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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

Progressives Fear Portland NAACP’s New Leadership Is Backing Away from Social Justice

A forced resignation and controversial management have cast doubt on the organization’s agenda.
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In late January, news came out of the Portland branch of the NAACP that raised eyebrows around the Portland political scene: the chapter’s newly-elected president, James Posey, was attempting to appoint Vadim Mozyrsky as chair of the branch’s Political Affairs committee.  Less than a year earlier, Mozyrsky, whose family came to the United States as […]

Posted inNews

Downtown Starbucks Workers Say Company Used Illegal Tactics to Thwart Unionization

Critics say corporation’s attempts to capitalize on labor agency’s backlog have had a chilling effect on union organizing.
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Wren Raggio had been working at the Starbucks at Pioneer Courthouse Square for nearly ten months when she stepped up to serve as an observer during the location’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) union election in early March.  It was a proud day for Raggio and her fellow workers, who voted overwhelmingly to unionize their […]

Posted inNews

Climate Change and the Housing Crisis are Burdening Portland’s Emergency Shelter System

Emergency officials say the only true solution is housing.
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During the many extreme weather events the Portland area has faced over the last several years, from heat domes to snowstorms, Multnomah County’s emergency weather shelters have been a lifeline for the area’s housing insecure population.  In late February, when the region was blanketed in snow, the county and the City of Portland opened and […]

Posted inparks

Luxury Business vs. Public Use: The Battle for Portland’s Historic O’Bryant Square

Can the public plaza find common ground between social services and business interests?
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Of all the places that epitomize aspects of the challenges downtown Portland has faced in recent years, one of the most emblematic is O’Bryant Square—a formerly award-winning public plaza located at the corner of SW Park Ave. and SW Harvey Milk St. that has been closed for the last five years due to structural issues. […]

Posted inGood Afternoon, News!

Good Afternoon, News: Site of First Tent Encampment Announced, TriMet Reveals Budget, and Norfolk Southern CEO Grilled in Washington

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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 afternoon, Portland! What’s that I see in the forecast for Saturday? A […]

Posted inGood Afternoon, News!

Good Afternoon, News: Portland Equity Office Director Resigns, Alleged Normandale Park Shooter to Plead Guilty, and Arrests at Cop City

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Good afternoon, Portland! If you don’t think it’d be much fun working for Commissioner Dan Ryan, guess what, you’re not alone! Here are the headlines.  IN LOCAL NEWS:  The director of the City of Portland’s equity and human rights office resigned last Thursday, abruptly ending her tenure at City Hall after less than two years. In […]

Posted inCoronavirus

Oregon to End Healthcare Mask Requirement April 3

The announcement comes as the US moves to end the COVID-19 emergency declaration.
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The Oregon Health Authority announced Friday morning that it will lift the state’s mask requirement for healthcare settings on April 3, ending one of the final remaining COVID-19-related public health measures still in place. According to OHA state epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger, the decision to end the mask requirement comes as the rate of circulation of […]

Posted inGood Afternoon, News!

Good Afternoon, News: Proud Boy Convicted, OLCV Leader Stepping Down, and Tennessee Limiting Drag Performances

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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 afternoon, Portland! Let’s hope Ted Wheeler doesn’t shut down this rundown! Here’s […]

Posted inGood Afternoon, News!

Good Afternoon, News: Emergency Weather Shelters Close, a Spring Arts Preview, and Rupert Murdoch Admits Fox News Peddled Lies

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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 afternoon, Portland! Here’s to a nice, new week with a lot less […]

Posted inTimbers

Timbers 2023 Season Preview: What You Can Expect On the Field… and Off

The Timbers kickoff their thirteenth season Monday night.
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With just one chilly weekend separating the Portland Timbers from the start of their thirteenth season in Major League Soccer on Monday night against Sporting Kansas City at Providence Park, the dust has hardly settled from one of the most tumultuous periods in the club’s history.  Last October, an investigation conducted by U.S. Soccer found […]

Posted inGood Afternoon, News!

Good Afternoon, News: Snow Sets Near-Record, City Council Anti-Transparency Shenangians, and Buttigieg Visits East Palestine (Ummm… Finally!)

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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 afternoon, Portland! My lord, there is a lot of snow out there! […]

Posted inCoronavirus

Oregon’s Possible Removal of COVID Precautions Prompts Mixed Reactions

Despite the continued spread of COVID, health officials say rolling back pandemic safety measures is necessary to preserve public trust in emergency situations.
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At a press conference in early February, Dean Sidelinger, state epidemiologist for the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), had an announcement: if the state’s respiratory illness trends continue to improve, it will likely lift its mask mandate for healthcare settings.   The lifting of the mandate for healthcare settings would be another milestone in the state’s […]

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