If you’re reading this, you probably know the value of the Mercury’s news reporting, arts and culture coverage, event calendar, and the bevy of events we host throughout the year. The work we do helps our city shine, but we can’t do it without your support. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!
GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋
Get ready for another extremely hot couple of days with temperatures once again predicted to reach a scorching 97 degrees today and tomorrow. (So keep an eye on your vulnerable neighbors, please and thank you!) The good news? The Mercury's BURGER WEEK has arrived, babies! So slip on a tank top and a thong, and dash out to try any of 102 (!!) delicious, creative, one-of-a-kind burgers across the entire Portland metro area. Check out all the yummy burgs here and plot your course with the Burger Week map. And now? It's time to plot your course through the often uncanny valley of NEWS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• A truly horrifying hit and run occurred Sunday morning, as a cyclist on the Morrison Bridge who was on his way to participate in the Bridge Pedal was struck and severely injured by the driver of a pickup truck who paused briefly but then fled the scene. The cyclist suffered significant injuries, but was transported to the hospital and is expected to live. Portland Police was unable to locate the driver, but is searching for "a white Toyota Tundra pickup 4-door crewcab, with black wheels, a black (or possibly missing) left side gas cap, and no license plates." Bike Portland has the story along with disturbing video from the scene.
The rider was not on the official course, but it happened on the Morrison Bridge
bikeportland.org/2025/08/10/b...
— BikePortland (@bikeportland.org) August 10, 2025 at 2:26 PM
[image or embed]
• Portland Police has a long, disturbing history of people who are experiencing mental breaks dying during arrests (such as the recent in-custody death of Damon Lamarr Johnson)—so much so that many are screaming for another agency (many have suggested Portland Street Response) to take over mental health calls. BUT HERE'S THE THING: Portland already has an agency in place that can do exactly that—Project Respond—but the police rarely ever use them. Why not? Our Courtney Vaughn dives deep into this story with her excellent and chilling Mercury report.
• Good news: According to a new report, homicides in Portland have dropped a welcome 51 percent since the beginning of 2024—the most of any major city in America. Robberies and aggravated assaults have also decreased, and all this good news is most likely due to the hard work being done by local groups including the "Love is Stronger" organization, which encourages teens to get out the word to their peers to help discourage gun violence. Violent crime is also dropping across the nation, despite what liars like Trump and his squirmy minions may claim.
• As our Taylor Griggs reports, the Willamette River has undergone a big cultural shift in the last decade, with Portlanders now seeing the river as a safe place to swim and recreate—and the thanks goes out to organizations like Human Access Project, which has spent years cleaning beaches and advocating for a cleaner waterway. That said, manmade problems still occasionally create bad situations for everyone, including a toxic algae bloom which is currently growing in the Ross Island Lagoon and could endanger summer river fun for the rest of the city. While the situation is still in the safe zone, be on the alert and remember that these algae blooms are especially deadly for river-loving dogs.
Take a trip down memory lane with the Mercury's 25th Anniversary spectacular, featuring our wildest and funniest antics of the past quarter century—online and in print at more than 500 spots all around the city! Pick up your copy today!🗞️🏃♀️
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) August 7, 2025 at 11:18 AM
[image or embed]
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Despite the fact that crime is at a 30-year low, Liar-in-Chief Donald Trump continued to flex his authoritarian muscles this morning by announcing he intends to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops and FBI agents into Washington, DC, while plotting a federal takeover of the local police department and city. The threat was issued after a 19-year-old former member of DOGE who goes by the nickname "Big Balls"—sigh... I know, right?—was allegedly beaten during a reported carjacking. King Fool is also planning on using these soldiers to force all homeless people out of the city—and if you don't think this is just a practice run for similar actions in other cities (like ours), you better think again.
— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) August 11, 2025 at 8:26 AM
• A federal judge in New York has denied the release of the DOJ-requested grand jury transcripts from the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein’s partner in sex crimes, Ghislaine Maxwell. Trump had ordered the DOJ to seek the release of the documents—which most say would not reveal any new surprises—in order to draw attention away from the potential release of the famed Epstein client list that very well may implicate the president and other high profile creeps. The judge reasoned that the circumstances of the case do not merit breaking the secrecy of grand jury proceedings.
• In the Israel government's latest crime against humanity, the military targeted and murdered five journalists working for Al Jazeera in a Sunday airstrike, because one of them allegedly (and doubtfully) was working for Hamas. Al Jazeera has denied those dubious claims and has called the targeted strike an "assassination."
• Saaaaad trommmmboooooone:
Vice President J.D. Vance's marriage appears to be falling apart behind the scenes, Amanda Marcotte wrote for Salon — and the two barely seem to be capable of hiding how much they "loathe each other" at this point.
— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) August 11, 2025 at 7:00 AM
[image or embed]
• Despite the president's many pre-election promises to lower prices for Americans, costs continue to rise for groceries and other staples, and things are only projected to get worse as King Fool's idiotic tariffs kick into high gear. The good news is that Trump's approval ratings continue to tank, and these high prices could soon convince his most brainwashed followers that they've been hoodwinked... just in time for the midterm elections.
• And finally... nothing beats dating tips from a smart, sassy Slavic gal. Listen and learn!
@thatksenia true story. just a little role reversal. now he knows 🪞 #bigproblems ♬ original sound - Ksenia
