Pullout: Back to School 2008
Portland’s teens are doing it right this very second. Here’s hoping Portland’s sex-ed teachers taught ’em right.
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 inPolitics
Gah! Another Attack on Student Voting.
From Virginia comes some familiar news: People denying out-of-state students the right to vote. The Supreme Court confirmed in 1979 that students can vote in the state they attend college but since then, various groups have tried to discourage students from voting for political and racial reasons. It can be a pretty effective tactic, too, […]
Posted inNeighborhoods
Green Space Versus Greenbacks in Cully
The leaders of four neighborhood associations were seated in the dim fluorescent light of a church classroom. Photocopied pages headlined “General Explanation of the City Council Hearings Process” lay piled on lacy tablecloths. This was the meeting to strategize Keep Colwood Green‘s assault on City Hall. On September 17th, City Council will hear public testimony […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning News!
McCain’s Big Speech: After the energizing us-versus-them talk from Sarah Palin (seen here covered in the blood of a caribou) last night, McCain meandered through musings on courage, calls for change and few policy specifics. The NYT has a heated editorial calling on McCain to stop with the “punch lines” and attacks on Obama’s patriotism […]
Posted inPortland
Making Slumlords Pay – City Plans to Revise Rental Code
After a year of hashing out ideas with landlords and tenants, the county’s Quality Rental Housing Workgroup presented a draft of ideas last night for how to improve conditions for Portland renters. The big gist of the report is that the county should hire six new housing inspectors and restructure fines so that chronic violators […]
Posted inNews
Condoms Among Corn Dogs
Planned Parenthood Digs Up Voters at the State Fair
Planned Parenthood races to reach voters in unlikely places.
Posted inArtsy
Graffiti Crew Stuck Up at Sticker Art
A street art show happening at Eclectica this Friday is raising some ire at the city as it toes the line for legal art. The show, called Slaptown, is organized by Portland street sticker artist New Colony, who’s been slapping up home-made stickers on newspaper boxes and street signs for three years now. He’s solicited […]
Posted inFood and Drink
The Cake Vote
Sometimes working at the Mercury means you have to do things you don’t want to. Like distribute contraceptive information at the state fair. I headed down to Salem on Sunday evening to do just that (for a story about John McCain, Planned Parenthood and Fritos-lovin’ fair goers that’ll be in this week’s news section). Because […]
Posted inSchools
What’s Not Public in the Public Schools Discussion?
The often-scathing blog Portland Public Schools Equity has a great post today about the lack of public discussion among school board members over last night’s appointment of their newest member, the Oregonian-endorsed Martin Gonzalez. The vote wasn’t a surprise – Gonzalez was the only candidate with a lot of experience who agreed with the school […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning News!
It’s the morning after Obama’s big speech, but the big headline is: McCain picked a running mate! The female governor of Alaska Sarah Palin, a pro-life, deeply Christian, hockey mom reformer. Everyone has an opinion. Obama gave a down-to-earth speech that 50 billion news agencies describe as “adding policy to soaring rhetoric” despite the stadium […]
Posted inFood and Drink
Seven Cent Solution – Local Foods in Portland Schools
Portland Environmental group EcoTrust is taking a big step forward this year toward their goal of getting public schools to use local foods in their cafeteria lunches. The group just won a $295,000 grant that will reimburse Portland and Gervais district schools seven cents per lunch to acquire and serve local foods this year. Usually, […]
Posted inNews
Welcome to Portlandistan
Mentors Help Portland’s Evangelical Russian Teens Conquer English, YouTube, and Borat
Mentors help teens from Portland’s conservative Russian communities get hip to America.