Courtney Vaughn

Amid a homeless crisis and affordable housing shortage, the site of a future affordable housing building in downtown Portland is being celebrated as the latest example of a “housing-first” approach. The Fairfield Apartments at Southwest Harvey Milk Street and 11th Avenue is currently being gutted for renovation and construction, but by early 2025, developers expect […]

Citing a new Oregon law stiffening penalties for fentanyl possession, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is abandoning a proposed ordinance that would have criminalized public drug use. Last week, Wheeler announced he would ask the Portland City Council to vote on an amendment to city code that would prohibit consumption of a controlled substance on public […]

Updated: June 30 On a rainy afternoon in Portland’s Woodstock neighborhood, a man on a bicycle stops to peruse dry goods and emergency supplies in bright yellow bins lining Moire Cubbin’s yard.  The repurposed Amazon bins–double stacked on their sides in a row affixed to the ground–comprise what Cubbin calls her “giving fence.” The fence […]

Rapid Response Bio Clean–a company contracted by the city of Portland to clean up and remove homeless camp sites–has been ordered to pay for items taken from an encampment during a sweep in 2020 that were never stored properly or returned to the owner.  Rapid Response is the primary contractor the city uses to clean […]

Thursday, June 15 marked the end of the longest Republican walkout in Oregon’s history.  Just 10 days before the 2023 legislative session is set to end, elected leaders announced an agreement between state Democrats and Senate Republicans that would bring GOP officials back to the Capitol for the rest of the 2023 legislative session, creating […]

Portland Police will begin using aerial drones next week to help conduct certain investigations. The bureau expects to kick off a year-long pilot project using the aerial cameras, starting June 13. Back in April, Portland City Council approved spending up to $80,000 from the bureau’s existing budget on the pilot project.  Bureau leaders estimate about […]

An ordinance that heavily restricts where and when unhoused residents can rest in the city was approved by the Portland City Council 3-1 on Wednesday, June 7. Commissioner Carmen Rubio was the lone “no” vote. Commissioner Mingus Mapps was absent. The ordinance was brought forward by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office the week prior, drawing […]