Minh Tran OH! WHY, HELLO THERE, newcomer! Welcome to Portland, Oregon. You’ve picked a wonderful city in which to live, and… oh. Okay, I see you’ve brought your friends. Aaaaand they’ve brought their friends, too! Well… NO PROBLEM. In fact, on behalf of everyone here at the Portland Mercury, I say “the more, the merrier!”—although […]
Portland
Posted inPortland
Portland Rents are More than “Too Damn High”—it’s a State of Emergency
NEW WINDOWS were the first sign of trouble. The Brentwood-Pinecrest Apartments in North Portland were getting a facelift from the new owners, who were also promising other amenities, such as online bill payment. “It was after the new windows that the people in the other building all got their eviction notices. It was the beginning […]
Posted inPortland
Meet Hawkman & Hawkgirl: The Newest Residents of Burnside 26
Courtesy CW “Hi, I’m Hawkman!”“And I’m Hawkgirl, and we’re…“Together: “The newest residents of BURNSIDE 26.”“You may know us from our many appearances in DC Comics…”“And as the newest castmembers of Legends of Tomorrow, debuting mid-season on the CW.““But did you know that we just recently moved to Portland?”“That’s right, Hawkman. We fell in love with […]
Posted inPortland
“Citizen Oversight Is Always Good”: Mercury Letters to the Editor
KINOKO EVANS E-TICKET TO THE FUTURERE: “Ticketless to Ride” [News, Sept 2], regarding concerns over the transition of Portland’s public transportation to digital fares. DEAR MERCURY—I’ll give you that TriMet runs through public money like a 12-year-old girl with a Hot Topic gift card. But your story about the coming e-fare system smells wrong. You […]
Posted inPortland
Don’t Forget: Tilikum Crossing Bridge Opens Saturday
While we may have gotten used to seeing it just sitting there, the Tilikum Crossing Bridge will absolutely open tomorrow (Saturday, Sept 12), and IT’S KIND OF A BIG DEAL. Whether you approve of its pedestrian- and MAX-only status or not, bridges define Portland and the addition of a new one is something to celebrate. […]
Posted inPortland
It’s Official: Ted Wheeler’s Running Against Mayor Charlie Hales Next Year
Uploading a newspaper to the web is a long and tiresome process, but news is happening now. Here’s a special preview of this week’s Hall Monitor column. TED WHEELER wants to make one thing clear: It’s not about Mayor Charlie Hales. Wheeler, the Oregon state treasurer and former Multnomah County chair says it’s just that […]
Posted inPortland
“We Are Stars!”: This Week’s Mercury Letters
CARLI DAVIDSON INVESTMENT RE: “North Portland Rising” [News, Aug 26], regarding one renter’s efforts to save a 115-year-old house in his neighborhood from demolition for new market-rate apartments. DEAR MERCURY—The big, bad developer dismissed [Judge] Finklea’s concerns because “he’s a renter with no money, no resources.” Finklea objects to the project because “people who move […]
Posted inPortland
“We Don’t Need Your Stinking Rules”: This Week’s Letters Section!
BUGGER YOUR BURGERS! RE: Burger Week (Aug 10-16), an annual citywide bonanza of limited-edition $5 burgers. Promotion of the event includes reminders to order additional items and tip appropriately, AKA the Commandments of Burger Week. DEAR MERCURY—I hate to break it to you, but guess what? Being a civil human being with some semblance of […]
Posted inArtsy
Arts Exit: Portland Filmmakers Chart the Impact of Gutted Arts Funding
ARTS EXIT Try complaining about the arts tax after seeing this, you monster. “We did whatever it took. We’re a two-woman team,” says first-time filmmaker Emily Sterling when we meet up at Perception Media’s office in a converted bungalow on NE Broadway. Sterling and Char Hutson’s debut documentary, Arts Exit: Saving the Creative Kid, which […]
Posted inPortland
Pacific Northwest Nature by Drone
I have to paint my bathroom this weekend, but if I wasn’t, I might very well be headed to a natural body of water or forest trail for one of our famously beautiful Pacific Northwest outdoor excursions. Alas, I’m in home-improvement jail for the foreseeable future so I just have to live vicariously through things […]
Posted inPortland
“There Are a Lot of People in This Town Hanging by a Thread”: This Week’s Letters to the Editor
Jen Wang INTENT AND BENIGN NEGLECT RE: “How We Got Here” [Feature, Aug 5], an overview of Portland’s history of planning decisions leading up to the current population influx and ensuing affordable housing crisis. DEAR MERCURY—Is there a crisis? Certainly. Was it the result of poor leadership, inadequate resources, and out-of-whack policies by a generation […]
Posted inPortland
Car2Go, Pizza, and the Worst People Ever: This Week’s Mercury Letters Section
ANDREA TSURUMI OUT OF THE LOOP RE: “Car2Go Yanking Service from East Portland and St. Johns” [Blogtown, July 31], regarding a change in the service area in Portland. DEAR MERCURY—Neo-liberal capitalist corporations have no interest in providing the working-class poor a safe, affordable way home from work late at night, and judging by the number […]