Staffers at the Oregonian had a rough day today, but at least the drinks will be flowing after work. Former Oregonian city hall reporter Ryan Frank is soliciting donations via Twitter for a bar tab tonight at Higgins Restaurant and Bar. As of 4 pm, Frank said he’s collected more-than $700. He’s shooting for over […]
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
PSU Budget Woes Have it Canceling Courses Just Weeks Before They’re Set to Begin
www.pdx.edu Portland State University last week gave some of its students surprising, if perhaps welcome, news: No school this summer. In the middle of exam week, mere weeks before summer courses were set to commence, the university sent out e-mails to students enrolled in a number of classes, saying they’d been cancelled due to “budget […]
Posted inNews
One State Employee is Guilty of a “Minor” Fluoridated Transgression
Alex Despain Fluoride’s resounding defeat in Portland is nearly a month behind us, but controversy around the most-contentious vote in Portland’s recent memory lingers—sort of. The Oregon Health Authority has found in an internal investigation [PDF] one of its employees committed a “minor violation” of the state’s acceptable use policy in the run-up to the […]
Posted inNews
Skipping Record
New Police Software Could Spark Fresh Complaints
New police software system could spark fresh complaints.
Posted inNews
Not in Chicago Anymore
Is PBOT’s New Director Ready for Portland?
On paper, PBOT’s new director has something for everyone.
Posted inBikes
BREAKING: Here’s Portland’s New Transportation Director
Portland’s new transportation director describes herself thusly: “Good government gal with a passion for change in the transportation industry. A Mom to 4 smarty-pants kids and wife to an artsy, intellectual, bike fanatic.” That’s the Twitter bio of Leah Treat who, after months of speculation, has emerged as Portland’s choice for director of the Portland […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News
Lots of potential progress in Afghanistan today . The US is handing the reins in its 12 year fight against the Taliban to Afghan forces, and the Taliban’s saying it wants to talk peace. Protesting multitudes have taken to the streets of Brazil, as anger over bus fare hikes gave way to outrage over the […]
Posted inNews
Portland’s Former City Forester Says City Officials Tricked Him. He’s Suing.
The city’s former urban forester says he was hoodwinked into taking a severance package two years ago. Now David McAllister says the city should pay him the money he’d have made if he stuck around until his planned January retirement—and a little extra, too. McAllister filed suit in Multnomah Circuit Court on Friday, alleging city […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News!
First things first: I was at the bar last night and a guy had Google Glass. Looked weird, everybody—no two ways about it. Bulky and conspicuous. The guy seemed pleased, though. Interesting and hopeful news from Iran, which has elected a moderate cleric to replace outgoing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was a teacher by trade […]
Posted inBikes
Seriously, New York? Surely Not Seriously.
www.citibikenyc.com New York is expensive and that tends to inspire concessions in matters of comfort and dignity. But, damn it, I hope this isn’t really about to become a thing. Apparently a—hopefully basically nonexistent—subset of New Yorkers have taken to sitting on the city’s new bike-share bicycles, while they’re docked, and pedaling backwards to simulate […]
Posted inNews
Not Saying Merkley’s Making Hay About NSA Surveillance for Publicity But…
US Sens. Wyden and Merkley You know how US Sen. Jeff Merkley has made us proud in recent days? How he’s been really offended at all these new intelligence disclosures, championing the public’s right to know if they’re being surveilled by the government, clamoring for better congressional oversight of these things? Well, it turns out […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News!
Remember when it turned out an infamous Boston gangster on the run for years had just been living in Santa Monica? And it took an Icelandic beauty queen to help the feds find him? His trial’s beginning, and it’s damned interesting stuff. Here’s the latest protestations by National Security Agency officials that their data mining […]