The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! The sun decided it likes us enough to stick around til Wednesday afternoon. Today’s high is 75 degrees. Go outside and touch some grass.

But before you do, let’s get you caught up on current events. 

In LOCAL NEWS:

• Lots of Portlanders celebrated 4/20 over the weekend, but we also observed Earth Day. This gorgeous photo essay from Justin Yau reminds us why we love Portland (Earth Day got its own parade!) and why we need effective climate policies, like, yesterday. Check it out.

  Portlanders celebrated Earth Day 2024 with an upcycled costume parade. Check out these great photos of the beautiful event by @PDocumentarians https://t.co/5t7FjyDWVS

  — Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) April 23, 2024

  Continue reading »

On Saturday, a parade of Portlanders marched from Sunnyside Environmental School through quiet inner Eastside residential blocks, celebrating Earth Day with the pageantry of handmade costumes and musical accompaniment from Portland’s own Unpresidented Brass Band.

Led by a decommissioned fire engine, the procession of approximately 200 people—most dressed as animals and plants—drew neighbors and diners out to watch the passing spectacle.

Are you looking for a hilarious, live comedy show where YOU can walk away with a fabulous PRIZE (or two)?

Well, you're in luck, because Mercury Geniuses of Comedy, Arlo Weierhauser and Kate Murphy, are your hosts for the most diabolical, hilarious, and EVIL live game show in town: TWO EVILS! Join Arlo and Kate as they ask a series of truly evil questions, and it’s up to our special guest contestant and the audience (who will vote on their phones) to decide between TWO VERY EVIL ANSWERS. Are there prizes? You bet your butt! Is there comedy? Oh, absolutely! 

Plus, this time around we'll be welcoming special guest comedian ZAK TOSCANI (world famous for his hilarious "Stolen shrimp fried rice" Twitter thread)! So get those tickets now and here, or you can enter to WIN TWO FREE TICKETS to see "Two Evils" by emailing us here, supplying your name, and putting "Two Evils Contest" in the subject line. Winners will be notified by 5 pm tomorrow (Tuesday)!

Don’t miss the most delightful and morally corrupt comedy game show of the century… TWO EVILS with Arlo & Kate!

WHEN: This Wednesday, April 24, doors 7 PM / 7:30 pm show

WHERE: The Siren Theater, 3913 NE Mississippi

TICKETS: $15 advance, $20 door

Presented by your pals at the Portland Mercury!

We've got a special delivery: all of the best events Portland has to offer this week in one handy roundup. Find details on everything from José González to Combo Chimbita with Pachyman, and from TEDxPortland to Legally Blonde The Musical, here.

MONDAY

LIVE MUSIC

Cheekface
Cheekface has been around since 2017, but it was four years later that they really captured the voice of our generation with the song "We Need a Bigger Dumpster." KEXP wouldn't stop playing it, and for good reason—its guitar-driven rhythms and tongue-in-cheek lyrics like "I caught a cold / I coughed on all my friends / Now everyone is coughing on everybody else / And we're coughing on our doctors and our doctors cough out / 'EVERYTHING IS FINE.'" Equal parts catchy indie rock and social commentary, lead singer Greg Katz's talk-singing puts the message front-and-center as we bob our heads and smile wryly to the beat in spite of (because of?) existential dread. Hazy bedroom pop artist Yungatita will open this show. SHANNON LUBETICH
(Mississippi Studios, Boise)

Welcome back to the Trash Report! I am mother Trash Panda, Elinor Jones, coming to you live from this metaphorical dumpster we know literally as "the news." Wow, what a week! I've got a lot to say. If you're reading this at work, don't forget to occasionally wiggle your mouse so your little icon appears active. (I'd love for you to quit your job, but I don't want you to get fired.)

Now, onto the trash!

Democracy with This Fuckin' Guy

The criminal trial of former President Donald Trump got going last week in New York City with jury selection. Mere feet from where he sat on a shabby government chair where countless criminals had previously sat and probably farted, the prospective jurors were grilled on whether they could be impartial in this case, and as he silently watched, they got to say what they thought of him. There are no cameras allowed in the courtroom and it's a damn shame, because it must have ruled SO much. The trial is a humiliating obligation for a horrible person who deserves it, and what's extra funny about it is that since Trump has to be at court, he can't be traveling the country campaigning. He can only campaign after court in New York, where he's wildly unpopular, and only in the evenings, after having spent the day listening to New Yorkers tell him they hate him.

why didn’t voldemort just run harry potter over with a car

— Beth McColl (@imbethmccoll) April 20, 2024

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! Get ready for a gorgeous start to your week with mostly sunny skies and highs in the low 70s for both Monday and Tuesday. But don't worry—cloudy and rainy weather will return by the weekend for you ghouls. (As an occasional ghoul myself, I begrudgingly support this.) And now for some only partly ghoulish NEWS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• In case you missed it, last week two Portland commissioners released dueling homelessness plans to replace the current "time, place, and manner" ordinance that was about to be laughed out of court for criminalizing houseless folk without providing necessary shelter. And surprise, Commish Rene Gonzalez released the absolute WORST new version, which not only was originally planned to slap poverty-stricken people with a $500 fine and/or six months in jail (he later walked that back after howls of fury from people with an actual moral compass), but wanted to give full control over the ordinance to the current and future mayor (which he would very much like to be). How is Commissioner Carmen Rubio's plan different? Check out the full and detailed report from our Courtney Vaughn who has the latest.

• Oh and speaking of broken moral compasses, Commissioner Dan Ryan (with an assist from his pal Gonzalez) recently tried to blame the rise in homeless traffic fatalities on the victims themselves, by accusing the deceased (with very little evidence) of being hooked on fentanyl. Ryan also had harsh words for PBOT staff who he accused of using an “undertone of car-shaming” (!) when they were describing people who've been killed by drivers. (And this guy is running for city council again? Ohhhhhh, we're not going to allow that, are we?) Our Taylor Griggs has the full infuriating details. 

Think you're smart? 🤓 Let's find out with the latest, super fun POP QUIZ PDX! This week's trivia game includes sassy-ass Qs about Nike scandals, more Nike scandals, and... holy crap. That's a LOT of Nike scandals! 👟See how well YOU score! https://t.co/jvMrft1qpw

— Wm. Steven Humphrey (@WmSteveHumphrey) April 19, 2024

GOOD MORNING, SUNDAY! It's the perfect time to catch up on some of the great reporting and stories the Mercury churned out this week! (PRO TIP: If you despise being "the last to know," then be one of the first to know by signing up for Mercury newsletters! All the latest stories shipped directly to your email's in-box... and then... YOUR HEAD.)

• Portland Will Pay Nearly $1.6 Million for Independent Monitor to Oversee City's Compliance With DOJ Settlement

An independent monitor will now oversee an ongoing settlement agreement between the US DOJ and the city regarding police practices. The oversight team includes the current LAPD inspector general and a former Portland youth violence prevention team lead.

• POP QUIZ PDX!

Hey smarty butt! It's time to test your trivia knowledge with the newest POP QUIZ PDX! This week: Nike scandals, more Nike scandals, and... wait. Seriously? EVEN *MORE* NIKE SCANDALS?? (How are they finding time to make shoes?) See how well YOU score! 🤓

• Despite Record-High Traffic Crash Deaths, PBOT Leaders Say Vision Zero Is Working

In 2023, 69 people died in traffic crashes in Portland—the most in decades. But Portland transportation leaders say their commitment to ending traffic violence remains strong. Transportation safety advocates aren't necessarily inclined to believe them.⁠

Updated: 12:02 pm April 22.

This story has been updated to include new information about another proposed policy amendment and to correct the name of the case before the Supreme Court this week.

Two weeks after Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office unveiled a heavily revised ordinance to address restrictions on homeless camping in Portland, other commissioners are floating their own versions. Despite the various plans on the table, homelessness experts say none of the proposed ordinances get to the root of the problem, or offer solutions to fix it.

Earlier this week, City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez released a draft version of an ordinance that was vastly different from the one put forward by Wheeler. Gonzalez sought stiffer restrictions and higher penalties for violators–many of the same elements that landed the previous homeless camping ordinance in court. 

NEW OPENINGS 

3 Howls Remedy House
This new plant-based restaurant and craft cocktail bar in Vancouver hosted its grand opening last weekend, serving up libations made with spirits from 3 Howls Distillery as well as a coffee menu.
Vancouver

On October 21, 2023, James Brian Fenimore was walking on the sidewalk on SE 82nd Avenue near Burnside Street, heading to run an errand, when a drunk driver veered off the street and struck him with a minivan. Fenimore died as a result of the crash. 

According to Montavilla News, Fenimore, 66, was an artist who previously lived in the low-income housing complex Milepost 5 in Montavilla. The complex housed an artist collective that Fenimore joined, making friends in the creative community. Fenimore ended up losing his housing due to some logistical problems, but he stayed in touch with his friends from Milepost 5. 

In a September open letter to the Milepost 5 community, Fenimore wrote that although he lost his apartment, he “still had something [he] never had in 65 years.” 

“I felt love and compassion and hope in a violent, angry world,” Fenimore wrote. 

Zero-proof drink entrepreneur Andy McMillan has a story he tells where, in 2021, he approached several Portland breweries about teaming up on a non-alcoholic craft beer. He got “laughed out of the room,” he says, by brewers who didn’t see NA beer as real beer.

A few years later, that seems like shortsightedness on behalf of the brewers, whom McMillan politely demurred to name in an interview with the Mercury. Year after year since the pandemic, the NA drink industry has steadily grown—with a noticeable boom in 2021—fueled by a surge in sobriety, moderation, and health-consciousness. 

A few Oregon powerhouses, like Deschutes and Crux, offer one or two NA versions of their beloved brews, but the most prominent craft NA brewery is Athletic, from Connecticut (Connecticut!). Seeing as the Pacific Northwest is home to about a quarter of US hop production, this region's NA beer innovation could be doing so much more.

That's precisely what McMillan, the brain behind recent NA cocktail bar popup Suckerpunch, and former Hopworks brewer Justin Miller are primed to do with Heck, a completely non-alcoholic Portland craft brewery.

Celebrate Portland's favorite holiday, 4/20, by blazing up and heading to one or more of the ultra-chill events we've rounded up here, from Making Earth Cool: Earth Day Celebration to Record Store Day 2024 and from an Oregon Spring Cleanup to The Portland Mercury's Pizza Week 2024!

FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC

Roman Norfleet & Be Present Art Group
I’ll admit it; jazz can feel very intimidating! There are so many subgenres to learn, names to remember, and history that feels gatekept by Boomers with hi-fi equipment. However, nothing compares to hearing a skilled jazz ensemble play live. It's truly transcendental. If you haven't had the pleasure, Portland-based cosmic jazz troupe Roman Norfleet and Be Present Art Group is a wonderful place to start. The trio employs ethereal vocals and free-flowing percussion to boost their instruments (saxophone, drums, and organ) to an otherworldly plane. The group will support their Mississippi Records-released, self-titled album alongside the Seattle-based psychedelic neo-soul/jazz groupDay Soul Exquisite. AUDREY VANN
(Show Bar, Buckman, $12)

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

Good morning, Portland! Wring every drop of enjoyment you possibly can out of this glorious-looking weekend (and Pizza Week). I AM TEAM RAIN, and she returns Thursday. The streets will run with water! The skies will glow pearlescent with cloud. Look upon her and despair; if you don't like rain why the hell do you live here?

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Firefighters from Hoodland, Clackamas, Gresham, and Estacada fire districts responded to a blaze glowing up the attic at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood on Thursday evening. According to a press release from Clackamas Fire, lodge employees discovered the fire and called it in around 9:30 pm. Clackamas declared the situation under control a little after 11 pm, and a 2:05 am alert said the crews had extinguished what appeared to be a roof / attic fire—continuing: "Investigators from the ATF and US Forest Service are on scene working to determine a cause. The lodge and the ski area will both be closed tomorrow, April 19th, while the damage is assessed."

The fire at Timberline Lodge was declared under control at 11:12 p.m. The fire was kept to the roof & part of the attic, & didn’t spread any further. Crews are clearing the scene. The U.S. Forest Service will be conducting the investigation with the help of federal resources. pic.twitter.com/IRoTpyB0WV

— Clackamas Fire (@clackamasfire) April 19, 2024

• In 2020, Central City Concern closed its sobering program called CHIERS (which was an acronym, but I don't have time to get into it, and it didn't really describe the thing anyway), saying that the people coming to its sobering facility were suffering from maladies too complex for the services it could offer. Now, after several years without, Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards is leading an initiative to open a better resourced sobering center—though we don't yet know where, or if the state will pony up the 25 million the county wants it to contribute. 

• In March, Multnomah County’s community health center leader Darnell “DJ” Rhodes resigned, despite working in the role for less than a year. The Oregonian reports that he had only recently been reinstated a couple months before, in January, after being put on paid leave since October for reasons that are not clear. What is clear is that just two weeks before he resigned he appears to have sent a selfie from his office to a county employee "of himself touching his finger to his mouth with the message, 'You look finger lickin good.'"

Rap’s auto-tune auteur Future is coming to Portland with Metro Boomin to support their second collaborative album, We Still Don't Trust You. Art rock experimentalist St. Vincent has unveiled dates for her All Born Screaming tour with alt-rock favorites Spoon. Plus, corny dad joker Kevin Hart will attempt maturity on his Acting My Age tour. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, plus some news you can use.

Tickets go on sale at 10 am unless otherwise noted.

ON SALE FRIDAY, APRIL 19

MUSIC

Alejandro Escovedo
Wonder Ballroom (Fri July 26)

Ana Bàrbara: Reina Grupera Tour 2024
Newmark Theatre (Sat Aug 10)

The Aristocrats: The Duck Tour 2024
Aladdin Theater (Fri Aug 23)
On sale at noon