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! Fake spring is over and we’re back to chilly, […]
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
Proposed Ballot Measure Would Tank Portland’s New Police Accountability Board
A pro-cop attorney wants voters to throw out a police oversight measure approved in 2020, and return to the status quo.
Update: March 1: This story has been updated to note the ballot title challenge period and next steps. A new ballot initiative seeks to overhaul and water down a police accountability measure that was approved by a large majority of voters in 2020. The Portland city auditor’s office has reviewed a proposed ballot measure for […]
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Charter Reform: City Approves Lucrative Salary, Severance Packages for Temporary Managers
Portland’s new governing structure calls for a handful of deputy city administrators. Commissioners aren’t sure they can recruit them.
Portland is one step closer to transitioning control of city operations from elected politicians to professional managers. Portland City Council approved the city’s human resources department to hire five interim deputy city administrators for a one-year contract, with a built-in six-month severance package. The salary ranges from $204,880 to $307,300 per year for each employee […]
Posted inGood Morning, News!
Good Morning, News: Former Oregon Duck Is a GOAT, Feds Hunt Down Local Tree Vandal, and the 1 Bribe Justice Clarence Thomas Should Take
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 high is a whopping 59 degrees with scattered […]
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Despite Being Safe From Deep Budget Cuts, Fire Bureau Puts Mental Health Services on Chopping Block
Amid ballooning firefighter overtime and retirement costs, Portland Fire & Rescue looks to slash Portland Street Response funding.
Despite being safe from a citywide 5 percent spending cut, Portland’s fire chief says the fire bureau is still staring down an $11 million budget shortfall. As a result, Portland Street Response could lose a third of its already constrained budget. During a budget workshop last Tuesday, Portland Fire Chief Ryan Gillespie said Portland Fire […]
Posted inGood Morning, News!
Good Morning, News: Another Dead Whale in Oregon, a Cat is Blamed for Bubonic Plague, and Portland Gets a New Candidate for Mayor.
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 getting sunshine and a high of 53 today. […]
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Former Pro Wrestler Arrested on Suspicion of Shooting Wife in Couple’s Lents Home
William A. Haynes, AKA Billy Jack Haynes, in custody after standoff with police at Southeast Portland home where Janette Becraft was found dead
A former pro wrestling star was arrested Thursday on murder charges related to a shooting of his wife at the couple’s home in Lents. William A. Haynes, 70, who wrestled with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the moniker Billy Jack Haynes throughout the 1980s, was booked into jail in connection with the homicide of Janette […]
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Portland Aims to Have 780 Village-Style Shelter Beds Open by End of 2024
New humanitarian operations director says city will prioritize wraparound services to get people out of shelter and into housing.
This story has been updated to more accurately reflect the number of shelter beds in the county. Brandy Westerman knows she can’t solve Portland’s homelessness crisis, but she’s determined to at least try to fix it. In September, she was named the new Emergency Humanitarian Operations director for Portland. Westerman now oversees the city’s seven […]
Posted inGood Morning, News!
Good Morning, News: County Leaders Clash Over Fentanyl, Vibrating Cancer Away, and the City Has Questionable Plans for Darcelle XV Plaza
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! It’s Tuesday. It’s likely gonna rain, and we’re in for […]
Posted inGood Morning, News!
Good Morning, News: Gonzalez Declares Public Transit is Too Scary, Winter Lights For Winter Blues, and Tracy Chapman Plays “Fast Car” at the Grammys (with Luke Combs)
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 a soggy day and a wet week. Today’s high […]
Posted inGood Morning, News!
Good Morning, News: Mona Lisa Gets Soupy, Amelia Earhart’s Lost Plane, and the Struggles of Being Queer in Portland
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! Hope you enjoyed the sliver of sunshine we got […]
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New Report Highlights Major Gaps in Portland Region’s Shelter, Housing, and Services for LGBTQ+ Residents
Despite Portland’s reputation as a queer-friendly city, barriers to housing and shelter leave vulnerable people displaced.
A new houselessness policy paper reveals gaps in services and support for Multnomah County’s housing-insecure LGBTQ+ residents. Portland has few resources for transgender, nonbinary, and other queer people facing homelessness, despite it being a city many people flee to from states with transphobic and homophobic policies. A paper commissioned by the Joint Office of Homeless […]