Old Town’s controversial “entertainment district” will likely live on past its slated termination this month, but not precisely as Mayor Charlie Hales envisioned. The mayor is going back to the drawing board revision table on his proposal to extend the neighborhood’s weekend street closures after concerns from Old Town residents and business owners—and questions from […]
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 inBikes
You Can Make Your Bike Wheels into Cartoons Now?
I am almost-certainly way late on the Monkey Light Pro, but have you all seen this? Who among us hasn’t dreamed of an animated goldfish, futilely attempting to escape its crystal prison on our bike wheels? Or hamster-like kittens, running incessantly while we ride? These look to be expensive—and they’ll probably not be in production […]
Posted inDrunk
Old Town’s “Entertainment District” Comes Before City Council Today!
Mayor Charlie Hales’ plan to extend—over substantial neighborhood concern—Old Town’s five-month-old “entertainment district” will come before council this afternoon, in what could prove a lengthy, testy hearing. City commissioners will take their first crack at an ordinance [PDF] prepared at the direction of Hales earlier this month, authorizing cops and the city’s Bureau of Transportation […]
Posted inNews
Before the Storm
Gang Activity Is Down. Cops Are Worried
Portland gang activity has been quiet this year. That could change.
Posted inNews
A Punch in the Mouth
Portland Keeps It Weird as Fluoridation Fails for the Fourth Time
With the nation watching, Portland rejects fluoride for the fourth time.
Posted inGeneral
The Identity Thief
How One Woman Gamed the State Government—Again and Again
How one woman (and her collection of fake IDs) tricked Oregon officials again and again.
Posted inNews
Bunkered Down: Pro-fluoride Edition
Not a spot of fluorosis on him! 7:51 pm – The party for Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland and their affiliated fluoride supporters is slowly building to a buzz here at Curious Comedy Theater. The bar is well-patronized, the hors d’oeuvres look delightful, and everyone I’ve spoken with is holding out hope for a positive result, […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News!
IT’S ELECTION DAY, PORTLAND! Vote, if you haven’t, damn your eyes. Emergency workers are searching this morning through the rubble that was once an Oklahoma City suburb, after a powerful tornado struck the area Monday afternoon. The damage is vast, and the toll is unclear, but dozens are dead and many more injured. And, yikes. […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News!
We don’t have a lot of time with each other in this life, everybody. Let’s keep it brief today. Powerball. You’re not going to win, but it will be thrilling for a minute (if you win, e-mail me!). Sometimes trains collide head-on. It happened in Connecticut yesterday. It makes no sense. North Korea’s firing missiles […]
Posted inNews
Are Voter Owned Elections Mounting a Comeback?
Portland’s voter owned elections died a convincing death saw narrow defeat at the hands of the people in 2010, when Portlanders roundly rejected the system by a slim margin. But there are tenuous signs of life in the old girl yet. This sign was posted on the ground floor of the Board of Trade Building […]
Posted inNews
Slate: What’s the Matter with Portland?
No that anyone’s paying attention to the growing body of cogent arguments for water fluoridation in Portland, but here’s another. Slate writer Jake Blumgart’s piece takes a long look at the fight over fluoride here in town. If you’ve spent the last several months debating this issue (or vandalizing your neighbors’ yards for their stand […]
Posted inNews
Unsurprising: Kerns Neighbors Might Fight a New Apartment Building
Alex Despain Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals might want to ready itself for more action courtesy of a now-defunct Portland parking policy. The Kerns Neighborhood Association appears to be seriously considering a formal fight against the proposed construction of a building at NE Couch and 20th. That building will contain four floors and 50 […]