We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus has threatened our ability to keep producing the Mercury. If you’re able, please consider donating to the Mercury. The 2017 Columbia River Gorge fire. DIEGO DIAZ Good morning, Portland! Did you know you can now watch SPLIFF 2020 anytime for as little as 10 bucks? […]
Blair Stenvick
Blair Stenvick is a former news reporter and culture writer for the Portland Mercury.
Posted inPodcast
New Podcast Rabbit Hole Delves Into Online Radicalization
New York times There is no lack of podcasts about The Internet being made right now—shows that cover the culture, politics, dark underbelly, and idiosyncrasies of being online are outnumbered only by mediocre true crime pods. Yet Rabbit Hole, the new audio series from the New York Times that explores the internet’s potential to radicalize […]
Posted inNews
Colorado and Nevada Join COVID-19 Western States Pact
United States geological survey The governors of Colorado and Nevada announced Monday that their states will join Oregon, Washington, and California in determining when and how to reopen their economies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two weeks ago, Gov. Kate Brown announced that she would join Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and California Gov. Gavin Newsom on […]
Posted inNews
Planned Parenthood Q&A: “We’re Open For Business” During COVID-19
Planned Parenthood in Southeast Portland. google maps In the last two months, at least 10 states have banned or attempted to ban abortion access, citing the need to slow the spread of COVID-19 as a reason. That hasn’t happened in Oregon. While Gov. Kate Brown did restrict non-essential medical procedures (and plans to start lifting […]
Posted inNews
Ex-Employees of Multnomah County Transitional Home File $2 Million Racial Discrimination Lawsuit
A photo from inside the Diane Wade House. Multnomah county Update, May 6: In a statement send to the Mercury, Bridges to Change’s board of directors have denied all allegations in the lawsuit, calling them “mistruths that have the potential to impede in our mission to deliver critical services.” “At Bridges to Change, we are […]
Posted inNews
Gov. Brown To Allow Some Non-Essential Medical Procedures Starting May 1
OREGON PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION Oregon hospitals, surgical centers, and medical and dental offices will be allowed to start providing some non-essential medical procedures on May 1, Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday. Brown will lift her previous executive order, issued in March, that halted all elective and non-urgent procedures that require personal protective equipment (PPE) in […]
Posted inNews
Oregon Supreme Court Upholds Multnomah County Campaign Finance Limits
LUHUANFENG / GETTY IMAGES & MERCURY STAFF The Oregon Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Multnomah County campaign donation limits approved by voters in a 2016 ballot measure are permissible under Oregon law. That means candidates for office in Multnomah County will now be limited to contributions of $500 per individual donor for each race. […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: Portland Whole Foods Employee Dies From COVID-19, and Gov. Brown to Allow Some Non-Essential Surgeries
We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus has threatened our ability to keep producing the Mercury. If you’re able, please consider donating to the Mercury. MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES / GETTY IMAGES Good Morning, Portland! Gosh, you really look like you could use a laugh—here, this might help! Here are the headlines. • An employee […]
Posted inNews
Portlanders Feel “Domino Effect” of Non-COVID Medical Delays
Thomas Barwick / Getty images April 16 was the day Spencer was supposed to be getting a hysterectomy. It was a long-anticipated day for Spencer, a transgender Portlander, since he had been on a waiting list for the procedure—a necessary part of his medical gender transition process—for two years. As it became clear in March […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: Portland Elections During COVID-19, Some States Are Reopening, and Trump Threatens to Suspend Immigration
We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus has threatened our ability to keep producing the Mercury. If you’re able, please consider donating to the Mercury. MULTNOMAH COUNTY Good morning, Portland! We start today’s Good Morning, News with a message from our very own Multnomah County Republicans, whom I would be terrified of […]
Posted inNews
Oregon Ballots Will Be Mailed Soon—Here’s a Refresher on Our Voting Process
MICHELLE MRUK In the midst of… [gestures around at the general state of things as I write this blog from my living room], you’d be forgiven for forgetting that Oregon has a primary election coming up. But, thanks to our state’s long-established vote by mail system, an election we will have on May 19, COVID-19 […]
Posted inNews
Supreme Court Rules Oregon’s Split-Jury Convictions Are Unconstitutional
4KODIAK / GETTY IMAGES The United States Supreme Court ruled Monday that non-unanimous jury decisions for criminal convictions are unconstitutional. Before the Court’s ruling, the practice of using split juries to determine a criminal conviction was only allowed in one state: Oregon. In Oregon, jury verdicts where 10 jurors are in favor of conviction and […]