GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! We could be in for thunderstorms today, as we get pelted with rain and chilly temps. Today’s high is a chilly 53 degrees. We’re still reeling from yesterday’s Steel Bridge train derailment and bridge closure, but life moves on. In LOCAL NEWS: Police called a late night press conference Monday at Central […]
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
City Council Formulates New Public Camping Rules For the Unhoused; Gonzalez’s Plan Rejected
Commissioner Rene Gonzalez’s idea to hand policy control to the mayor and fine houseless people up to $1K was shot down in a 3-2 vote.
After a series of proposed changes and late-stage amendments, Portland City Council is on track to relax its city codes regulating houselessness. The Council took an initial vote Wednesday to approve amendments to a revamped public camping ordinance put forward by Mayor Ted Wheeler, with changes from Commissioners Carmen Rubio and Mingus Mapps. The new […]
Posted inGood Morning, News!
Good Morning, News: NYPD Sweeps Gaza Protests at Universities, The Sports Bra is Franchising, and “Karen” the Ostrich Dies After Swallowing Keys
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! The sun decided it likes us enough to stick […]
Posted inNews
Commissioners Introduce Dueling Homeless Ordinances; Experts Say None Get to the Root of the Problem
Mayoral candidates Gonzalez, Mapps, and Rubio have unveiled starkly different ordinances for regulating camping in Portland, as the city tries to fix legal issues with its prior rules.
Updated: 12:02 pm April 22. This story has been updated to include new information about another proposed policy amendment and to correct the name of the case before the Supreme Court this week. Two weeks after Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office unveiled a heavily revised ordinance to address restrictions on homeless camping in Portland, other commissioners […]
Posted inNews
Portland Will Pay Nearly $1.6 Million for Independent Monitor to Oversee City’s Compliance With DOJ Settlement
Mark P. Smith & Associates will take over monitoring of Portland Police Bureau’s adherence to federal directives. The team includes a former violence prevention leader for the city.
Ten years ago, the US Department of Justice intervened to help reshape and monitor the Portland Police Bureau’s use of force policies. Now, a private firm will be the arbiter of whether police are following the federal government’s guidelines. The mayor’s office announced Monday that MPS & Associates was jointly chosen by the city and […]
Posted inGood Morning, News!
Good Morning, News: Police Get a New Babysitter, Trump’s Lawyers Get Bench-Slapped, and You Can Get Delicious Pizza All Week
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! The weather forecast can no longer be trusted. Spring […]
Posted inNews
Public Pleas to Save Portland Street Response Dominate City Budget Session
As Portland prepares to slash bureau budgets ahead of 2024-25 fiscal year, residents make their case for investments in alternative response programs and gun violence reduction.
As the city of Portland prepares to make deep cuts to avoid a projected budget deficit for the 2024-25 fiscal year, Portlanders are pressuring city council to keep Portland Street Response off the chopping block. Residents showed up in force during a budget listening session Wednesday, April 10, insisting the non-police, alternative response program not […]
Posted inSay Nice Things 2024
The Evolution of Sleater-Kinney
Indie rockers reflect on 30 years as a band, and why they still call Portland home.
[Welcome to our second annual “SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND” issue! Read it online here, or if you like physical, paper-y things, you can find it in more than 50 locations all around the city!—eds] Fourteen years ago, Corin Tucker was sure her band Sleater-Kinney would never reunite. In 2006, the group announced an indefinite […]
Posted inGood Morning, News!
Good Morning, News: Buffalo Wild Wings Controversy, Wrestlemania Highlights, and Why Uncommitted Votes Might Be a Flop in Oregon
GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! It’s gonna be another day of mostly April showers today, with some afternoon sunshine coming out for a visit. It might be spring’s okay-est weather, with a high of 62 degrees and a low of 39. Let’s dive into the headlines! In LOCAL NEWS: A wave of Democrats and left-leaning voters across […]
Posted inNews
Mayor Wheeler Revises Homeless Plan In Attempt to Avoid Legal Challenges
This time, he may have the support of a commissioner who previously cast the lone “no” vote.
A city ordinance that would’ve severely restricted and criminally penalized unhoused people for resting in public is getting an overhaul. The previous version essentially prohibited people from resting in public from 8 am to 8 pm. That ordinance, approved by Portland City Council last year, was challenged in court, with plaintiffs arguing that the language […]
Posted inNews
Mayor Wheeler’s Office Pledges to Support, Sustain Portland Street Response
Former city commissioner and program founder chastises “poor leadership” for the popular emergency response team’s lack of growth.
In February 2021, the city’s first alternative, non-police emergency response team, Portland Street Response (PSR), was launched after two years of planning and advocacy. By February 2023, its future was in jeopardy. As uncertainty around funding and future leadership hangs over PSR, the public has a plea for city hall: Fund, expand, and stabilize the […]
Posted inNews
Update: Man Stabbed to Death on MAX Train Was Commuting Home From Work
Michael Brady was killed Friday, March 29. The suspect later told police he heard voices and hadn’t taken medication for a mental health condition in months.
Updated April 3, 5:58 pm: This story has been corrected to add a statement from TriMet and clarify its assistance with the ongoing investigation. A man was stabbed to death Friday evening on a MAX train by another man who later told police he heard voices and thought the victim was trying to kill him […]