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Redmond’s Expion360 acquires oil & Gas rights in Louisiana, Idaho Parks and Rec secured $166k for trail improvements, Oregon revisits estate tax, Canada announces retaliatory tariffs, Dolly Parton dies at 80, NuScale jumps nearly 10% on AI news.

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PNW Market Look

As of market close 8.25.26

Oil drops more than 3% as U.S. shifts to economic pressure on Iran, easing fears of renewed war (CNBC)

LeBron James Borrowed $300 Million From Insurers Arranged by Guggenheim (BBG)

Headline Roundup

A Montana man killed 8 relatives, including 4 kids, at Sunday dinner, a family spokesperson says (Ground)
Records show ruptured tank at Longview paper mill was being worked on, scheduled for replacement before incident (OPB)
NuScale Power Shares Surge 9.8% After Nuclear AI Technology Slashes Search Time by As Much as 80% (Ts2)
(WA) Church property trades for over $3M (DJC)
Work underway on Western's new ‘front door' captured by BNBuilders interns (DJC)
Idaho Parks and Rec, U.S. Forest Service announce historic agreement (IBR)
Commerce Announces Revised Montana Automation Financing Program to Support Local Manufacturers (MTC)
It’s Not All Bad In Oregon (Medium)
Rogue Brewing returns to the Willamette Valley, prioritizing local engagement. (SBJ)
Micron opens Boise training center for growing workforce (IDP)
Investigation underway into why many Montanans hit with big power bill spike (HIR)
Water fight: Plan for thousands of homes east of Boise has seen years of delays. A neighbor wants its water rights canceled (BD)
Vancouver software maker lands $25M, big industry partnership (PBJ)
Estate tax reform in Oregon is back in the conversation (PBJ)
Canada Targets U.S. Metals, Foods, Motorcycles in Retaliatory Tariff Package (Ground)
Deloitte to Pay $21.5 Million to End DOJ Fraud Investigation Over DEI Policies (WSJ)
Planning underway for Missoula County data center rules amid moratorium (Missoulian)
Microsoft's plans for 8-acre Redmond site revealed in permits (PBJ)
Seattle ranks 3rd nationally for out-of-market home searches (PBJ)

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Community Highlight

Oregon Officials Project Confidence After SCOTUS Sides With Trump on Vote-By-Mail (WW)

“The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Donald Trump on Monday with a ruling that opens the door to restrict Oregon’s vote-by-mail system in the midterm election.

In a joint statement, several high-ranking state officials cautioned the 6–3 emergency court decision is not the final word.

“The bottom line is: Oregon’s elections are secure, accurate, and fair,” Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read writes. “They will proceed as planned this November, free from any illegal federal interference. We will stand up for Oregonians’ right to vote and run elections. We will continue to challenge this overreaching executive order in court with the Attorney General when the time is right.”

In March, Trump issued Executive Order 14399, which directs the U.S. Postal Service to collect lists of mail-in or absentee voters and issue ballots only to those preauthorized by the federal government. It was part of a larger effort to curtail mail-in voting, which Trump has falsely claimed cost him the 2020 election. He further claims without evidence that large numbers of noncitizens routinely swing elections in favor of Democrats.

In response, a coalition of state attorneys general, including Oregon’s Dan Rayfield, sued to block EO 14399. In separate rulings this summer, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani struck down aspects of the order. The administration appealed to the Supreme Court.

In Monday’s ruling, the high court’s conservative majority held that the states challenging the president’s order hadn’t proven they’d been harmed by voting rules that had yet to take effect. The court did not rule on the legality of the president’s order. It did, however, rule the president’s order doesn’t infringe on states’ constitutional duty to hold federal elections.

“This internal directive does not regulate the States’ voter registration processes,” the opinion states. “Nor does it impinge on the States’ authority ‘to create and enforce a legal code’ for elections.’”

The ruling allows the U.S. Postal Service to check mail ballots against lists of citizens maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“This ruling violates well-established precedents concerning this Court’s equitable discretion and needlessly injects chaos and uncertainty into the upcoming midterm elections,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson writes in dissent.

Some states are less than two weeks from sending out mail-in ballots for the midterm election, which are 70 days away. Oregon’s county elections offices will begin sending out ballots in October.

Gov. Tina Kotek called the president’s order an “assault on democracy.”

Rip’s Spotlight

Expion Energy Acquires Louisiana Oil and Gas Assets in Strategic Expansion (YF)

“Expion Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:XPON), formerly Expion360 Inc., has acquired oil and gas assets in Eastern Louisiana, marking its first entry into the sector as the company broadens its strategy beyond its established energy storage business.

The transaction includes approximately 3,000 net acres of existing leasehold, a wellbore and mineral title research covering roughly 13,000 net acres. Expion paid an adjusted $3.425 million in cash at closing and plans to fund an additional leasing programme ahead of drilling and testing targeted by February 15, 2027.

Expion Energy (NASDAQ:XPON) is entering oil and gas exploration for the first time, representing a significant change in the company's operating strategy.
The acquisition cost $3.425 million in cash on an adjusted basis and provides approximately 3,000 net acres of existing leasehold in Eastern Louisiana.
Expion has committed up to $4 million toward the leasing programme, including at least $2.5 million for leasing at prevailing market rates.
A new lateral wellbore is contemplated for drilling and testing no later than February 15, 2027, subject to customary exceptions, creating a defined operational milestone.
The oil and gas acquisition materially expands the scope of Expion's business. Alongside its lithium iron phosphate battery operations, the company will now pursue exploration and development opportunities beginning with its Eastern Louisiana prospect.”

How Jennifer Aniston’s LolaVie brand grew sales 40% with CTV ads

For its first CTV campaign, Jennifer Aniston’s DTC haircare brand LolaVie had a few non-negotiables. The campaign had to be simple. It had to demonstrate measurable impact. And it had to be full-funnel.

LolaVie used Roku Ads Manager to test and optimize creatives — reaching millions of potential customers at all stages of their purchase journeys. Roku Ads Manager helped the brand convey LolaVie’s playful voice while helping drive omnichannel sales across both ecommerce and retail touchpoints.

The campaign included an Action Ad overlay that let viewers shop directly from their TVs by clicking OK on their Roku remote. This guided them to the website to buy LolaVie products.

Discover how Roku Ads Manager helped LolaVie drive big sales and customer growth with self-serve TV ads.

The DTC beauty category is crowded. To break through, Jennifer Aniston’s brand LolaVie, worked with Roku Ads Manager to easily set up, test, and optimize CTV ad creatives. The campaign helped drive a big lift in sales and customer growth, helping LolaVie break through in the crowded beauty category.

Learn more.