$15 now! Don’t you just love a good march? Union folks, laborers, the 15 Now group, and dozens of supporters certainly do. Earlier today a big ol’ group rallied outside Portland City Hall, demanding a minimum wage increase to $15. “We think the state is taking a step in the right direction, for sure, with […]
Shelby R. King
Posted inPortland
Making the Case for Rent Control
Illustration: Levi Greenacres IT’S A WILD-EYED time for tenants in the Portland metro housing market. In 2008, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment cost an average of $847. In 2015, the same apartment goes for an average of $1,432—a 69 percent increase. Local government, civic, and community groups are scrambling to find solutions. Earlier this month, City […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News!: Freeway Closure, Climate Change, and Presidential Campaigns
It’s hot, guys. Let’s have some Wednesday news! Southbound I-5 is closed this morning, commuters! A semi truck full of empty wine bottles is to blame, and traffic is being rerouted. You can check for updates here. The air is hot, and the water is warm. Know what happens in those conditions? Algae blooms! I […]
Posted inNews
Affordable Housing Requirements Upheld By California Supreme Court
JENNY ZYCH “The rent is too damn high!” The California Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of cities’ and counties’ ability to require that developers include affordable units in new housing projects, according to this LA Times article. “It will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with California‘s current housing market that the […]
Posted inNews
Kotek Proposes Statewide Minimum Wage Increase To $13 By 2018
Starting at $13, heading toward $15? There’s an ally for minimum wage earners in the House: Speaker Tina Kotek! Kotek announced today she’s trying to get Oregon’s minimum wage up to $13 by 2018, and “give cities and counties the flexibility to set a higher minimum wage to reflect the cost of living in their […]
Posted inNews
Oregon Man Kills Bald Eagles, Is Worst Person Ever
Bald eagle be throwin’ shade It’s too late for this asshole to win the Merc‘s Worst Person contest, but he’d have been a shoe-in. Dennis C. Thompson, 28, of Union (yes, that’s an Oregon town. It’s near La Grande in the Northeastern corner) was cited by Alaska State Troopers after he reportedly plowed his Ford […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News!: A Head Transplant, A Dead Zone, And A News Dump
It’s Pride Weekend! In true CIA Friday News Dump form, the organization yesterday released a treasure-trove of formerly classified documents relating to the 9/11 attacks. Yay, transparency! Um. The O‘s got a map of possible routes mile-long combustible trains could take into Portland, if Pembina is allowed to ship their propane here. The mayor and […]
Posted inNews
Pedalpalooza Ride Stopped Fast-Track! Well, No, But…
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Swager The folks in the photo above probably just got their wish today. Last night they took a Pedalpalooza ride to protest fast-tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a Pacific Rim free trade agreement that President Obama is trying to push through Congress. Today, the House of Representatives, in a 302-126 vote, torpedoed […]
Posted inNews
Man Shot by Police Indicted by Grand Jury
Michael Shawn Harrison A Portland man shot by police last month has been indicted by a Multnomah Grand Jury on multiple charges, according to a news release. Michael Shawn Harrison, 48, is charged with two counts of menacing and one count each of first-degree burglary and unlawful use of a weapon. READ THE REST AFTER […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News!: Count Dracula, Whole Foods, and Weed. Always Weed.
Clouds! It’s Thursday! And it’s not so damn hot today! Let’s have some news! The Drug Policy Alliance is looking to Oregon to show the rest of the world just how wholesome weed is. Hey, remember the Mercury has this weed party coming up, by the way, guys. See you there! Those killers who escaped […]
Posted inNews
Pay Up or Get Out
Uncapped Rent Increases Are Displacing Portland’s
Most Vulnerable
The rent is too damn high, and it’s just getting higher.
Posted inPortland
Skyrocketing Rents Are Pushing Out Portland’s Most Vulnerable
Photo: Jeff Gunn PORTLAND RESIDENT Caroline Sojourner signed a lease last year for $750 a month. On August 1, when it’s time to renew, that price will jump to $1,087. Sojourner can’t afford the $337 a month increase, and says she’s been sick with worry that she’s going to have to move from her Brooklyn […]