News about Kate Brown

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 24 states have the death penalty and 23 others do not have the death penalty, with Alabama set to become the first state to use nitrogen gas as a method during Kenneth Eugene Smith's planned execution later this evening.

The sister of a teen school gunman who shot their parents to death shortly before opening fire on their Oregon school has revealed the enduring bond she has shared with her brother since his infamous spree, calling him her 'best friend.' Kristin Kinkel, the sister of Thurston High School shooter Kip Kinkel, told The New Yorker in a rare interview that she has remained close to her brother despite his history. Since Kip, now 41, murdered their parents before shooting up his class, killing two Thurston students when he was 15 years old, the sibling's bond intensified.

The death penalty is usually reserved for murders in which a victim is killed, but each state will determine what specific circumstances make a murder eligible for a death sentence. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there are 27 states that have the death penalty as of June 2023, and 23 that do not.

Residents of Eastern Oregon's drive to secede from the state and join Idaho has taken a step further after a Republican state senator introduced a bill that would allow 11 counties to join their neighboring state. Senator Dennis Linthicum of Connecticut introduced Senate Joint Memorial 2 on January 10, also known as the 'Greater Idaho' bill. 'Eastern Oregon is culturally, politically, and economically much more similar to Idaho than it is to western Oregon,' said Matt McCaw, a Greater Idaho campaign spokesman.'

Residents of Wallowa County may have seen the choice presented to them in ballots this coming May as part of the Greater Idaho campaign, which is designed to move Republican-leaning counties in Oregon to the neighboring state. Eleven eastern Oregon counties have voted in favor of the measure so far, with four other counties, including Wallowa, participating in the plan to change state lines. The movement was fueled in the recent election to replace outgoing Oregon Governor Robert Corres. Kate Brown (bottom right) is a Democrat, with Republicans losing by a small margin. Regardless of how people vote, to actually change the state's boundaries, it would require legislators in Oregon, Idaho, and the United States Congress to sign off on it, something Idaho Gov. John Kerry said. Brad LIttle (top right) said it was unlikely that it would happen.

In 2022, there were 18 executions in the United States, the fewest in any pre-pandemic year since 1991, the fewest in any pre-pandemic year since 1991, despite declining support for the death penalty. According to an annual review of capital punishment, many of the executions carried out during the year were either 'botched' or highly problematic. In 2022, public support and use of the death penalty halted the decline by more than two decades. Last year, there were 11 executions, many due to the pandemic. According to the Washington, D.C.-based Death Penalty Information Center's study, the 20 death sentences delivered in 2022 were the fewest in any year in the United States in a half-century.

Millions of people in 36 states and three territories will elect a new governor on Tuesday in a vote dominated by abortion coverage, transgender rights, taxes, education, and future elections. Only five races look really competitive, three of which are in the modern swing states of Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin. Oregon's historically blue state could elect its first Republican governor in 40 years, while Kansas could keep its Democratic governor.

Off the coast of Florida, the Biden administration has revealed plans to create floating platforms in deep water that would enable floating wind turbines. There are just a handful of floating offshore platforms in the world - all in Europe. The platforms are tied to the sea floor and tetherled. The push comes as a result of an anticipated rise in electricity demand.