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Isabella Garcia

Isabella Garcia is the former News Editor for the Portland Mercury. She covered City Hall, transportation, the environment, breaking news, and more.
Posted inNews

TriMet Unveils a New Frequent Bus Line Following Historic Service Cuts

The agency will prioritize maintaining full frequent service on the route.
Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

After six years of conception, planning, design, and construction, Portland is set to see 60-foot-long, bright green TriMet buses driving up and down SE Division Street in less than a month. The buses are part of TriMet’s new Frequent Express (FX) service—high capacity buses that run every 12 minutes. While the project is the first […]

Posted inNews

It’s Been One Year Since Portland Moved to Stop Zenith’s Oil Operations—So Why Are They Still Operating?

Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

One year ago, the city of Portland took an unprecedented step to stop operations at Zenith Energy by denying the oil transporter a permit required to continue running its Northwest Portland facility. The action, while celebrated by environmental activists who had been urging the city to shut down the facility for years, immediately triggered a lawsuit […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: More Lloyd Center Development, Hollywood Water Hogs, and What Portland is Doing to Tackle Climate Change

Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good morning, Portland! Today’s forecast is “abundant sunshine” with a high of […]

Posted inNews

Portland City Council Approves Emergency Plan to Respond to Climate Change

While the plan sets the city’s intention to respond to the climate crisis, critics argue that the plan is merely aspirational.
Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

The Portland City Council approved the city’s Climate Emergency Workplan Wednesday, which guides Portland’s action against climate change for the next three years. While the plan was praised by some environmental organizations and leaders in the city, critics argue that the plan is just aspirational words without concrete metrics. “The low hanging fruit is gone,” […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: COVID Continues to Decline, Portland Road Rage, and Hot New Jupiter Pics

Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good morning, Portland! Let’s jump right in today. In local news: • […]

Posted inNews

UPDATE: One Cooling Center to Reopen in Portland Amid High Heat

One cooling center will reopen Thursday in Old Town
Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

Update August 18, 11:30 am: One daytime cooling center will reopen in downtown Portland Thursday as the region remains under a heat advisory.  Temperatures are expected to peak near 100 degrees in Portland for the second day in a row. Overnight temperatures only dropped to 74 degrees Wednesday, breaking the previous record for warmest overnight […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Lawmakers Call for NW Natural Investigation, Kids-For-Cash Scandal, and Northern Lights in Oregon

Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good morning, Portland! A friendly reminder that this week is Burger Week—a […]

Posted inNews

Multnomah County Renews Effort to Ban Flavored Nicotine Products

Health officials believe the ban could limit the number of youth who start using nicotine through flavored products.
Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

Multnomah County renewed its effort to ban flavored nicotine products, including flavored vape liquid and menthol cigarettes, this week. Multnomah County commissioners first considered this ban in 2019, but the rollout was delayed by the pandemic. “This is an industry and addiction that relies on recruiting new users, and flavored tobacco plays a key role […]

Posted inNews

Slabtown New Seasons Workers Join Push for Independent Union

The location is the fourth New Seasons store in the Portland metro area to file to unionize in the past three months.
Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

Employees at New Seasons’ Slabtown location on Northwest Raleigh St. and 22nd Ave. filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Monday. The store is the fourth New Seasons location in the Portland metro region to move to unionize in the past three months, and the third to specifically join […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Providence Paycheck Lawsuit, Cold Spring Limits Apple Crop, and Massive Moths

Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good morning, Portland! And an extra good morning to the person on […]

Posted inNews

Measure to Change Portland Charter Can Stay on Ballot, Judge Rules

Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

The proposed ballot measure that could change Portland’s government structure can move forward to the November ballot, a Multnomah County judge ruled Monday. The legal challenge was launched by the Portland Business Alliance (PBA)—an influential business lobbying group—which claimed that the ballot measure was unconstitutional because it made three changes at once. The ballot measure […]

Posted inNews

Health Officials Urge Awareness as Monkeypox Outbreak is Declared in Oregon

While most cases are currently amongst gay and bisexual men, “anyone who has skin is susceptible to this virus.”
Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

Less than a week after the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) declared an hMPXV, or Monkeypox, outbreak in Oregon, state health experts have recorded 95 confirmed or presumed Monkeypox cases across seven Oregon counties. “Right now, the best thing you can do is to know your body and know the symptoms,” said state epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger […]

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