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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

Workers in Portland’s Independent Police Investigation Unit Authorize a Strike

The complaint investigation unit says the city’s new voter-approved police oversight system could leave them jobless.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

In 2020, Portland voters approved a major overhaul of the city’s current police oversight and accountability system. A ballot measure called for a new, civilian-led police oversight board and a city-funded team of investigators with the authority to investigate complaints and issue discipline.  Five years later, the new Community Board for Police Accountability (CBPA) is […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Portland’s WNBA Team Hires a General Manager, Intel Now Partly Owned By US Government, and Israeli Strike Kills 20, Including Journalists

Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

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 inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: California Moves Forward With Redistricting Plan, Vancouver Woman Unearths a War Weapon and Portland, Prepare For a Nasty Heat Wave

Avatar photoAvatar photo Courtney Vaughn and Taylor Griggs

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

County Commissioner’s Staffer Fired After Scrutiny Over Political Activity

Communications manager Vikki Payne left Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards’ office in early August, after taking heat for actions involving a PAC she oversaw.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

Updated: 10:52 am August 21 A staffer in Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards’ office who ran a controversial political action committee that often skewered county leadership has been fired. Vikki Payne, a communications and project manager who worked for Brim-Edwards since she began her term as commissioner in 2023, is no longer employed with the […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Portland’s Hefty Festival Fees, Oregon’s Newspapers are Dwindling, and Workers are Staying in Jobs They Hate, For Now

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! Things are heating up this week. Today, we’re in […]

Posted inNews

The Lawsuit that Broke the Council’s Back

How nearly $4 million in wrongful death and bodily injury settlements united Portland City Council in calling for a culture shift within the Police Bureau.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

“We are not the same police bureau we were three years ago,” Portland Police Chief Bob Day told city councilors Thursday, August 7, after they approved almost $4 million to resolve two of the most recent claims against the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). The first lawsuit was filed in 2021 against PPB Detective Erik Kammerer. […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Oregon Has the World’s Ugliest Dog, RFK Jr Blamed For Influencing CDC Gunman, and Morrow County Officials Charged With Pocketing Millions From Amazon Data Center Contracts

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! Stay hydrated and hunker down in a place with […]

Posted inNews

Recent In-Custody Death Reignites Calls For a Police-Free Crisis Response System

Portland Police Bureau says it wants another agency to take over calls involving behavioral health. The region already has one that police rarely use.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

Note: This story has been corrected to clarify the process for requesting Project Respond to accompany police on calls. As Portlanders await a medical examiner’s report and grand jury review of the death of Damon Lamarr Johnson, the fatal incident has reignited a conversation about the region’s mobile crisis response systems—including one that the police rarely […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: New Day Center For Portland’s Unhoused, New Loan Forgiveness For ICE Agents, and New, Hefty Fees For US Visas

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 we’re in for partly sunny skies, with a […]

Posted inMercury 25th Anniversary Issue

Twenty-Five Years of News (As Well As Entertainment and Trouble)

How the Portland Mercury found its niche by blending irreverent commentary with sobering investigative reporting.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

[Find the Mercury‘s 25th Anniversary Issue (in print) near you by using this handy-dandy map, and read all of our anniversary stories here.—eds.] It was the best of times. It was the weirdest of times. Like nearly every Portland Mercury news editor before and after him, Denis Theriault’s memories of working at the paper feel both […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Judge Thwarts Trump’s Attempt to Defund Planned Parenthood, Gunman Kills 4 in Manhattan, and Regina Spektor Won’t Tolerate Pro-Palestine Fans

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 is predicted to be the hottest day of the […]

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