Robby Bricker’Voyles in an Esther’s Pantry T-shirt. Robby Bricker’Voyles For most Portlanders, the COVID-19 pandemic is the first time that their lives have been upended by a sudden and unrelenting virus. But that’s not the case for LGBTQ+ people old enough to remember the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 90s, like Robby Bricker’Voyles. Bricker’Voyles, […]
Coronavirus
Posted inFashion
So You Want Quarantine Bangs…
odbNLnKt / Getty Images Pandemic bangs. I know you’re thinking about them. I have seen people across the internet flirting with cutting fringe for themselves. Is it cabin fever? Coping? A thirst to control some aspect of life when everything else feels so… out of hand? The freedom that no one will see you for […]
Posted inNews
Trump Coronavirus “GUIDELINES” Land in West Coast Mailboxes
Delivered to a local mailbox yesterday. Roberto When he’s in front of cameras, President Trump has been lying over and over again about coronavirus, minimizing its lethality, promising the illness will miraculously disappear soon, and claiming his administration has done things (like invoking the Defense Production Act) when, in fact, it has not. This week, […]
Posted inNews
Today’s Coronavirus News Roundup: Detailed COVID-19 Reports on the Way, Pok Pok Shutters, and STOP BROADCASTING TRUMP’S PRESS BRIEFINGS!
Stop broadcasting Trump’s lie-fests! Alex Wong / Getty News Here’s your daily roundup of all the local and national news about COVID-19. (Like our coverage? Please consider donating to the Mercury to keep it comin’!) • On a press call today, Gov. Kate Brown said that the Oregon Health Authority will soon report more detailed […]
Posted inNews
Oregon Inmate Files Federal Lawsuit Against Columbia County Jail’s “Indifferent” Response to COVID-19
Columbia County Sheriff’s Office A diabetic man being held in Oregon’s Columbia County Jail (CCJ) has filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the county and its top law enforcement officials for “willfully and wantonly” dismissing the public health threat caused by COVID-19. “Across the world, country, and Oregon, extraordinary and unprecedented measures affecting every aspect […]
Posted inFood and Drink
Pok Pok’s Andy Ricker Announces Shut Down of All His Restaurants
Courtesy Pok Pok Wings Award winning local chef Andy Ricker announced on Instagram this morning that he will be shuttering all of his restaurants until further notice—even for take-out and delivery—out of fear he can no longer keep a safe working distance for the workers in his many kitchens, and out of remorse following the […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Are You in Recovery and Isolated by the COVID-19 Crisis? Here’s Help!
valentinrussanov / Getty Images Many of us forced into isolation by the COVID-19 crisis are greatly inconvenienced, for sure—but what if your state of mind and health depends on contact with other people? Such is the problem faced by those recovering from addictions who really count on the interaction they receive from groups such as […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: Congress Agrees on Relief Package, Trump’s Easter Massacre, and Comrade Britney Spears!
We need your help. The economic fallout of COVID-19 has threatened our ability to keep producing the news and entertainment you need. If you’re able, please consider donating to the Mercury. <img src="https://media2.fdncms.com/portmerc/imager/u/large/28195833/1585151767-schumer_alex_wong.jpg" alt="Sen. Chuck Schumer pushed for workers rights in relief package. (Alex Wong/Getty)” title=”Sen. Chuck Schumer pushed for workers rights in relief package.”> […]
Posted inCoronavirus
“How’s the Portland Mercury Doing?”: An Update
Remember the old days when we published newspapers? Man… good times. Good times. Hello Portland friends and fellow quarantiners! In what felt like a lifetime ago (actually just 12 days), I wrote to tell you that the Portland Mercury was in some real financial trouble after the COVID-19 crisis kicked the legs out from under […]
Posted inNews
Is Multnomah County’s Jail System Prepared for COVID-19?
Entry sign at the Inverness Jail, one of Multnomah County’s two jail facilities. Multnomah County As the coronavirus spreads across Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown has ordered all critical facilities that remain open to practice strict social distancing guidelines—allowing individuals to have at least six feet of space between each other. Those rules have proven too […]
Posted inNews
The Federal Government Has Sent Oregon 25 Percent of the Emergency Medical Gear it Needs
Gov. Kate Brown speaks to reporters at a press conference last week. motoya nakamura/ Multnomah county Oregon is receiving two shipments of personal protective equipment (PPE)—gear medical workers use to protect their health in the face of COVID-19, such as N95 masks—this week from the federal government. Gov. Kate Brown said on a call to […]
Posted inNews
Today’s Coronavirus News Roundup: Mayor Extends State of Emergency, and Trump to “Reopen” Country by Easter? LOL!
Mayor Ted Wheeler on Portland’s state of emergency this afternoon. Mercury Staff Here are your latest local and national COVID-19 updates… now, let’s get informed! • At a press conference today, Mayor Ted Wheeler said that Portland’s state of emergency would be extended by two weeks (it can only be extended two weeks at a […]