An initiative that would have made marijuana offenses the lowest law enforcement priority in Portland failed to make the ballot this week, after a Multnomah County analysis of the initiative’s signatures showed that the petition’s backers, Citizens for a Safer Portland, didn’t submit 26,691 valid signatures. The initiative—largely funded by the Washington, DC-based Marijuana Policy […]
Amy Jenniges
Posted inNews
2020 Vision
A Mercury Manifesto on the Future of Portland
Mayor Tom Potter isn’t known for big ideas or bold plans for Portland. In fact, the mayor is far more likely to convene a committee than propose innovative legislation. So it was no surprise last year when he announced a “community visioning” process—a massive project to gauge Portlanders’ wants for the city’s future. Potter’s goal? […]
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Identity Crisis
Convicted Forger Gathering Signatures
Would you give your name, address, and signature to a convicted forger and identity thief? In the past few months, hundreds—if not thousands—of Oregonians have, in the name of democracy. Gregory Moser, AKA Ronald Phillip, who circulated petitions for a number of initiatives hoping to make the November ballot, carries numerous convictions, including theft, carrying […]
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Height Attack
Neighborhood Association Decries New Condo
Around the city, neighborhood associations often jump at the chance to decry a proposed building’s height, in the name of protecting views, sunlight, or neighbors’ privacy. The Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA), however, is not one of those organizations: While the group might speak up about a building’s design, downtown transportation issues, or historical preservation, it’s […]
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Traffic Jammin’
Local Radio Host Riles up Bike Community
“This is the most mind-boggling thing I’ve ever dealt with in 13 years on radio,” says PK, host of the nationally syndicated Playhouse morning show on Jammin 95.5 FM. He’s talking about the controversy sparked by his Thursday, July 13 show: According to a Friday morning post on the website BikePortland.org, a biker heard PK […]
Posted inMovies & TV
It’s Electric
The Zero-Emission Car that Could
Have you ever cried over a car, one that wasn’t even your own? You might, if you see this movie. Director Chris Paine explores the life and tragic death of GM’s EV1, a zero-emission electric vehicle that hit the streets in the late ’90s to meet California’s tough new emissions standards—only to have nearly every […]
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History Rules
Landmarks Commission Approves Mississippi Lofts
Neighbors from around North Portland’s Mississippi Avenue crammed into the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission conference room again on Monday, July 10, to hear the board’s final decision on a controversial mixed-use condo project. The city’s Bureau of Development Services had previously approved the Mississippi Avenue Lofts project, but a neighbor—citing issues with the size of […]
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Run, Tell Daddy
Teen Abortion Debate Heats up in Oregon
Last Thursday, July 6—the day before initiative signatures were due to the secretary of state—Oregon’s “Committee to Protect Our Teen Daughters” submitted 115,845 signatures for a measure that would require doctors to notify parents 48 hours before their 15- to 17-year-old daughter can have an abortion. The measure will almost certainly make it onto the […]
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War Path
Property Owner Kicks up Stink over Public Trail
The Springwater Corridor picks up just a few blocks away from where the Eastbank Esplanade dead-ends at SE Division Place, near OMSI. But to get from one trail to the other right now, pedestrians and cyclists face a gauntlet of streets winding through this heavily industrial part of Southeast Portland. The haphazard “connection” is difficult […]
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Conversion Therapy
Tenants Fight an Uphill Battle Over Condo Conversion
Tenants of the Marquette Manor apartments at NW 16th and Burnside weren’t very happy when they received an official notice from their landlord in mid-April: The building—like many other old apartment buildings in Portland, especially in the downtown core—was going to be converted into condos. Within days, construction began on the vacant units and common […]