Last week, about 200 local residents crowded a public hearing to voice their concern over a proposed buyout of Portland General Electric. Three days before declaring bankruptcy in November, failing energy megalith Enron declared its intention to sell PGE to another Northwest power company, NW Natural. Proponents of the merger say that bringing 1.25 million […]
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When Is A Baby Not A Baby?
New Federal Guidelines May Jeopardize Abortion Rights
Last Thursday, January 31, the Bush administration issued a proposed regulation that would give legal rights to an unborn fetus. According to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, who made the announcement, the proposal is part of an effort on the part of the Bush administration to increase prenatal care for women and babies. […]
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The Need for Speed
County Puts Brakes on Drag Racing
It was raining on the night of Friday, January 18. On the far reaches of NE Glisan, two cars were side-by-side, nearly doubling the 40-mph speed limit. Pulling ahead of a purple Honda, the other racer slid across four lanes of traffic and jumped the curb. Sparks flew and the car skidded, coming to an […]
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Do Not Pass Go, Pay Us $200
Prisoners Required to Pay for Time in Jail
In mid-December, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office decided to terminate a program which required prisoners to pay the government back for time spent in jail. The “pay-to-stay” program, as named by the sheriff’s office, required incarcerated individuals to pay–after their release–$60 for each day they spent in jail, in order to cover the cost of […]
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Cable Access Denied
Late-Night Smut Show Kicks Off Debate Over Censorship
James Jordan says that his cable access program, The Harry Lime Show, is “objectionable by design.” Produced at Multnomah Community Television (MCTV), the sizable Jordan appears weekly in a leather hood. His only regular guest is a dildo. While it may not be considered “pornography” in the strictest sense, the show would certainly make Mary […]
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Whose Park Is It Anyway?
Living Statue Slapped with Trespassing in Pioneer Square
Billed as the City’s “living room,” Pioneer Square has no walls. It is allegedly open to everyone: Shoppers carrying Nordstorm bags stroll alongside punks and panhandlers. But a recent court case and complaints from peaceful protesters who use the space have touched off a debate about who is really welcome in the park and what […]
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The Grind of Labor Unions
The IWW Looks For Its First Major Victory
A small health food store in Southeast Portland has become the staging ground for the latest battle being waged by the radical labor union Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Claiming to want more responsive management, a handful of employees at the Daily Grind have moved for a union at the deli and health food […]
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Where’d the Money Go?
Battered Women and Others Face Reduced State Services
“We need $70 million; we asked for 25 and received 2.5,” explains Chiquita Rollins, the coordinator of domestic violence programs for Multnomah County. Badly understaffed and without specialized services for ethnic women, programs for victims of domestic violence around the state have been skeletal for the past decade. And though advocates convinced the State of […]
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Building the West End
Houses and Businesses Struggle for Space
In a final resolution to a two-year battle, City Council voted last Wednesday to unanimously adopt new zoning laws for Portland’s West End Project–a section of blocks adjacent to W Burnside and NW 11th Avenue. To the partial relief of housing advocates, the approved plan scales back the extremely aggressive business growth in the area–upscale […]
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Hippies of the World Unite!
Wanting Their Eden Back, Nature’s Employees Vote to Unionize
Fought with pro-union pins and passionate notes on the company bulletin board, there is a war waging at Nature’s on Division. On the surface, the conflict may seem placid and even civil. But as a vote nears whether to approve a union for 70 employees with the local International Workers of the World, that battle […]
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The Money Pit
Anti-Displacement Programs in Jeopardy
The faultline between the Portland-that-was and the city-that-will-be is Interstate Avenue. The North Portland area is slated for a major overhaul over the coming decade; the backbone of the project is an extension of Tri-Met’s tracks intended to connect the much-neglected neighborhoods of North Portland to the city’s core. But urban developers have long worried […]
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The Tax Man Cometh
Court Decision Freezes Portland’s Future Plans for Urban Development
A year ago, the popular Northeast burrito shop, La Sirenita, underwent a facelift. Crumbling walls and peeling paint on the storefront were replaced with sand-colored, salmon-flecked tiles. It is the type of commercial improvement that makes business owners proud and helps draw in customers who may have been put off by a decrepit exterior. But […]