John McCain has chosen a running mate: Sarah Palin, a conservative Christian pro-life mother-of-five “hockey mom” who’s also the governor of Alaska. But that last part doesn’t matter, because I’m listening to her speak right now, and her political inexperience shows. She’s a terrible speaker, and Joe Biden will easily destroy her in the VP […]
Amy J. Ruiz
Posted inPortland
A Sneak Peek at Commissioner Randy Leonard’s Public Safety Report
I just snagged a draft of Commissioner Randy Leonard’s Public Safety Assessment, the report mayor-elect Sam Adams asked him to prepare. It’s not due on Adams’ desk until September 9, but Leonard and his staff “reluctantly” released it today, though they’re still waiting for the mayor and the chief to comment on it. (UPDATED at […]
Posted inNews
Fare Check
TriMet’s Fares—and Ridership—Are on the Rise. So Where’s the Better Service?
TriMet’s fares are about to go up. Are we getting what we pay for?
Posted inNews
Hall Monitor
Wag the Beard
Mayor Tom Potter sports a new look, while Commissioner Randy Leonard skips vacation to finish summer homework.
Posted inPolitics
Obama is Now the Official Nominee
I’m working at home this afternoon, which means I get to geek out and watch the Democratic National Convention. I couldn’t have turned it on at a better time. It was the roll call, the time for delegates to cast their votes for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. My colleagues at the Stranger live-blogged […]
Posted inBikes
Bus Drivers: No Bicycles in the Rose Quarter Transit Center
A petition from “over 250+ professionals with over 2,900 years of driving experience from across the board at TriMet” landed in my inbox today, to protest TriMet’s upcoming plan to add a bike lane through the Rose Quarter Transit Center. The way biking in the Rose Quarter works now, bikes crisscross the intersection at Oregon […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News!
Michelle Obama spoke to the Democratic Convention last night: “Barack doesn’t care where you’re from, or what your background is, or what party–if any–you belong to. That’s not how he sees the world. He knows that thread that connects us, our belief in America’s promise, our commitment to our children’s future, is strong enough to […]
Posted inPortland
Today in PDX
From Eric: Eric writes: Umm…. COCAINE? I just want to get this out there so someone might be able to put a stop to this. This is a totally creepy “tobacco” store at about 50th and Foster on the south side of the street. Look at the picture and tell me how disturbing this is. […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News!
Old news by now, but Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate. The LA Times creamed their pants over the choice in an op-ed today. Also, the Democratic convention kicked off today. (The Mercury‘s Andrew Tonry is there, as is videographer Travis Huntington. Reports coming up!) Oh dear: “Neighbors ignored a dying woman’s […]
Posted inPortland
Today in PDX
From “an anonymous bike commuter with a crappy camera phone,” near Vancouver and Fremont: Saw something in PDX today? Toss it in the pool.
Posted inBlogs
Letter of the Day
This landed, via fax, in my mailbox today. It’s a screed against newspaper boxes, directed at Mayor Tom Potter: (Click on it for a larger version.) I’d like to draw your attention to paragraph six: Furthermore, there is a public safety issue involved with allowing the unregulated placement of these newspaper boxes on our sidewalks: […]