We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the quality reporting you’ve come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to the Mercury. Over 1,000 Portlanders—many of them self-identified moms and dads—protested in downtown Portland last night. suzette smith Good morning, […]
Blair Stenvick
Blair Stenvick is a former news reporter and culture writer for the Portland Mercury.
Posted inOpinion
Why Can’t I Stop Watching This Portland Police “Support from Community” Video?
PPB UPDATE, July 21, 11:03 am: Less than 24 hours after the publication of this article, PPB removed the video… because of copyright infringement: PPB’s twitter The video is now, sadly, lost to history. But the analysis remains. ORIGINAL STORY: During this time of COVID-19 social distancing, it’s easier than ever to become fixated on […]
Posted inNews
Lawsuit Claims Contractor Faked Thermometer Readings to Keep Sick Employees Working During COVID-19
CasarsaGuru / Getty images When Katrina Bryant took a job at a construction site in Eastern Oregon in April, she expected her main duty to be making the job site safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bryant was hired by Gray’s Construction, through a temp agency, to monitor employees as they entered the construction site for […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News: Cops Close Protest Parks, Metro Votes on $5 Billion Transportation Funding, and Oh Great, Now the Mail Doesn’t Even Work!
We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the quality reporting you’ve come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to the Mercury. The city is closing the parks around the Multnomah County Justice Center, a popular spot for protesting police […]
Posted inNews
Metro to Vote on $5 Billion Transportation Funding Measure For November Ballot
metro Metro Council will vote on whether to refer a $5 billion transportation funding measure to the November ballot on Thursday. The measure is the result of more than a year of planning from Metro Council members and staffers, elected officials from every jurisdiction in the tri-county Metro area, and countless transportation policy wonks, business […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News: Federal Officers Occupy Portland, A Win for The Timbers, and You Really Should Wear a Mask!
We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the quality reporting you’ve come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to the Mercury. This person gets it! MAJA HITIJ / STAFF / GETTY IMAGES Good morning, Portland! A sports update for […]
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New Appeals Court Ruling Sets Precedent for Nonbinary Oregonians’ Legal Designations
The Oregon Appeals Court affirmed that Jones David Hollister, center, should be allowed to change their legal gender designation to nonbinary on Wednesday. Doug Brown / ACLU OF OREGON A new ruling from the Oregon Appeals Court ensures that nonbinary people across Oregon will be able to secure the correct legal gender designation from their […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News: An Update On Titi Gulley’s Case, Supreme Court Restricts Birth Control Access, and Some COVID-19 Updates
We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the quality reporting you’ve come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to the Mercury. Tat’âna Maramygina / EyeEm / Getty images Good morning, Portland! Here, I brought some breakfast purritos: Who wants […]
Posted inNews
One Year After Titi Gulley’s Death, Her Family Is Left With the Same Questions
Titi Gulley, left, with her mother, Kenya Robinson. Photo courtesy of Kenya Robinson. Editor’s note: This article references suicide and alleged anti-trans violence, and may be unsettling for some readers. When Minneapolis police officers killed George Floyd in May, video footage of the murder set off a global wave of protests against police brutality and […]
Posted inNews
Mike Schmidt Will Start Work As Multnomah County DA on August 1
Mike Schmidt campaign photo Mike Schmidt, Multnomah County’s district attorney-elect, will take over the role beginning August 1. In May, Multnomah County voters elected Mike Schmidt to serve as the county’s next district attorney. Schmidt was expected to start in January, when current District Attorney Rod Underhill’s term expired. But last month, Underhill resigned early […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News: More Tear Gas, Fewer Voting Rights, and Remembering Summer Taylor
We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the quality reporting you’ve come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to the Mercury. Law enforcement used tear gas at the July 4 protests in downtown Portland. Alex Zielinski Good morning, Portland! […]
Posted inNews
Two Tuition-Free Preschool Campaigns Are Eyeing the November Ballot. Here’s Where They Differ.
Courtesy of Universal Preschool Now For Portland State University economist Mary King, working on a campaign for tuition-free preschool for all Multnomah County children was an easy choice. King was an early architect of Universal Preschool Now, a campaign to pass a county ballot measure that would fund universal preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds […]