Latest news with #DwayneYunker
New York Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Drag queen performance celebrating Democratic resolution on Oregon House floor draws backlash: ‘Political theater'
A surprise drag performance sashayed into the Oregon House of Representatives Wednesday morning — with state lawmakers decrying the charade as pure 'political theater.' The bizarre act erupted on the chamber floor to celebrate Black Drag Queens, according to Rep. Dwayne Yunker, who blasted the stunt on social media. Drag queens performing at an Oregon House Oregon State Legislature 'I'm not sure the Founding Fathers envisioned taxpayer-funded legislative chambers being turned into platforms for political theater,' the Republican posted on X, with a video of the elaborate performance in which the drag queens appeared to lip-sync to Aretha Franklin's 'A Deeper Love.' 'The House floor is meant for serious debate, lawmaking, and serving all Oregonians not partisan spectacles designed to push cultural agendas. If this feels more like a performance than governance, you're not alone.' Drag queens performing at an Oregon House Oregon State Legislature The drag queens were on hand 'in honor of a Democratic House resolution recognizing Black drag queens in Oregon,' Yunker tweeted Tuesday. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Huge blow for Oregon as woke state's second biggest company moves HQ to ARIZONA, with GOP blaming Dems
An iconic coffee chain founded in Oregon has officially decided to move its headquarters from the woke state to Arizona. Dutch Bros Coffee confirmed this week that it will shift operations from its original base in Grants Pass to a growing office near Phoenix - another blow to the liberal state. The $11.8billion drive-thru business, which is Oregon's second most valuable company after the activewear brand Nike, announced it will relocate its corporate headquarters in the near future. The major move represent yet another high-profile business fleeing the area, where sky-high taxes, crime and regulations have driven companies to seek refuge in Republican states. The move comes just 18 months after the coffee giant tapped Arizona native Christine Barone as CEO as it revealed plans to use millions to relocate much of its workforce to Phoenix. OregonLive said Dutch Bros executives living near the current HQ in Grants Pass had struggled to find adequate childcare in the small city. But Republicans say the Democrats including Governor Tina Kotek should have fought far harder to keep the chain in the Beaver State, as its revenue continues to rocket. Some also suggested liberal policies passed in state capital Salem were anti-business and helped drive Dutch Bros to the Republican stronghold of Arizona 'Dutch Bros has been more than just a coffee company; it's been a valued employer, a community partner, and a symbol of local innovation and grit,' said Rep. Dwayne Yunker, R-Josephine County, in a written statement, as reported by Oregon Live. 'Their departure should alarm every policymaker in Salem,' Yunker said. has reached out to Kotek for comment but has not yet received a response. The coffee company claims the move is aimed to help 'bring more people together' in order to 'better serve customers' across the country. 'Over the past several months, we have seen the functional and cultural advantages of having more of our field support roles working together in one place,' the company wrote in a statement. 'To support the next phase of Dutch Bros' growth, we're relocating additional roles to our new Phoenix office and making strategic changes to the structure of several teams.' 'Bringing more people together will allow us to better serve our customers and crews across the country,' the company said. 'With these changes, the Phoenix office will become our official HQ.' Despite the move, Dutch Bros said it would maintain a presence in Southern Oregon and continue investing in the region through its charitable foundation. 'Additionally, through the Dutch Bros Foundation, we'll continue our long-standing commitment to uplifting and supporting the Southern Oregon community,' the company said. The coffee chain started as a humble cart in tiny Grants Pass back in 1992. Brothers Travis and late Dane Boersma built their operation into a nationwide company with over 1,000 locations. Annual sales have exploded from just $240million five years ago to a staggering $1.3billion last year, with predictions of another whopping 22 percent surge in 2025. The decision comes amid an ongoing trend of major companies leaving West Coast states, due to various factors such as crime, policies and taxes. Last month, a long-standing outdoor store decided to close all of its Oregon locations, marking another business casualty in Portland as crime remains at 'historic heights'. Republican lawmakers were quick to slam Democrat Governor Tina Kotek's administration for creating a business environment that drove away the hometown success story. She is pictured speaking with members of the media before casting her ballot on November 2, 2022 Next Adventure, a beloved outdoor gear store founded by childhood friends Deek Heykamp and Bryan Knudsen in 1997, grew into a 'beloved Portland institution' throughout its three decades in operation, making nearly $24 million in annual sales at its peak, Portland Business Journal reported. The business eventually expanded to four locations across Oregon - its flagship store in Portland's Central Eastside, another in Sandy, and two paddle centers in Portland and Columbia County. However, all four locations are set to close later this year, the owners announced. 'We're entering a very uncertain time, there are challenges and we're in our 60s,' Heykamp said at the time. 'So when you're in uncertain times, and you make decisions as a leader, it's my and Bryan's responsibility to look at our business and make good decisions on how we can build stability and build the best possible outcome for everybody,' he added. 'And after a lot of work, we came up that this is the right direction to go.' Portland and Oregon became symbolic of the decline of Democrat-run progressive cities in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The once stunning city on the Willamette River became a byword for homelessness, open-air drug use, far-left wing riots and lawmakers happy to turn a blind eye to urban decay. Businesses fled downtown Portland in droves amid plummeting quality of life, with the city enduring record murder rates in 2022. The city finally appears to have been shamed into taking action in recent months, with voters dumping progressive prosecutor Mike Schmidt and clearing homeless encampments from its downtown.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oregon representative counters bill against book bans by reading explicit excerpt
PORTLAND, Ore. () — In opposition to a bill that would limit book bans in Oregon schools, a state representative read an explicit excerpt of a novel found in a library for students. The passage of would immediately prohibit schools from banning certain material from libraries due to their subject matter or on the basis of the author's identities that are protected under Oregon's anti-discrimination laws — like race, gender identity and sexual orientation. It would also push for schools to enforce requirements for the removal of said books. Some Oregon DMV offices experience staffing shortages ahead of Real ID deadline The Senate Committee on Education voted to pass the bill on Monday morning. Just a few hours later at the House chamber, Oregon Rep. Dwayne Yunker countered the measure by reciting a sexual passage from 'The Haters' by Jesse Andrews — a book that a mother attempted to get pulled from the North Valley High School library. 'She guided me on my back and pulled on the bottom of my briefs,' Yunker read, in part, from page 265 of the novel. 'I pushed them over my knees and feet, and was really naked and not hard at all. She straddled me and pulled her top off. Her breasts flopped out, and I saw them.' Coos Bay man faces federal charges for making, distributing child pornography The Grants-Pass-based representative's presentation was interrupted when Rep. Kevin Mannix objected to it due to its 'lascivious and obscene' nature, before Rep. David Gomberg called the House at ease. Following a brief break, Gomberg reminded legislators of the rules against indecent or profane language on the House floor. Mannix then interrupted Yunker once again when he proceeded to read the explicit passage from the book. When Yunker began his presentation for a third time, he instead noted recent sexual abuse cases in Oregon schools — including the accused of child sex abuse and within the St. Helens School District. Man dies after late-night SE Portland shooting Continuing to offer sexually explicit materials in school libraries 'normalizes such behaviors,' according to the representative. 'There's increasingly focus on the authorship of books, rather than evaluating whether the content is appropriate for young readers, and alarmingly, [it] is now easier for children to access rated-R materials from school libraries than obtain the super content from a local movie theater,' Yunker said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
