Oregon Tech has received a $500,000 gift from the Beavers Charitable Trust to support workforce development within the university’s new Construction Management program. The funding will provide scholarships and expand the program’s Heavy Construction Management option.

Southern Oregon University’s Small Business Development Center in Medford will close after 41 years of service, following a state decision to reject a joint proposal with Rogue Community College to maintain funding. The closure ends decades of support for local entrepreneurs and marks the last university-run SBDC in Oregon.

The Klamath County Planning Commission has approved permits for the 1,560-acre Diamond Solar Project, a massive renewable energy development expected to power 40,000 homes, generate millions in local tax revenue, and mark the first large-scale solar-plus-storage project in the Pacific Northwest.