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Opinion
Posted inOpinion

Why RFK Isn’t a Joke

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is defiantly ignorant—which is why he’s so dangerous.
Avatar photo Vivian McCall

Get your yucks out. Worm guy is funny. Worm guy is ridiculous. Ha ha ha ha ha therewasafuckingworminhisbrainorsohesays. Last week, the Senate actually confirmed Robert “The Worm” F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. A vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist is the most powerful health official in the United States, and therefore […]

Posted inSports Talk

The Portland Trail Blazers Aren’t Good at Basketball (Relative to the Standard of an NBA Team)

How Blazers fans can seek the future in the ruin. 
Avatar photo Corbin Smith

The question “Why is this basketball team bad?” can make for some very complicated answers. Mismatched or redundant personnel, poor coaching, crummy work environment, archaic tactical makeup, “Bad Vibes”… all these things require lengthy explanations, but are still real, terrible reasons why your team can be sinking into the ocean.  What a blessing for an […]

Posted inOpinion

Opinion: Homelessness is Economics

We can’t have a serious conversation about homelessness until we address wages. 
Avatar photo Jonathan Tasini

Jane, a pseudonym, is a young single mom with a small child and no local family support system. When she was fired from a local fast food restaurant for attendance issues due to a lack of childcare, she could not afford to keep a home, finding only tenuous housing after her eviction because a few […]

Posted inHoliday Guide 2024 🎅

STREET VIEW: Gravel in the Bike Lane

PBOT’s maintenance woes aren’t just a problem for people who travel by car.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

[Editor’s note: Read all our holly jolly HOLIDAY GUIDE articles here. Looking for a print copy? Good! You can find it in more than 500 spots across Portland with this handy map!] In the bike-friendly cities of Northern Europe, a phrase is sometimes used to lightly chastise those who are intimidated to cycle in the […]

Posted inOpinion

Portland’s Ranked Choice Voting Was a Success (Despite What the Oregonian Claims)

The newspaper asserts that Ranked Choice Voting “cratered” voter engagement. That’s bullshit.
Avatar photo Wm. Steven Humphrey

Starting in January 2025, Portland will have the most diverse, and politically balanced City Council in the history of our city. Full stop. The reason why we’re able to celebrate this indisputable fact is thanks to charter reform and ranked choice voting, which allowed citizens from every demographic and Portland neighborhood the opportunity to serve […]

Posted inOpinion

Editorial: What’s at Stake in the Mayor’s Race

Portlanders worked hard for a better form of government. Without the right leader, we’ll be stuck in a rut of dysfunction.
Avatar photo The Mercury Election Strike Force

Portland is at a pivotal juncture. The city is poised to boost its tourism appeal by welcoming a new professional women’s basketball team and potentially a baseball stadium while simultaneously scrambling to build more housing and shelter space. All of this will happen with a brand new governing system and new elected leaders at the […]

Posted inElection Guide 2024

Updated (Again): Rene’s Receipts

A time line of the scandals, goof-ups, and power plays of mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez.
Avatar photo Wm. Steven Humphrey

Fall 2020 Rene Gonzalez forms ED300—a parent activist group designed to pressure lawmakers, state agencies, and public officials to send children back to school… during the height of the deadliest part of the pandemic, and long before COVID vaccines were available. Later ED300 would endorse Oregon school board candidates who held anti-trans/Islamist beliefs, were against […]

Posted inElection Guide 2024

Editorial: What’s at Stake in the Mayor’s Race

Portlanders worked hard for a better form of government. Without the right leader, we’ll be stuck in a rut of dysfunction.
Avatar photo The Mercury Election Strike Force

Portland is at a pivotal juncture. The city is poised to boost its tourism appeal by welcoming a new professional women’s basketball team and potentially a baseball stadium while simultaneously scrambling to build more housing and shelter space. All of this will happen with a brand new governing system and new elected leaders at the […]

Posted inElection Guide 2024

Street View: How Transportation is Shaping This Year’s Election

Many of this year’s City Council candidates can hold their own in wonky transportation spaces. Here’s how activists got in their ears, and what might come of it.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Despite claims about the political influence of Portland’s all-powerful “bike lobby,” transportation issues have not been a top city priority for some time. This is partially evident from the ignorant rhetoric out of the current Portland City Council, but it’s also clear just from taking a look around the city: Portland officials have long neglected […]

Posted inStreet View

STREET VIEW: Is the Central Eastside Good Now?

Okay, the area has always had its charms. But thanks to new bike infrastructure and a vision for the future, it’s getting a lot better.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

On a scorching Sunday at the end of July a couple years ago, I hopped on my bike and raced over to Portland’s Central Eastside, where a massive and revelrous gathering was taking place. I had been looking forward to the event for weeks, knowing it would be a real “who’s who” of Portland; a […]

Posted inStreet View

STREET VIEW: Let Portland’s E-Bike Revolution Begin

A plan to use PCEF money for electric bike rebates could be a game-changer for the city—if leaders are willing to listen.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Over the last few years, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of witnessing dozens of people having their first experience on an electric bike. Even though the e-bike has become a standard in my personal transportation repertoire, I always get a rush of excitement when I watch someone else experience the electric pedal boost for the […]

Posted inStreet View

STREET VIEW: Biketown for Who?

Portland deserves a better bike share program.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

At the end of May, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) announced upcoming adjustments to Biketown, the city’s Nike-branded bike share program. The changes involve cuts to Biketown for All: the popular, critical component of the bike share system that has allowed thousands of low-income Portlanders to temporarily rent electric bikes, essentially free of charge.  […]

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