If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution to the Mercury, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good Morning, Portland! It looks like we have a sunny weekend ahead of us with temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s. Enjoy! Let’s […]
Jeremiah Hayden
Jeremiah Hayden reports on housing, homelessness, and other issues affecting Portlanders. He's lived in Oregon nearly all his life, and in Portland since 2001. jhayden@portlandmercury.com
Posted inNews
‘Safer Portland’ Campaign Faces New Complaints As Elections Officials Work to Certify Measure For November Ballot
The city and state are awash in complaints over an initiative to use climate funds to hire more police. What happens next?
Updated: 5:15 pm July 9 The campaign for a ballot initiative seeking to redirect clean energy funds to the Portland Police Bureau announced Monday it had submitted enough signatures to the city to qualify for the November ballot. The next day, the Portland Auditor’s Office and Oregon Secretary of State received lengthy new complaints alleging […]
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Two City Councilors Face State Ethics Complaints Over Moda Center Event
Complaint takes aim at Olivia Clark and Loretta Smith’s attendance at $350 Metro Chamber event that exceeds legal limit for gifts. Clark says her ticket was purchased.
Updated: 12:06 pm July 3 UPDATE: Portland City Council Vice President Olivia Clark says her office purchased a ticket for her to attend a local chamber of commerce event on June 24 that became the subject of a state ehtics complaint involving her and Councilor Loretta Smith. The two city councilors are facing a potential […]
Posted inGood Morning, News!
Good Morning, News: No Fireworks in Portland, Trump Party a Big Corrupt Bust, USA Men’s Soccer Heads to Seattle
If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution to the Mercury, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good morning, Portland! Thanks for reading, or listening along this morning. Many of us are in for another long weekend to celebrate the birth of […]
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Police Oversight Board Members Say Budget Ordinance Could Erode Public’s Trust in New System
Six members of Portland’s Community Board for Police Accountability caution that a new attempt to raid funds could invite legal trouble.
Members of Portland’s new police accountability system are speaking out amid a proposed supplemental budget ordinance that could draw money from the Office of Community-based Police Accountability to repay contingency funds borrowed from the city’s general fund. An ordinance from Council Vice President Olivia Clark, along with Councilors Steve Novick, Loretta Smith, and Elana Pirtle-Guiney, […]
Posted inGood Morning, News!
Good Morning, News: Much Ado About Moda, Heartbreaking Venezuela Quake, and NYC Is Freezing (Rent)
If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution to the Mercury, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good Morning, Portland! Well, here comes the rain again. We can expect five days of overcast, wet weather, which might be a good break from […]
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Highlights of the Big Ticket Metro Chamber Event? Maybe the Catering.
Energy inside Moda was sparse as Tom Dundon addressed the local business community. Outside, Portlanders were riled up.
It’s unclear if anyone who purchased a $350 ticket to this year’s chamber of commerce meeting is feeling buyer’s remorse, but if they expected anything more than a pep rally, sans pep, they certainly could be. The Portland Metro Chamber held its annual meeting at the Moda Center on Wednesday, a fundraiser for the local […]
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City Council Held Their Noses and Passed a Budget—Now They Want Changes
Progressives want to use climate dollars for jobs. Moderates may raid police accountability dollars for cops. Jamie Dunphy wanted a work session to figure it out.
The city of Portland approved its budget last week, but that doesn’t mean efforts to avoid impending cuts are over. Hours after Portland City Council approved an $8.5 billion 2026-27 budget last Wednesday evening, five city councilors brought forward an ordinance to restore some of the frontline services Mayor Keith Wilson eliminated in the budget. […]
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“The Show Must Go On”: Portland Cuts the Ribbon on Darcelle XV Plaza
Three years in the making, downtown now has a plaza named after a queer icon.
As the nation celebrates Pride Month, the city is reviving a downtown park and recognizing the queer community in the most Portland way. Portland Parks and Recreation hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, June 18 to celebrate the unveiling of Darcelle XV Plaza, a vibrant redesign of a previously vacant city block. The lot at Southwest […]
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Metro Chamber Wants Council to Reschedule Upcoming Meeting in Favor of $350 Ticketed Event
Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon will be a featured speaker at a Portland Metro Chamber annual meeting. City Council now faces pressure to reschedule a work session and go meet Dundon instead.
While city leaders hold a work session later this month to talk about how to renovate the sports arena where the Trail Blazers play, the team’s owner is scheduled to speak at an annual meeting held by Portland’s chamber of commerce. But the chamber wants the Council to move its public meeting to avoid the […]
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State Ethics Commission Opens Investigation Into Former PCC President
Former Portland Community College President Adrien Bennings should be investigated for potential conflicts of interest, OGEC says.
Oregon’s largest community college recently cut ties with its president, but that doesn’t mean her troubles are over. After a three-month preliminary review, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC) on Friday, June 12, voted to open a full investigation into former Portland Community College (PCC) President Adrien Bennings over potential conflicts of interest when she […]
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A Dangerous Heat Wave is Coming. What Resources Are Available for Vulnerable Portlanders?
Whether Multnomah County will open cooling centers has yet to be determined, but there are simple steps you can take to protect yourself.
Temperatures in Portland are expected to rise this weekend, with an extreme heat warning in effect from 11 am Sunday to 11 pm Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Saturday could bring highs of 92 degrees and 96 degrees on Sunday. On Monday, temperatures are forecasted to soar to 99 degrees. Local governments are […]