Today is National Try Not to Be Smug Day, but it’s a little hard when we’ve got the first openly gay female senator, support for same-sex marriage, and Obama all of a sudden saying things about “a warming planet.” Anyway, we all know the outcome of the presidential election and the mayor’s race, but here’s […]
Sarah Shay Mirk
Sarah Shay Mirk reported on transportation, sex and gender issues, and politics at the Mercury from 2008-2013. They have gone on to make many things, including countless comics and several books.
Posted inElection 2012
What Does Marijuana Legalization Actually Mean For Washington?
HOLY CRAP. While I was eating jalapeno poppers in a basement on SE 82nd with Oregon’s Measure 80 crew last night, Washington’s pot legalization campaign was actually declaring victory. So now marijuana is legal in Washington state. But what will the practical effects of Initiative 502 be? I spoke this morning with campaign director Alison […]
Posted inNews
Stinging Protest
Kids Pepper Sprayed at March Against Budget Cuts
Teenagers pepper sprayed during pre-election march against budget cuts.
Posted inPortland
Friends Say Beloved Hawthorne Bridge Musician “Working” Kirk Reeves Has Died
Twitter Kirk Reeves Several friends of beloved Portlander Kirk Reeves tell the Mercury that he has died. Many Portlanders know Reeves, 56, as “that guy who plays trumpet on the Hawthorne Bridge”, but Workin’ Kirk played gigs around town and had a public access channel TV show after moving here from Boston in the early […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning News!
This headline sums up today: Take a Deep Breath: According to non-hysterical number crunchers, Obama has a 90 percent chance of winning. Voting in the Dark: Voters in Sandy-ravaged areas are finding super long lines to vote and polling stations out of power. Thank God for Vote by Mail: As East Coasters deal with hour-long […]
Posted inMusic
Portlanders Launch She Shreds, a Magazine of Women Guitarists
The self-proclaimed “very first printed magazine in the world that focuses exclusively on female guitarists” has launched right here in Portland, Oregon. The inaugural issue of She Shreds is a glossy 23-page magazine featuring interviews with Corin Tucker and Scout Nibblett, some guitar-playing tips, and a profile of a Portland fuzz pedal builder. Put together […]
Posted inElection 2012
Where’s My Election Night Party At?!
Of course, we’re having a pretty awesome party at the Doug Fir. It’s free and will feature nail-biting results watching as well as a line-up of fun events (donut eating contest! Mormon underwear fashion show!) hosted by Wm. Steven Humphrey, comedy from Ian Karmel, and analysis from the one-and-only Steve Novick. But if you’re into […]
Posted inOccupy
High School Student Pepper Sprayed at Budget Cuts Protest: “It was the Most Painful Thing I’ve Ever Experienced.”
sarah mirk The police posted a video today showing what they describe as “a violent struggle with demonstrators, who were ramming police officers on bicycles” at November 3rd’s mostly festive protest against government cuts where roughly 20 people were pepper sprayed. The video shows a crowd of people holding large wooden banners slowly walking into […]
Posted inOccupy
PHOTOS: Occupy Protests Government Austerity at Lloyd Center—Police Pepper Spray 20
A collection of groups protested government budget cuts in advance of the impending election in Portland’s Lloyd District this afternoon. The mostly festive Occupy, Jobs with Justice, and Portland Action Lab rally and march around the Lloyd Center mall turned surprisingly violent in the middle, when riot police pepper sprayed approximately 20 protesters as they […]
Posted inOccupy
“Our Dreams Don’t Fit in Ballot Boxes”: Big Occupy Protest Tomorrow
The Portland Action Lab and Occupy Portland are encouraging citizens to “vote with your feet” tomorrow for a big protest of cuts to education, healthcare, and social services. The action is taking place tomorrow at 1pm in Holladay Park. The organizers write, “We call on all participants in the Occupy movement, rank-and-file union members, students, […]
Posted inElection 2012
Republican Ballot Tampering Alleged in Clackamas
The Oregon Department of Justice has launched an investigation into felony-level Republican election fraud in Clackamas, after reports of an elections worker filling in voters’ ballots for Republican candidates. It’s not clear how many ballots were affected or what will happen to them—all the state election’s office will confirm is that an investigation is underway […]
Posted inNews
Should Portland Make Paid Sick Leave a Right?
Here’s an alarming fact: Forty precent of Portland’s private-sector workers get no paid sick leave. That’s just the way things are in America, since we’re the only developed, industrialized national where sick leave is not a right guaranteed by federal law. Portland labor activists and unions rallied yesterday at city hall to pressure city council […]