Courtney Vaughn

In an effort to encourage new housing construction and provide modest financial relief to Portlanders, the Portland City Council approved a $7.1 billion budget Wednesday, May 17 that calls for lower water and sewer rate hikes, and no increases to charges for housing developers. Citing an exodus of residents and businesses from Portland in recent […]

A fire destroyed an 113-year-old downtown Portland apartment building and caused a temporary shutdown of I-405 Tuesday, May 16. When Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) crews responded to the May Apartments at Southwest Taylor and 14th Avenue shortly after 10:30 am, flames were pouring out windows. Firefighters reported residents were trapped on multiple fire escapes […]

Multnomah County’s health department will distribute supplies and “share resources” over the weekend to unhoused residents, as temperatures are expected to reach the low 90s Saturday and Sunday.  The county stopped short of announcing any cooling centers set to open during the unseasonably warm weekend of May 13 and 14, noting forecasted temperatures have been […]

A message to patients on Prism Health’s website Prism Health Center in Southeast Portland closed its doors for three days, citing a threat to the clinic. Prism is part of the Cascade AIDS Project, and specializes in health services for LGBTQ+ patients. On Wednesday, May 10, the clinic informed its patients that it would close […]

After a week of mixed messages, Derrick Peterson said Wednesday, May 10 that he is officially withdrawing from the race for the Portland Public Schools Board of Education.  Peterson updated his campaign website Wednesday, after posting a statement the week prior about his decision to withdraw from the race, then telling a current board member […]

After previously announcing he would vacate the seat if elected to serve Zone 3 on the Portland Public Schools Board of Education, former candidate Derrick Peterson may be walking back his plans to quit the race.  Last week Peterson made a public statement on his website saying he had withdrawn from the race, noting recent […]

UPDATE: Monday, May 8: Peterson’s statement about withdrawing from the race for Portland Public Schools Board of Education has now vanished, stirring questions about whether he has changed his mind about pulling out of the race eight days before the election. Peterson did not respond to phone calls from the Mercury seeking confirmation.  A candidate […]

Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan will resign from office, following ethics questions into her private consulting work.  Fagan announced her resignation Tuesday morning, May 2. Her resignation will take effect Monday, May 9. The day prior, Fagan announced she had terminated her contract with Veriede Holdings– a company affiliated with the La Mota chain […]

A Southwest Portland district coalition that sought to reinstate its public funding was denied last month. Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. (SWNI) was notified by the Office of Community and Civic Life on April 13 that its request for city funds was not included in the latest budget. The organization previously served as the city’s designated coalition […]