SALEM, Ore.- Portland resident Jeff Reardon was really looking forward to a peaceful retirement after his last year of teaching at David Douglas High School. But instead, the Vietnam veteran has decided to take on Rep. Mike Schaufler, D-Happy Valley, in the House District 48 Democratic primary.

Schaufler has served in the Oregon House of Representatives since 2003. Prior to that, he was on the Happy Valley City Council from 1997 to 2000.

SALEM, Ore.- Republican voters in Oregon Senate District 29 have two candidates to choose from in the May 15 primary election: Umatilla County Commissioner Bill Hansell and business owner Maryl Featherstone.

SD 29 has been represented by Sen. David Nelson, R-Pendleton, who has decided to retire from the legislature.

SALEM, Ore.- Three Democrats are vying for their party’s nomination for Oregon House District 36, which includes Southwest Portland and part of its downtown area.

The seat is currently held by Rep. Mary Nolan, D-Portland, who is running for a seat on the Portland City Council.

SALEM, Ore.- Governor John Kitzhaber announced Monday morning that Margi Hoffman would be joining his staff as the governor’s energy policy advisor.

Hoffman currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Oregon Operations for Strategies 360, an advocacy and public affairs firm in Portland.

SALEM, Ore.- Thuy Tran’s parents came to the United States as refugees with little more than the clothes on their backs. Now, one generation later, Tran is a successful optometrist, small business owner and Democratic candidate for Oregon House District 47.

Most of HD 47 is east of I-205, with a portion stretching up to the Washington border. The seat is currently held by Rep. Jefferson Smith, D-Portland, who is running for Portland mayor.

SALEM, Ore.- In the seven years since he started serving in the Oregon legislature, State Senator Doug Whitsett, R-Klamath Falls, certainly has seen his share of the good, the bad and the ugly. But despite all that, Whitsett said he’s feeling better about the work that lawmakers have been doing over the past couple of sessions.

“I’ve felt that in the last few years, we’ve been a lot more relevant in addressing problems,” Whitsett said. “For that reason, I want to be here to continue that effort.”

PORTLAND, Ore.- Oregon K-12 students have until April 1 to apply for transfers to public schools that opted into the state’s new open enrollment law.

School boards and districts had until March 1, 2012 to decide whether or not they would accept new students from outside their district based on the recent open enrollment policy put into place by the legislature.

SALEM, Ore.- Klamath Falls resident Tracey Liskey said he has been friends with Gail Whitsett and her husband, Sen. Doug Whitsett, R-Klamath Falls, for over 30 years. But that isn’t stopping Liskey from seeking the same House District 56 seat that Gail Whitsett is hoping to fill.

HD 56 includes the southern parts of Lake and Klamath counties, down to the California border.

SALEM, Ore.- The Republican candidates for House District 22 are very familiar with each other. They should be, as they faced off in a primary election two years ago.

Kathy LeCompte beat Tom Chereck, Jr. in that race and then went on to run against incumbent Rep. Betty Komp, D-Woodburn, for the November general election.

SALEM, Ore.- The last time State Representative Bob Jenson, R-Pendleton, faced a challenge for Oregon House District 58, it proved very expensive.

According to the Secretary of State’s office, Jenson showed expenditures of over $126,000 for the 2010 entire election cycle.