It’s been a theme throughout this remarkable World Cup of 2026: football rewards bravery. Play with ambition, send players forward, try to score goals, and more often than not, you are rewarded. When England took the lead over Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon, they appeared set for their first World Cup final since 1966. […]
Abe Asher
Abe Asher covers city news, politics, and soccer for the Portland Mercury. His reporting has appeared in The Nation, VICE News, Sahan Journal, and other outlets.
Posted inNews
What Could Be Lost After Trump Rescinds Rule Protecting Public Lands
Lithium mining, mass logging mark new US public land management policy in Oregon after a key conservation rule was repealed.
Just over two years ago, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) adopted a policy designed to ensure that, after decades of uneven attention to conservation, the Bureau would center conservation and ecological concerns in its management of public lands. The Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, also known as the Public Lands Rule, explicitly stated that […]
Posted inSports
World Cup Diary: Week 4
Who’s up, who’s down, and who’s going to win this thing?
The early days of a World Cup are often its happiest: teams and fans assemble and arrive in the host countries fresh-faced and full of hope, and play a group stage that includes second and third chances, opportunities to refine and redeem imperfect earlier performances. It is, for a while, a great big party. And […]
Posted inSports
World Cup Diary: Week 3
Who’s up, who’s down, and (according to the U.S. team) who needs 11 players?
Paraguay, in footballing terms, is a small, often overlooked country. Landlocked, bordered by much more famous neighbors, the Paraguayans had, prior to this week, only ever won a single knockout round game at the World Cup—against Japan, a team that has never won a knockout game in its history. The ethos of the Paraguayan national […]
Posted inSports
World Cup Diary: Week Two
Who’s up, who’s down, and who’s falling in love all over again.
Two decades ago, when their nation hosted the World Cup, Germans enjoyed what they still call the sommermärchen: the summer fairytale, when the country fell back in love with its national soccer team as it embarked on a stirring run to the World Cup semifinal. The sommermärchen felt relevant last Friday in Seattle, when, on […]
Posted inSports
World Cup Diary: Week One
Who’s up, who’s down, and what does the Pope think about all this?
The day before the World Cup kicked off in Mexico City, Pope Leo took to social media to weigh in on the tournament and the nature of life itself. “The World Cup begins tomorrow, and many will watch the matches,” he wrote. “Soccer reminds us of something we must not forget: life is not a […]
Posted inMusic
Big Steelhead, Small Market
Live Nation’s new Portland venue is slated for a 2027 opening.
After years of heated debate and political wrangling, the new Live Nation-owned venue in the Central Eastside—the multinational entertainment giant’s first in Portland—is taking shape. Last month, Live Nation released renderings of the 3,500-seat venue expected to open next year. It also released a name: the venue will be called Steelhead, a nod to the […]
Posted inSports
The 2026 World Cup: Where to Watch, How it Works, and Ranking the Teams
(Almost) everything you could possibly want to know about the biggest sporting event of the summer.
The biggest sporting event in the history of the world kicks off in Mexico City on Thursday afternoon (June 11), and before long, it will arrive in the Pacific Northwest. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 23rd edition of the men’s tournament, will feature the largest field and most games in the competition’s illustrious history: […]
Posted inQueer
Hawks Reimagined
The long-running bathhouse is broadening its scope to welcome all members of the queer community.
Anne first began visiting Hawks PDX, one of the only queer bathhouses in Portland, for years, dating back to when it was located on SE Grand Avenue. Back then, they said, they were an outlier at the club. “When I was going there before, it was predominantly gay men—and once in a while you would […]
Posted inNews
Could Oregon Get Swept Up In Redistricting Wars?
As national Democrats scramble to make up for GOP’s gerrymandering gains, some have their sights set on Oregon.
As an all-out war over redistricting upends voting rights law and a battle over congressional maps plays out across the country, Democrats are looking for opportunities to cancel out Republican gains—and they have their sights set on Oregon. Oregon, like all states, redraws its state legislative and congressional maps regularly following the release of each […]
Posted inTimbers
Portland Timbers Coach Is Out; Club Searching for Replacement
Phil Neville leaves the Timbers after an underwhelming two-and-a-half years.
For weeks, it had been a matter of not if, but when—and on Memorial Day morning, Phil Neville’s time as head coach of the Portland Timbers finally came to an end. Officially, Neville and the Timbers mutually agreed to part ways. But with the team sitting in 13th place in the Western Conference, on track […]
Posted inNews
New Federal Logging Plan Could Decimate Oregon’s Old Growth Forests
Under Trump, the Bureau of Land Management wants to restore timber harvests to pre-1990 levels. Federal agencies say it could reduce wildfire risk and boost the economy. Environmental groups warn it could make conditions worse.
In February, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) filed a notice of intent to revise its resource management plan for the nearly 2.5 million acres of forest land it manages in Oregon—aiming to quadruple its annual timber harvest. If the revised plan goes into effect, it could represent a step back in time to an […]