Blair Stenvick

Truong Phuong Tram / Getty images A bill moving through the Oregon Legislature would give one trash incineration company a financial reward that’s intended for clean energy producers. Environmental advocates are calling foul on the bill, and fighting to kill it before it goes to a vote. Senate Bill 451 would allow companies that produce […]

COSMONAUT / GETTY IMAGES Last week, employees at two Burgerville locations—one in Montavilla and one near the Oregon Convention Center—voted to join the Burgerville Workers Union (BVWU). These votes came after continuous anti-union messaging and strategy from Burgerville, as the Mercury reported last week. Employees at Montavilla voted in favor of unionizing 15-9, while the […]

GETTY IMAGES A bill in the Oregon Legislature has the potential to significantly regulate the kratom industry—and it appears to have the support of kratom advocates. Kratom, a drug that comes from a tree native to Southeast Asia, can be consumed as a capsule, extract, or tea. It is thought to mimic the effects of […]

ALLISON KEREK Oregon is the only state in the country to allow non-unanimous jury convictions in criminal trials—meaning you can be convicted of a crime even if the entire jury isn’t in agreement about it. Two bills that would change that are currently moving through the Oregon Legislature—and the issue could soon be up to […]

Commissioner Chloe Eudaly PBOT Portland Commissioner Chloe Eudaly has added her voice to the chorus of influential Portland organizations critical of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) plan to widen Interstate 5 in the Rose Quarter. She is also joining those organizations in calling for a more rigorous study into the project’s potential environmental impact. […]

TYLER GROSS Employees at two Portland Burgerville locations—one by the Convention Center, the other in Montavilla—will vote this week on whether they will join the burgeoning Burgerville Workers Union (BVWU). As the elections draw closer, workers are facing significant anti-union rhetoric and tactics from the company. Burgerville has sharing what BVWU organizers say is misleading […]

MICHELA BUTTIGNOL John clearly remembers the night, more than a decade ago, when a friend overdosed in his car. The two men were driving across Portland, on their way to buy heroin to use and sell. John’s friend was out of his own supply, so John lent him some heroin to tide him over until […]

KATHLEEN MARIE A plan to widen Interstate 5 has local transportation advocates, school board members, city committees and others concerned about its potential environmental impact. And as the public comment period for the plan draws to a close, they’re pushing for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to conduct a more thorough study on the […]