It is hard to believe...

Oregon has more than it's proportionate share of "dirty" political stories.  The first workday of 2011 brings us some good ones:

A former legislative candidate/mixed martial arts fighter/real estate agent, Chael Sonnen, pleads guilty to money laundering.

Longtime Oregonian Columnist Steve Duin  notes that "while reading yet another story in which Ted Kulongoski, transitioning from eight years of semi-retirement into a brief flurry of self-promotion, blubbered about his legacy as governor." Steve Duin: Ted Kulongoski campaigns for Ted Kulongoski to the bitter end


New Governor John Kitzhaber's girl friend continues to be a news and blog person of interest as current Governor Ted Kulongoski calls for further investigation into the Oregon Department of Energy contracts for "Green" projects and possible direction to the contract award winners to subcontract with Kitzhaber girlfriend Clyvia Hayes.  Cylviagate


Willamette Week, always first with a scandal, takes Attorney General John Kroger to task for failing to find criminal violations by the Department of Energy. Read the Letter: Oregon Energy Department/Cylvia Hayes Investigation Gets Messy


Let's not forget the Attorney General's Office as he tries to carve out a public persona by releasing 2.7 Press Releases per week for 2010.
Final tally for Kroger 2010 press releases: 142