Oregon Senate honor of KOIN 6 News' Mike Donahue gets closer

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Mike Donahue, the longtime KOIN 6 News anchor who died last year at 77, will likely be honored by the Oregon legislature during this short session at the State Capitol.

The Mike Donahue Memorial Resolution -- officially Senate Concurrent Resolution 210 -- will have its 3rd and final reading Tuesday morning.

The resolution honors the life and memory of Donahue because he "represented true excellence in journalism."

Last week, State Sen. Lew Frederick said, "This was a state that he was truly in love with. and he wanted people to understand the issues and the people in Oregon. And he brought that forward in a very, very authentic approach to dealing with news."

Rick Metsger, a one-time state senator and former sports anchor, said "Mike was insistent that he'd rather be right than be first. And if we had a big story and it revolved around information that wasn't confirmed, Mike would not put it on the newscast until it was confirmed and that's really what separated him a lot."

Donahue, an Albany native, worked for 44 years at KOIN 6 News until his retirement in 2012.

KOIN 6 News will have more information later in the day.