Support Smart, Local Journalism
Make a Small Monthly Donation

Give now

Politics
Posted inNews

Sen. Merkley: US Aid Fuels Israel’s Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine

Following a recent trip to Israel and the West Bank, Oregon senator says US and its allies have a moral obligation to stop providing military support for the war in Gaza
Avatar photo Abe Asher

Sen. Jeff Merkley isn’t mincing words on the complicity of the United States in the ongoing decimation of Gaza.  “This is horrific, and we are complicit in it,” Merkley said in an interview last week with the Mercury. “We are complicit because we provide the bombs, we provide the rifles, we provide the shells, we provide […]

Posted inNews

Elected Officials, Advocates Urge Oregon’s Congressional Delegation to “Block the Bombs” to Israel

Local lawmakers want Oregon’s US representatives to support a legislative effort to curtail spending in Israel amid its ongoing siege on Gaza.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Mohanad, a Palestinian who currently lives in Oregon, says he is proud of his adopted home in the United States. But during the last two years, Mohanad has spent most days worrying about his family in Gaza, including his mother, who lives with multiple chronic health conditions, and mourning those who have been killed by […]

Posted inNews

Update: Oregon Lawmakers Make Another Go at a Transportation Funding Package

The bill, expected to raise roughly $4.5 billion over the next 10 years, was approved by the Oregon House and will now move onto the Senate—after a hiatus. 
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Update 9/3, 8 am: With one Democratic member of the Oregon Senate, Chris Gorsek, out for health reasons, the special session is effectively on hold. Democrats can’t afford to lose a vote, so they’ll need to wait until Gorsek is healthy enough to return to Salem and vote “aye” on the bill. The current plan is […]

Posted inNews

Despite State Transportation Funding Crisis, Construction Begins on I-5 Rose Quarter Project

As legislators prepare to duke it out over transportation funding in a special session this week, ODOT has quietly broken ground on the first phase of the $2.1 billion freeway project.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) broke ground on the first phase of the I-5 Rose Quarter project this week—an event nearly a decade in the making. But the occasion commenced without fanfare. Even after years of buildup for the project, ODOT didn’t hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark its official start, nor did the […]

Posted inNews

County Commissioner’s Staffer Fired After Scrutiny Over Political Activity

Communications manager Vikki Payne left Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards’ office in early August, after taking heat for actions involving a PAC she oversaw.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

Updated: 10:52 am August 21 A staffer in Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards’ office who ran a controversial political action committee that often skewered county leadership has been fired. Vikki Payne, a communications and project manager who worked for Brim-Edwards since she began her term as commissioner in 2023, is no longer employed with the […]

Posted inNews

Portland’s Most Effective Channel For Addressing Community Concerns is a Back Door

The city’s Public Environment Management Office runs frequent community meetings and gets quick results. You just might not know about it. 
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Portland’s new form of government, which went into effect this year, was designed to make it more accessible for all residents to participate in city policy discussions. Still, most Portlanders struggle to figure out how to cut through layers of local bureaucracy to make their voices heard, with limited time and opportunities available to speak […]

Posted inNews

Portland City Councilor Hires, Then Immediately Fires Controversial Local Podcaster

Andy Chandler, an anti-“woke” online commentator, was recently tapped by Councilor Dan Ryan’s team to do video work. Ryan’s office says Chandler is no longer on staff.
Avatar photo Kevin Foster

Local podcast host and video producer Andy Chandler was hired as a part-time videographer by City Councilor Dan Ryan, then fired soon afterward when Ryan’s office discovered Chandler’s public political views. “We had hired Andy Chandler to work as a videographer for us part-time, but as some information about his past expressions of personal views […]

Posted inNews

Preschool for All Advocates Put Kotek and State Legislators on Notice

When Salem lawmakers moved to gut Multnomah County’s preschool tax, program supporters jumped to its defense. Their efforts seem to have worked—for now.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

When Riley McPhee’s twins were born four years ago, he and his wife immediately began looking into their childcare and preschool options. After looking into multiple programs and crunching numbers, it became clear that the kids’ monthly daycare expenses would end up consuming the entirety of his income. McPhee and his wife decided to have […]

Posted inNews

Oregon Bill Expanding Police Use of Drones Without Warrants Alarms Civil Rights Advocates

Despite concerns over privacy and civil rights violations, lawmakers are backing an effort to reduce legal hurdles for police surveillance via drones.
Avatar photo Abe Asher

A new bill moving through the Oregon Legislature would make it easier for law enforcement agencies to use drones without a warrant—and it has civil rights advocates alarmed.  “This is just another example of an unnecessary and really excessive expansion of law enforcement authority,” Michael Abrams, policy counsel at the ACLU of Oregon, said. “I […]

Posted inNews

Recent Portland Police Actions at ICE Facility Test the Limits of Sanctuary Laws

As anti-ICE protests escalate in Portland, state leaders call for peaceful protest, but confusion over police involvement lingers.
Avatar photo Kevin Foster

This story has been corrected to indicate the city’s Impact Reduction team posted signs warning of a campsite removal outside the ICE facility. Updated: 12:40 pm June 13 ICE arrested two more asylum seekers at Portland’s immigration courthouse on Tuesday, amid protests that have continued to escalate in front of the ICE facility on Macadam […]

Posted inNews

With Newfound Sway in City Hall, Portland’s Democratic Socialists Hope to Redefine the City’s Priorities

Amid a local budget crisis and national chaos, Portland DSA has big goals. For the first time, it also has a group of allies on City Council. 
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

How do you solve a problem like an unprecedented city budget deficit? Over the last few months of budget planning, Portland leaders suggested a host of ways to close the roughly $93 million gap, from closing community centers and cutting positions in the Urban Forestry department, to slashing parks maintenance funds. To members of the […]

Posted inNews

What Will It Take to Thwart Trump’s Assault on Democracy?

As the US hurtles toward fascism, some urge Americans to resist en masse.
Avatar photo Abe Asher

Plenty of ink has been spilled over the last decade on the question of whether President Donald Trump is a fascist or not. Shane Burley, a journalist and author who covers the far right, says it doesn’t particularly matter.  “The question of whether or not Donald Trump is a fascist is sometimes a red herring,” […]

Gift this article