If you have an iPhone and service through Verizon and live in Portland, then your phone did a terrifying shrieking thing a few days back. It freaked you out, and completely threw you off your Solitaire game. But cheer up! Solitaire glory comes and goes, but your phone was shrieking to let you know a […]
Dirk VanderHart
I'm a news reporter for the Mercury. I've spent a lot of the last decade in journalism — covering tragedy and chicanery in the hills of southwest Missouri, politics in Washington, D.C., and other matters elsewhere.
I've been in Portland three years, love it and want to help make it better. Let's keep it amicable!
Posted inNews
Despite Tort Claim, Only Two Female Cops Are Being Promoted to Sergeant
We’re still waiting on a number of records requests from the city regarding the claims of Portland Police Officer Kevin Macho, who says he’s been passed up for promotion in favor of “lesser-qualified women and others” and has threatened to sue. They’re simple requests, including a copy of the police bureau’s diversity and promotion policies, […]
Posted inNews
(Un)Screwed
The Morrison Bridge Is Coming Undone, Says Lawsuit
Beneath your tires, the Morrison Bridge is coming undone, a lawsuit says.
Posted inNews
Public Water District Petition Effort Moves Forward
Dirk VanderHart The second time’s a charm for the water activists and industrial ratepayers who’d like to snatch Portland’s water and sewer systems away from city council. The Portland Auditor’s Office on Friday gave a constitutional thumbs up to a proposal that would create an independent elected board, the Portland Public Water District. It’s an […]
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Cops Making Bank at Last Thursday are Told to “Utilize Discretion”
Portland police officers earning tens of thousands in overtime pay to patrol Portland’s rowdy Last Thursday event in July would have had no shortage of misdeeds to wade through. But officers had marching orders to use restraint in enforcing applicable law at the popular, if controversial, summer street fair, according to an “incident objectives” document […]
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Good Morning, News!
The family that’s owned The Washington Post for generations surprised the media world yesterday, announcing it would sell the newspaper to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos for $250 million. It’ll be an interesting melding of Internet mogul and legacy newspaper (one which almost everyone seems pleased about), but I’m more partial to Bezos’ investment in an […]
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Good Morning, News!
Egyptian General Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, who’s sort of running things there at the moment, is flummoxed the US isn’t doing more for his cause, which to date has involved the deaths of at least 140 supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi. It’s worth mentioning that US law prohibits humanitarian aid to countries where a democratically […]
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Portland Cop Threatening to Sue Because “Lesser-Qualified Females” Promoted First
Things Officer Kevin Macho has done in almost six years with the Portland Police Bureau: rescued a missing baby from the chill of an east Portland lawn; been named in a civil suit alleging he roughly handled a transgendered motorist in a 2008 traffic stop; and predicted a settlement between the city and the US […]
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Font of Cogen/Manhas Documents Has Dried, For Now
Since Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen admitted to an extramarital affair with a county employee several weeks back, county communications staff have been pretty forthcoming with records (though we’re still eagerly awaiting those text messages). To the county’s additional credit, they’ve hardly been sterile documents. They suggested Manhas had free and ready access to the […]
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Multnomah County Poised to File Suit Over 2011 Morrison Bridge Project
Multnomah County A seemingly tame 2011 construction project aimed at making the Morrison Bridge safer in wet conditions wound up snarling city traffic for far longer than officials had anticipated. Looks like it’s also about to be one more thing clogging local court dockets. The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Thursday will take a […]
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Squirt Guns at Dawn
A New Challenger Emerges in the City’s Water Wars
A new challenger emerges in the city’s water wars.