Single-track trail at the brand new Gateway Green. Remember how for our summer guide this year, we previewed the brand new mountain bike park taking shape out at the convergence of interstates 84 and 205? Well, summer arrived yesterday, and the park opens this weekend. If you’re into mountain biking, you’re keenly aware of Gateway […]
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 inHousing
City Council Allocates $800,000 to Prop Up Portland’s Public Golf Courses
The City of Portland’s RedTail Golf Course City of Portland Amid a litany of pressing needs that face this city, it was Portland’s publicly owned golf courses getting a bailout from Portland City Council this morning. It turns out that apart from bumming everyone out, the intense winter and spring rains further dampened revenue in […]
Posted inHousing
If You Build It…
As Homelessness Spikes, Hundreds of New Shelter Beds Are Being Put to Use
As homelessness spikes, hundreds of new shelter beds are being put to use.
Posted inNews
Hall Monitor: Teddy Wheels and the Mayoral Dagger
The Mayor Just Issued a Damning Judgment, Even if His Office Won’t Admit It.
The Mayor just issued a damning judgment, even if his office won’t admit it.
Posted inHousing
The Montavilla Neighborhood Association Wants City Hall to Stop Homeless Sweeps On Its Turf
Dirk VanderHart The Montavilla Neighborhood Association says it’s sick of the camp sweeps that temporarily displace members of Portland’s growing homeless population, only to see them return a short while later. So on Monday, the association’s board passed what might be a first-of-its-kind resolution for a Portland neighborhood. It’s asking City Hall to stop the […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: Homelessness Is Up, Outer Division Is Still Terrible, and Bears Are Conniving Terrors
SHOCKER: Homelessness is on the rise in Portland. The first data from the every-other-year homeless count in Multnomah County suggests that homelessness has increased by 10 percent in the last two years, though that’s a very incomplete picture of the actual issue. Some good news? Fewer people are unsheltered. George Devendorf, director of social services […]
Posted inHousing
Portland’s Homeless Population Is Up 10 Percent, but Fewer People Are Unsheltered
An outreach worker speaks to a homeless Portlander as part of 2015’s “point-in-time” count. Dirk VanderHart In 2015, city and county officials made a bold claim. With unprecedented and continued funding toward the right resources—permanent housing, shelter, and preventing people from falling into homelessness in the first place—they said the city could slash its homeless […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: City Bureau Drama, ISIS Leader Might Be Dead, And Trump’s Latest Terrible Appointment
Good morning! I’m sick. Doug Brown Mayor Ted Wheeler, doing away with niceties, announced yesterday he’ll be managing the city’s 911 system going forward. That means Wheeler won’t give the troubled Bureau of Emergency Communications back to Commissioner Amanda Fritz. And in a particularly striking development, Wheeler won’t give Fritz anything to replace it. She’s […]
Posted inCity Hall
In Rare Move, Mayor Ted Wheeler’s Giving Amanda Fritz Just One Bureau To Manage
City of Portland As expected, Mayor Ted Wheeler re-assigned city bureaus to city commissioners today, and the outcome isn’t great for Amanda Fritz. Wheeler’s elected not to give Fritz back the troubled Bureau of Emergency Communications, which she controlled from January to late April. Taking into account a recent damning report that showed the bureau […]
Posted inNews
Deputy Who Chanted “Trump” At Voters Gets Disciplinary Action
Multnomah County A Multnomah County deputy who chanted “Trump, Trump” to dozens of voters waiting to cast their ballot on the day of last year’s presidential election has been disciplined in the incident. Deputy Jason Vetter had previously been found in violation of state campaign laws that prohibit public employees from “political campaigning” while on […]
Posted inHousing
Hall Monitor: The New Villagers
With the Tiny Kenton Women’s Village, Portland’s Taking a Huge Step on Homelessness
With the tiny Kenton Women’s Village, Portland’s taking a huge step on homelessness.
Posted inHousing
As New Renter Protections Face an Uncertain Fate, One Portland Lawmaker is Facing the Heat
But Could the Pressure on Senator Rod Monroe Backfire?
But could the pressure on Senator Rod Monroe backfire?