Fabrizio Grassi / EyeEm / Getty images The winners of the 2021 Oregon Book Awards—an annual competition from Literary Arts honoring the best works from local authors—were announced yesterday. As someone who perennially identifies as “looking for a good book,” I can’t wait to delve into this list. If you feel the same, here’s an […]
Blair Stenvick
Blair Stenvick is a former news reporter and culture writer for the Portland Mercury.
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Wait, There’s An Election? Everything You Need to Know About the May 2021 Election in Multnomah County
MAIA BOAKYE / MERCURY STAFF The thing about democracy is that it is constantly in motion; not just every four years during a November presidential election, and not even just during the big midterms in other even-numbered years. That’s why Portland-area voters can expect to soon find yet another mail-in ballot in their mailbox—it might […]
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Good Afternoon, News: Oregon’s COVID Surge Continues, Live Music’s Coming Back, and Biden to Address Congress Tonight
SCOTT OLSON / GETTY NEWS Here’s your daily roundup of all the latest local and national news. (Like our coverage? Please consider making a recurring contribution to the Mercury to keep it comin’!) In local news: • A new study from Portland’s Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research looks into the effects of the mass […]
Posted inMusic
Head’s Up: Tickets For Machine Gun Kelly at Edgefield Go On Sale Friday Morning
Machine Gun Kelly performing in New York in 2017. Anna Webber / Getty images Buckle up, Portland: It’s looking like the first full-blown, major-venue, post-pandemic concert act in town is going to be Machine Gun Kelly, the artist behind that one song you always hear on the radio, and also that other song you used […]
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Good Afternoon, News: Portland Slides Back to “Extreme Risk,” New CDC Mask Guidance, and the Dangers of 82nd
Yulia Shaihudinova / Getty images Here’s your daily roundup of all the latest local and national news. (Like our coverage? Please consider making a recurring contribution to the Mercury to keep it comin’!) In local news: • It’s baaaaaack! Most of the Portland area is set to go back into COVID-19 “extreme risk” mode on […]
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Gov. Brown Moves Portland Back to COVID-19 “Extreme Risk” Category
ADA YOKOTA / GETTY IMAGES A quarter of Oregonians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and thousands more are getting their shots everyday. But as a new, more-contagious variant rips through the state, Oregon’s case count surge continues, prompting Gov. Kate Brown to move 15 counties into the “extreme risk” category once again, effective this […]
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Good Afternoon, News: Oregon Gets 6th Congressional Seat, DHS Investigates Itself, and US to Share COVID Vaccines
200mm / Getty images Here’s your daily roundup of all the latest local and national news. (Like our coverage? Please consider making a recurring contribution to the Mercury to keep it comin’!) In local news: • Following the 2020 Census, Oregon is getting a sixth Congressional district because its population has grown substantially since 2010. […]
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“Everyone has a story about him”: Police Shooting Victim Robert Delgado Remembered at Lents Park Vigil
A memorial for Robert Delgado in Lents Park. Jordan Brokaw Community members, family, and friends of Robert Delgado gathered in Southeast Portland’s Lents Park Friday evening to remember Delgado, who was shot and killed by a police officer in the park one week ago. “This is pretty overwhelming to see everybody show up and give […]
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Good Afternoon, News: COVID-19 Keeps Surging in Oregon, Wheeler Extends State of Emergency, and It’s Oscars Weekend
Governor Kate Brown GOVERNOR’S OFFICE Here’s your daily roundup of all the latest local and national news. (Like our coverage? Please consider making a recurring contribution to the Mercury to keep it comin’!) In local news: • Oregon is currently the state with the fastest-growing COVID-19 case count in the country. At a press conference […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Watch This Beautiful Short Film About the Future of Oregon Salmon for Earth Day
The Lostine River in Northeast Oregon. courtesy of Pacific Rivers The salmon population in Oregon has been on the decline for years, thanks in part to poor environmental stewardship. A new short documentary from Portland-based advocacy organization Pacific Rivers spotlights one effort to reverse that trend in Northeast Oregon. In its quick five-minute runtime, Lostine […]
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Good Morning, News: Oregon COVID-19 Spike, Biden’s Big Climate Pledge, and USPS Is Watching You
Always watching. SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES Good morning, Portland! Here’s your to-go cocktail recommendation of the week: margaritas and mojitos with a twist at Lebanese-Mediterranean spot Nicholas Restaurant. And here are the headlines. • Bad news: Oregon reported 989 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, the highest number we’ve seen in months. Eleven counties are on […]
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Good Afternoon, News: 200 Million Vaccines Given in US, More on Ma’Khia Bryant, and Time to Register to Vote
multnomah county Here’s your daily roundup of all the latest local and national news. (Like our coverage? Please consider making a recurring contribution to the Mercury to keep it comin’!) In local news: • A new report shows that the federal agents sent to Portland to defend the courthouse last summer lacked proper training or […]