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Taylor Griggs

Taylor Griggs is a news reporter for the Portland Mercury. She is interested in all of your ideas, comments and concerns, particularly those related to transportation, climate, labor, and Portland city government. Send Taylor an email at tgriggs@portlandmercury.com, and find her on Bluesky @taylorgriggs. 
Posted inStreet View

Street View: For Transportation in Portland, “Dreaming Big” Might Mean Starting Small

We can’t have it all.
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Earlier this week, to the dismay of local freeway fighters, Metro Council moved to allow the Oregon Department of Transportation to get started on the initial phases of its I-5 Rose Quarter project. Given the controversy surrounding the freeway project, the councilors apparently felt they had to justify their decision, responding in part to the […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Elon Musk Loses in Wisconsin, Tesla Protesters Keep Protesting, and I-5 Rose Quarter Project Moves Forward

Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

If you’re reading this, you probably know the value of the Mercury’s news reporting, arts and culture coverage, event calendar, and the bevy of events we host throughout the year. The work we do helps our city shine, but we can’t do it without your support. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism […]

Posted inNews

Metro Says “Yes” To ODOT’s I-5 Plan

The agency plans to begin construction on the Rose Quarter project this summer, but doesn’t have the funding for the entire $1.5-1.9 billion plan.
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The Metro Council voted on April 1 to move the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) I-5 Rose Quarter plan forward, approving $250 million in additional funding for the freeway expansion project. Most members of the Council agreed that while the project may have its flaws, those are outweighed by its potential community development and economic […]

Posted inNews

ODOT Wants To Start Building The I-5 Rose Quarter Project—With Only Enough Money for Half of It

Critics are skeptical the transportation agency will fulfill its promise to reconnect the Albina neighborhood with caps over I-5. 
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

After nearly a decade of planning and frequent political and financial obstacles, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is closer than ever to breaking ground on its I-5 Rose Quarter project—at least, part of it.  ODOT’s full plans for I-5 through Portland’s Rose Quarter include widening the freeway in both directions and covering it with […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Tenants Unions Fight Back, Feds Turn Their Gaze on PPS, and Trump’s Trying to Make Voting 19th Century Again

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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! Good morning, Portland! It was a beautiful, (but too-warm-for-March) day yesterday, and today […]

Posted inNews

Portland Preps for New, “Toes-in-the-Water” Riverfront Park

The waterfront bowl south of the Hawthorne Bridge is set for redevelopment, giving Portland another access point to the Willamette River. 
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For years, parks and river access enthusiasts have looked at the Tom McCall Bowl and seen unrealized potential. The bowl, a strip of beach located just south of the Hawthorne Bridge at the tail end of the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, is one of the only places a person can dip their toes in the […]

Posted inNews

Steel Bridge Skatepark Rolls Forward After Major Land Swap Approval

A land transfer between the state and city is officially in motion, putting the long-awaited Portland skatepark closer than ever to actualization. 
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Portland is closer than ever to breaking ground on the long-envisioned “crown jewel” skatepark on the west side of the Steel Bridge in Old Town.  The Steel Bridge Skatepark has been in the works for nearly two decades, with progress waxing and waning throughout that time. But the project has seen significant momentum in the […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Portland Car-Free Street/Plaza Updates, Violent Bullfighting Banned in Mexico City, and Gazans Experience Nightmare After Israel Resumes Attacks

Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

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!  Good morning, Portland! I hope your Wednesday mornings (plural because I recognize your […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Portland Leaders (Once Again) Weigh PCEF as Budget Crisis Fix, Trump Admin Declares War on Bike Lanes, and Everyone’s Mad at Chuck Schumer (Except Republicans)

Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

If you’re reading this, you probably know the value of the Mercury’s news reporting, arts and culture coverage, event calendar, and the bevy of events we host throughout the year. The work we do helps our city shine, but we can’t do it without your support. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism […]

Posted inNews

Fueling Portland’s Future: Renewable Fuels Come Under the Microscope at City Hall

New Portland leaders are pushing back on the city’s narrative around alternative fuels and their climate benefits. 
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Biofuels, created from organic matter like crops, garbage, vegetable oils, and human and animal waste, are often heralded as an ideal form of renewable energy. These energy sources have been touted by industry groups, scientists, and government bodies as a cleaner-burning alternative to fossil fuels, with advantages for air quality and carbon emissions.  Here in […]

Posted inNews

Portland Hearings Officer Signs Off on PGE’s Forest Park Utility Plan

The city sided with the utility company over a controversial plan to cut down 400 trees in Portland’s biggest park.
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Portland General Electric (PGE) has the green light from a city hearings officer to go ahead with a plan to build a new utility project in Forest Park. The decision puts Portland’s Hearings Office at odds with several of the city’s bureaus, which strongly opposed the plan because of its environmental impact on a five-acre […]

Posted inNews

Oregon Senate Bill Aims to Address Greenwashing

The bill has been criticized as overly broad and difficult to enforce, but environmental advocates say truthful marketing is crucial to addressing the climate crisis.
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As the effects of the climate crisis become increasingly clear, the market for “eco-friendly” products has become more and more lucrative, and politically significant. From household cleaner brands to gas utility companies, many businesses have found success by advertising their products as greener than the alternatives. The problem? Those claims aren’t always true.  It’s not […]

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