Isabella Garcia [You can read all of the Mercury’s “Top Stories of 2021” here.—eds] Not to be outdone by last year’s historic wildfires and ice storms, 2021 delivered deadly heatwaves and drought conditions. As the impacts of climate change became more apparent this year, the city took unprecedented action against a major polluter, a new […]
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
UPDATED: County to Reopen Warming Shelters Friday Night
All emergency weather shelters will close Thursday at 2 pm. Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County Update 12/31, 1:30 pm: Four emergency weather shelters will reopen Friday at 7 pm, Multnomah County officials announced Friday morning. The county originally shuttered the shelters Thursday as temperatures in Portland stayed above freezing all day. Freezing temperatures in the […]
Posted inCoronavirus
The Mercury’s Top Health Stories of 2021
BILLY H.C. KWOK / GETTY IMAGES [You can read all of the Mercury’s “Top Stories of 2021” here.—eds] The availability of COVID-19 vaccines for the general public this year created, in the words of Governor Kate Brown, “a tale of two pandemics.” The majority of Oregonians embraced the vaccine, prompting Brown to briefly remove COVID […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News: Convention Center Opens as a Warming Shelter, Maxwell is Guilty, and the Omicron Surge May Be Less Terrible Than Previously Expected
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! Snow is expected to turn to rain throughout Thursday. Motoya Nakamura / […]
Posted inBest of 2021
The Mercury’s Top Transportation Stories of 2021
Mercury Staff [You can read all of the Mercury’s “Top Stories of 2021” here.—eds] Following a year of empty streets and congestion-free commutes, Portlanders were back on the roads and, unfortunately, causing the most fatal crashes in over 20 years, prompting more investments in traffic safety. Portland’s regional mega-projects like the Interstate 5 Rose Quarter […]
Posted inNews
Winter Storm Causes One Death in Multnomah County
A Multnomah County resident died of hypothermia on Christmas Day. Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County One person has died due to Multnomah County’s ongoing cold snap, the county medical examiner announced Tuesday. According to a county press release, the person died on Christmas Day due to hypothermia, or extreme cold. Temperatures reached a low of […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News: Another Dusting of Snow Expected, Israel to Study Fourth Vaccine Dose, and Hundreds of Club-Goers Not Notified of COVID Exposure
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! A Portlander and their cat warm up at the Sunrise Center shelter […]
Posted inUncategorized
Good Afternoon, News: Five Emergency Weather Shelters Open on Christmas, FBI Surveillance of Portland Protests Questioned, and Omicron Sets New Record
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! The shelters will be stocked with food, places to sleep, and accept […]
Posted inNews
Good Afternoon, News: Snow Coming to Portland, FDA Authorizes COVID Pill, and Student Loan Payments Pushed to Mid-2022
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! Portland is forecast to receive up to four inches of snow this […]
Posted inNews
Good Afternoon, News: How to Help Your Unhoused Neighbors, Albums that Defined 2021, and We’re Still in a State of Emergency
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! Governor Kate Brown extended Oregon’s pandemic state of emergency through June 2022. […]
Posted inNews
Good Afternoon, News: Oregon Braces for Omicron Surge, Wildfires in December, and Support Your Local Kroger Worker
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! Fred Meyer workers striking outside the Johnson Creek location. Blair Stenvick In […]
Posted inNews
Oregon Officials Urge Booster Shots Ahead of Impending Omicron Surge
The Oregon Health Authority wants to get 1 million Oregonians boosted by the end of January. Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County Oregon has three weeks before it will be hit with the largest surge of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to modeling from the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) released […]