoff rankings is the only team to beat the 11-1 Ducks this season: the Indiana Hoosiers. (Eddie Pells and OPB staff)
• F.H. Steinbart Company, the oldest homebrew supply store in the country, which was founded in Portland in 1918, will close this December. (Chrissy Booker)

The Evergreen: ‘I don’t want to find out if they’re going to put me in a detention center’

In this week’s episode of “The Evergreen,” OPB reporter Alejandro Figueroa chronicles the journey of Luis Lamas, a Mexican immigrant who once called Woodburn home. (Mia Estrada, Alejandro Figueroa and Jenn Chávez)

Listen in English

Escuchar en español

Headlines from around the Northwest

• Portland’s DA balked at charging federal agents under Oregon law. Then AG Rayfield stepped in (Shaanth Nanguneri)
• Eugene and Springfield both announce end of Flock camera usage (Chris Lehman)
• Ashland opens new winter homeless shelter with 32 beds (Jane Vaughan)
• Bale out: How a huge Northwest hay exporter got into trouble (Anna King)
• Clatsop County honors longtime dance teacher with ‘Jeanne Maddox Peterson Day’ (Francisca Benitez and Sheraz Sadiq)
• New vending machine to give donations makes a stop in the Tri-Cities (Courtney Flatt)

Portland students flex their tech skills to create tree ornaments for Festival of Lights

Students in Brandon Rymer’s eighth-grade technology class at St. Therese Catholic School in Northeast Portland were hard at work on a Thursday afternoon late last month.

They’d already designed a unique Christmas tree ornament, then laser-cut the wood they would use. The students were now brushing stain over the delicate design, gluing the individual pieces together, fastening velvet ribbons to the tops, then individually signing their names on the back of each decoration they completed.

They’re all destined for display, and sale, at one of the Portland area’s best-known holiday events — the Festival of Lights at The Grotto.

If you’re one of the thousands of visitors to The Grotto this holiday season, you may come across these small works of art, adorned with the silhouettes of the three wise men.

This is the first year the school is partnering with The Grotto. The tech class produced an initial batch of 50 specialty ornaments to sell at the festival for $16 a piece. (Natalie Pate)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/08/first-look-oregon-economy-annual-leadership-summit/