Stay up to date on Portland news and politics. Looking for fun? Here are the best Things to Do in Portland today. Willowpix/ Getty Images This marks my last-ever Good Morning, News dispatch, friends. Will I seize the opportunity and craft something truly unique and lasting, or shrug as it passes me by? Mom’s spaghetti […]
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 inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: Trump Caves on Gun Control (Probably), Another Campus Shooting, and Loretta Smith Fights Back
Stay up to date on Portland news and politics. Looking for fun? Here are the best Things to Do in Portland today. As predicted, that didn’t last long. Days after Donald Trump signaled support for much stronger gun controls in a White House meeting, the NRA is suggesting it’s gotten him to change his mind. […]
Posted inUncategorized
What Does “Run” Mean? The Answer Could Dictate Whether Loretta Smith Keeps Her Job
County Commissioner Loretta Smith In order to “run” for office, does a political candidate first have to file their candidacy? That’s a central question in the lawsuit seeking to force Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith to resign from her post—and she’s hoping a judge will answer “yes.” In a motion [PDF] filed in Multnomah County […]
Posted inUncategorized
LIVE UPDATES: Portland City Council Could Strengthen Renter Protections on Wednesday
Outside of Portland City Hall on Wednesday afternoon. Dirk VanderHart Here’s what we know, heading into this afternoon’s city council hearing on Portland’s renter relocation law: The council plans on passing something that will enshrine the law permanently (this is the proposal that it will take up). That means many tenants who are issued no-cause […]
Posted inHousing
Portland’s Trying to Bring Displaced Residents Back to Their Old Neighborhoods.
Why Isn’t It Working?
Why isn’t it working?
Posted inHousing
Hall Monitor: The Relo War Approaches
Landlords and Tenant Groups Are Gearing Up for Their Biggest Skirmish Yet.
Landlords and tenant groups are gearing up for their biggest skirmish yet.
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: Sorel’s Staying, Trump Says He’ll Ban Bump Stocks, and the Legislators Give City OK to Sweep State Land
Protesters plastered these flyers onto signs banning sitting outside the Columbia store in December. Doug Brown Downtown Portland isn’t too unsafe for Columbia Sportwear’s Sorel brand, after all. Three months after threatening to move the brand’s HQ amid concerns about homelessness (and also three months after Mayor Ted Wheeler outlawed sitting on the sidewalk near […]
Posted inHousing
Columbia Sportswear Says It Won’t Move Its Sorel Brand out of Downtown, After All
Protestors gather outside of the Columbia Sportswear flagship store on December 2, to oppose new restrictions on sidewalk use. Doug Brown Sorel’s staying put—for now. More than three months after Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle invoked safety concerns and threatened to pull the footwear subsidiary’s headquarters from downtown Portland, a Columbia spokesman tells the Mercury […]
Posted inHousing
The City Might Modify its Renter Relocation Payment Policy. Here Are the Highlights.
More than a year after Portland passed a law requiring landlords to pay relocation expenses to some tenants, the city’s about to start collecting data on how the policy is working. Next week, Portland City Council is scheduled to take up an ordinance that would make its mandatory rental relocation assistance policy permanent, doing away […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: New Gun Control, Portland’s Decrepit Family Shelter, and a Demonically Compromised Teddy Bear
Stay up to date on Portland news and politics. Looking for fun? Here are the best Things to Do in Portland today. NATALIE BEHRING FIRST THINGS VERY MUCH FIRST: I cannot recommend this week’s feature story about an exorcism in suburban Portland strongly enough. It’s delightful! And terrifying! A stuffed bear plays a larger role […]
Posted inNews
After Senate Vote, Oregon Will Expand Gun Prohibitions for Abusive Partners
AEDKA STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK The “boyfriend loophole” is about to close. In a 16-13 vote split nearly perfectly along party lines, the Oregon Senate this afternoon passed a bill that will expand prohibitions on gun possession in Oregon to include people who abuse or stalk their significant other, even if they haven’t lived with the victim. The […]
Posted inHousing
Severe Weather Homeless Shelters Will Open the Next Two Nights—And Donations Are Needed
Jason Sturgill Severe weather shelters that were activated Sunday night will remain open for the next two nights at least, as the city sits covered in ice and snow. The Multnomah County-run Joint Office of Homeless Services announced earlier today that it’s already determined that weather will be severe enough tomorrow night to guarantee homeless […]