Portland, Oregon might lose federal funds for tree canopies
WNC Rep. Chuck Edwards to hold town hall in Asheville on March 13; Jackson, Miss. mail issues prompt USPS involvement, Maine loses its sea grant program
Good morning. It's Friday, March 7 and in this morning's edition we're covering Portland, Oregon possibly losing federal funding for trees, Western North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards to hold a town hall in Asheville, Mail problems in Jackson, Miss. prompts USPS involvement, Maine's sea grant program was the only one of nearly three dozen that were cut, New Jersey could be headed for a battle with the current president over trans student athletes and much more
Media outlets and others featured in this edition: Inside Climate News, Asheville Watchdog, Mississippi Free Press, Maine Morning Star, NOTUS, The Texas Tribune, Border Belt Independent, Capitol News Illinois.
To continue reading the rest of each article, please click the link at the end of the excerpt.
A new resource from the State Democracy Research Initiative makes the current text of all 50 state constitutions available and searchable on one site. This was from State Court Report.
If you're a North Carolina resident and voted in the N.C. Supreme Court race that is still not certified, please check the list of over 60,000 votes that Jefferson Griffin is trying to discard after narrowly losing to Allison Riggs.
Stephen Whitlow from Triangle Blog Blog has more information. Readers can also visit the Orange County, N.C. group's website The Griffin List to search names and more.
Portland’s Urban Tree Plans May Face a Withering in Federal Funds
Federal money to boost and protect the tree canopies of Portland, Oregon, could disappear as the Trump administration freezes Inflation Reduction Act funds.
By Anna McNulty
For decades, Portland, Oregon has been a pivotal place to study the relationship between trees and related health benefits; now, with the Trump administration funding cuts in play, it may be a window into how broken federal promises will weaken critical urban tree canopies.
President Donald Trump’s executive order “Unleashing American Energy,” signed on his first day in office, ordered federal agencies to immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated by the Inflation Reduction Act, the flagship climate law passed by Congress and signed by former President Joe Biden.
Oregon was poised to benefit from $58.2 million to be distributed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to plant trees, particularly in low-income areas lacking shade and vegetation. The funds, to be distributed from 2023 to 2028, were part of a $1.5 billion cache allotted through the IRA to develop urban canopies in underserved communities across the United States.
The money for Oregon, allocated through a competitive process, was set to be distributed this way: $22.85 million to the Oregon Department of Forestry, $19 million to Portland-based organizations, $12 million to a Eugene-based organization, $2 million to the city of Pendleton, $1 million to the city of Hermiston, $1 million to the city of Salem and $345,000 to the city of Hillsboro.
While some grantees declined to comment, Inside Climate News confirmed in interviews that at least $40 million has not yet been paid—68 percent of the promised funds.
When asked to comment on the IRA funding freeze, a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson replied in an email: “The Trump administration rightfully asked for a comprehensive review of all contracts, work and personnel across all federal agencies. The Forest Service is following direction provided by USDA with regards to the President’s Executive Orders to ensure full compliance.”
A Pause in Grant Reimbursements
Joy Krawczyk, public affairs director for the Oregon Department of Forestry, said in an email the department has been informed that IRA reimbursements are paused and under review.
According to Krawczyk, Oregon’s forestry department had yet to receive any funds from the $22.85 million grant. She said the department so far has incurred $216,085 in costs since the start of 2024 associated with the grant. The department had not yet submitted a reimbursement request, she said in an email, because it had planned to bundle reimbursement requests in a single package to save time.
Leadership at several organizations provided details about the federal money that has not materialized and what it could mean for their operations. One nonprofit that asked for anonymity said the organization had received $1.5 million of a $12 million grant to plant trees in low-income areas across Oregon. The organization submitted an additional invoice in early January of $850,000 for work performed from July to December 2024. The invoice was processed, according to senior personnel, but the bill has not been paid due to Trump’s freeze of IRA funds.
“We have no idea if we will be paid for work dutifully done under the terms of the agreement,” said the employee with access to financial data at the nonprofit and who declined to be identified in fear of angering federal officials. “We’ve had a 40-year relationship with the federal government. It’s how we do our business. The government—up until January 21—was a good business partner.”
Because of the funding freeze, the employee said the department will have to cut programming and staff.
Congressman Chuck Edwards to hold town hall at A-B Tech on March 13
Announcement comes as Republicans face hostile crowds at events
by JOHN BOYLE March 3, 2025
Despite other Republican members of Congress recently holding town hall gatherings that devolved into raucous shouting matches, U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., has scheduled an event in Asheville for March 13.
“I’ve had many constituents ask me lately if I could hold another live town hall. The answer is most emphatically, yes,” Edwards said in a news release Monday. “Being accessible, listening, and answering questions for the people of WNC are among my favorite activities, even if we might not always agree.”
Edwards will hold the in-person town hall from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Ferguson Auditorium at A-B Tech.
Edwards, who breezed to re-election last November in the staunchly conservative 11th Congressional district, held eight in-person town halls in his first term and had another planned but had to cancel it due to Tropical Storm Helene.
Western Carolina University political scientist Chris Cooper said town hall events are important interactions between elected officials and their constituents. Cooper also said it’s noteworthy that Edwards, who lives in Hendersonville, will hold an event in Asheville, one of the few liberal areas in the district.
“He’s going right into the belly of the beast,” Cooper said. “It’s meaningful. It signals that he is not trying to avoid a situation that might run counter to his partisan interests.”
In June 2023 Edwards hosted an anti-crime summit at A-B Tech after a series of reports in the Asheville Watchdog and other media regarding increased concerns about public safety among downtown business owners, residents, and visitors.
Last week, Edwards issued a statement about town halls but would not confirm any pending events. Edwards said then he hoped to maintain a pace of about one town hall per quarter this term, depending on his legislative calendar.
“Additionally, I continue to hold regular tele-town halls, which allow many more folks to participate directly by simply dialing in,” Edwards said.
In recent weeks, several Republican Congressional members have encountered hostile crowds at their town hall meetings in the wake of the Trump administration’s widespread firings of federal workers and shuttering of programs.
Cooper noted that House Speaker Mike Johnson, also a Republican, suggested last week that Democrats were packing the town halls to make them look contentious.
“It appears that there was some guidance from Speaker Johnson’s office that legislators — Republican members of Congress — should not hold town halls, because some of them have resulted in bad press for the members,” Cooper said. “So yeah, I am pleased that Edwards would host a town hall.”
Jackson Mail Delays Prompt USPS Response; Thompson ‘Actively Engaged in Addressing This Issue’
by Shaunicy Muhammad March 4, 2025
USPS leaders are working to solve delayed mail and package delivery issues in Mississippi’s capital city weeks after Jackson residents first began noticing disruptions.
“Senior Postal Service Leadership, including the Regional Processing Vice President and the new Senior Division Processing Director for MS, AL, LA, and OK have been onsite in Jackson recently working with local management to address the delays and bring plant operations current,” USPS Communications Specialist James Stotts said in a statement to the Mississippi Free Press on Monday.
U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat whose district includes most of Jackson, said in a media statement on Feb. 26 that his office had been “made aware of the persistent mail delays at the Jackson Processing Facility, which have caused significant inconvenience to residents and businesses in the region.”
“I understand the frustrations these delays have caused, and I want to assure my constituents that I am actively engaged in addressing this issue,” he continued.
WLBT first reported on the delays in February. “I have a brother who lives out of state. I have family members who constantly send mail here,” Jackson resident Faye Taylor told WLBT on Feb. 10. “I haven’t even seen that. I haven’t seen some bills that I normally get (mailed) right about now.”
Thompson’s Feb. 26 statement said that senior leadership at USPS informed him that officials had traveled to the capital city to assist local management in resolving any issues that may have resulted in the delays.
In his statement to the Mississippi Free Press on Monday, Stotts said that USPS officials were also “using increased overtime and focusing local operations on mail and packages destined for ZIP Codes serviced by the Jackson plant.”
“We look forward to reports of a strong service recovery in the near term,” Stotts continued.
Regardless of the response from USPS officials, Thompson said he remains “concerned about the continued disruption in mail service.”
“Timely mail delivery is critical for families, businesses, and those who rely on essential correspondence, including Social Security checks, prescription medications, and time-sensitive documents,” Thompson continued. “My office will continue to monitor this situation closely to ensure postal officials take the necessary steps to bring the Jackson Mail Processing Facility up to acceptable standards.”
