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Courtney Vaughn

Courtney Vaughn is the news editor at the Portland Mercury. She appreciates your news tips and musings. Reach out at cvaughn@portlandmercury.com or find her on Bluesky @courtneyvaughn.
Posted inNews

Two Hundred New Overnight Shelter Beds Will Open This Winter

Mayor-elect Keith Wilson promised to end unsheltered homelessness. He’s already helped kick-start plans for hundreds of winter shelter beds before taking office.
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Portland’s next mayor hasn’t taken office yet, but he’s already working to open hundreds of winter shelter beds.  Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, and Mayor-elect Keith Wilson announced Thursday that the city and county are jointly opening at least 200 new winter emergency shelter beds “to provide urgent relief to […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Ohio Shortchanges Workers, Portland Needs a New Fire Chief, and America Needs a Reality Check After Christian School Shooting

Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good morning, Portland! You’ll need a raincoat today, but you may not […]

Posted inNews

Affordable Housing Advocates Warn Slashing Supportive Housing Tax Could Be Catastrophic

As the regional government considers a handful of changes to the Supportive Housing Services tax on high-income earners, social service providers are sounding the alarm.
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Dec. 17: This story has been updated to clarify the status of SHS spending by Multnomah County. Since its rollout in 2021, Metro’s Supportive Housing Services tax has raked in nearly $912 million to help prevent evictions and transition people from homelessness to housing. But as Metro Council faces pressure to help lower the tax […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: CEO Shooting Suspect in Jail, a Child’s $60K Ambulance Ride, and the Funniest Vandalism Ever

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Good morning, Portland! The weather forecast says we’re in for a partly sunny, but chilly day. Today’s temps will likely peak at 45 degrees and drop down to a bone-chilling 34 degrees.🥶 As Festivus approaches, we’ve reached that point of the year where roof lines and porches are aglow, and string lights dance across tree […]

Posted inNews

Dan Ryan Announces District 3 Council Candidate as Key Staff Pick

A veteran City Hall executive who recently ran for a Council seat will lead Ryan’s office. Mayor-elect Keith Wilson has also picked a top staffer.
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A former Portland Fire & Rescue executive who ran for a seat in Portland’s City Council District 3 has been tapped as Dan Ryan’s new chief of staff. Kezia Wanner, a veteran city staffer who previously worked in management roles with Portland’s fire and transportation bureaus, will lead Ryan’s team when he takes office under […]

Posted inNews

Can Portland’s New Independent Monitor Help Prevent Police Misconduct?

With nearly $3.3 million paid out to injured protesters, a follow-up assessment highlights Portland Police Bureau’s progress and shortcomings on new policies, crowd control tactics.
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Dustin Ferreira wasn’t looking for a fight. Ferreira recently accepted a $400,000 legal settlement with the city of Portland and the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) over a bodily injury lawsuit stemming from brushes with police during and after racial justice protests in 2020 and 2021. He’s one of more than 260 people who filed either […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Oregon Man Gets Prison Sentence For J6 Riots, Rare Whale Gets Dissected, and the Problem With Media

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The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good morning, Portland! We’re in for another sunny day (woot!!) but don’t […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Drake Sues Over Diss Track, (Alleged) New Clue in DB Cooper Case, and Trump’s Plan to Tank the Economy

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If you’re reading this, you probably know the value of the Mercury’s news reporting, arts and culture coverage, event calendar, and the bevy of events we host throughout the year. The work we do helps our city shine, but we can’t do it without your support. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism […]

Posted inNews

Former Portland Police Sergeant Arrested For Soliciting Prostitution

Police say 30 sex providers under the age of 25 were offered trafficking victim services.
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A recently retired Portland police sergeant was arrested and charged with soliciting sex services during a recent human trafficking mission targeting prostitution around NE 82nd and NE Sandy Boulevard in outer Northeast Portland. According to Portland Police Bureau, Christopher Kenagy, 52, was arrested November 15 for unlawful prostitution procurement activities, and later released on his […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Trump’s Clown Cabinet, Gaetz’s Peculiar Venmo History, and Multnomah County’s Legal Troubles

Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good morning, Portland! Today’s forecast: partly sunny with a chance of …cyclones? […]

Posted inNews

Multnomah County Chair Defends Herself Against Former Employee’s Lawsuit

A former employee alleges retaliation for blowing the whistle on potential records law violations among staff in Jessica Vega Pederson’s office.
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Updated: Nov. 20. This story has been updated with additional input from the county clarifying its investigation into alleged unlawful workplace behavior. Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson is defending what she calls limited and “rare” use of private email channels to conduct county business. The remarks came in a newsletter from the county chair’s […]

Posted inHoliday Guide 2024 🎅

Father Christmas, Bring Us Some Snow Plows

Christmas came early for these city bureaus and agencies. Let’s see what ‘Taxpayer Santa’ brought them!
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[Editor’s note: Read all our holly jolly HOLIDAY GUIDE articles here. Looking for a print copy? Good! You can find it in more than 500 spots across Portland with this handy map!] What you do with your money is nobody’s business, but what the government does with your money is everyone’s business.  At a time […]

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