First things first: If you’re one of the few who hasn’t read this week’s excellent piece offering a window into the experiences of Portland people of color, that’s job number one today. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) A Big Hurricane is coming for Texas. Harvey could have triple-digit wind speeds when it makes landfall tomorrow […]
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
Police Reform Whirlwind! Council Kills 48-Hour Rule, Creates New Citizen Oversight Group
Doug Brown COAB 2.0 is alive—almost. After his initial idea for a new citizen board to oversee Portland police reforms was shred to bits earlier this month, Mayor Ted Wheeler brought forward a modified plan at a Portland City Council hearing this afternoon. And the council passed it in one go. A lot in the […]
Posted inNews
Why the Larry O’Dea Shooting Still Matters
His Lies (and Lies by Omission) Linger as Portland Awaits a New Police Chief
His lies (and lies by omission) linger as Portland awaits a new police chief.
Posted inNews
Hall Monitor: Nick Fish’s Next Fight
Faced with a Cancer Diagnosis, the City Commissioner is Staying on the Job—And Mulling Next Steps
Faced with a cancer diagnosis, the city commissioner is staying on the job—and mulling next steps.
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: The Totality Passes, Traffic Snarls, and Trump Stares (Then Commits Troops to Afghanistan)
Dirk VanderHart We’ll totally move on from the eclipse—which was damned impressive even in Portland’s meager 99.4 percent zone—after reveling a bit more in Donald Trump staring directly at it. hahaha funny pic of Trump staring at the eclipse anyway he defended Nazis last week pic.twitter.com/1H4jbgRVIL— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) August 21, 2017 (More Trump-v-science […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: Eclipse! Totality! Probably a Man-Eating Space Plant!
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images) It’s here! The last day you have to hear ceaselessly about the eclipse! Shortly before 10:20 am, the moon will mostly block out the sun over Portland (more than 99 percent). It’ll be in the southeast sky, they say. Freaky. If you’re watching the eclipse, and you saw Dutch Brothers […]
Posted inNews
Former Chief Larry O’Dea Allowed Subordinates to Believe He Was Being Investigated For Shooting a Friend. He Wasn’t.
Ashley Anderson In the days after he mistakenly shot a friend in the back, former Police Chief Larry O’Dea allowed those around him to believe criminal and internal investigations into the matter were playing out, even though they weren’t. That’s a central conclusion of a findings memo [PDF] City Human Resources Director Anna Kanwit issued […]
Posted inNews
We Asked PayPal Why It Accepted Donations on Behalf of Altright.com. It Stopped.
Still great. Earlier this week, a colleague of mine at the Mercury noticed something that didn’t seem right. While looking into the people behind the racist and violent rally in Charlottesville, and then into support for one of the leaders of the white nationalist movement, Richard Spencer, she noticed that one of Spencer’s bile-spewing websites, […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: Terror in Spain, (More) MAX Racism, and the Most-Pampered Congressman
(Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) Yesterday’s terror attacks in Spain didn’t end with a van plowing into throngs of pedestrians in Barcelona’s most touristy district. Overnight, five men emerged with knives from an Audi that struck seven people in another coastal town, but were killed by police before they could inflict more damage. A separate […]
Posted inNews
City Commissioner Nick Fish Has Been Diagnosed With Cancer
Commissioner Nick Fish Oregon.gov Portland Commissioner Nick Fish has been diagnosed with abdominal cancer, he announced in a statement this morning. “Over the past few months, I experienced weight loss, poor appetite, indigestion, and abdominal pain,” Fish said in a statement. “A recent CT scan rang a number of alarm bells. A follow-up laparoscopy this […]
Posted inFashion
The PBOT Employee Who Installed a “Swoosh” in Front of Under Armour HQ Has Paid for Cleanup
Actually pretty good craftsmanship. A retired Portland Bureau of Transportation employee who used his last day of work to troll athletic apparel giant Under Armour has paid up for his high jinks. Kirk Kennedy recently sent the City of Portland $266.16 in connection with a rogue Nike “swoosh” he installed in thermoplastic on July 28 […]
Posted inNews
Former Police Chief Larry O’Dea Lied to City Investigators Multiple Times, Officials Conclude
Former Chief Larry O’Dea—apparently liked lying to investigators Ashley Anderson While employed as the city’s police chief, Larry O’Dea lied to city investigators looking into his conduct and committed other violations of city rules, two internal investigations have found. A letter [PDF] Mayor Ted Wheeler sent to O’Dea last month lays out five separate breaches […]