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Heyyyyyy. (Trying something new.) Good morning, Portland. I have good news! It’s not going to scorching hot today! Today’s high is supposed to be a mere 83 degrees, which will feel damn near chilly in comparison to what we’ve experienced the past couple days. It’ll be like getting back in the regular pool after sitting in the hot tub for an hour. Or eating a spoonful of ice cold gazpacho soup when you were expecting to be eating room temperature gazpacho soup.
Anyway, it’s also Burger Week, but you know that. I need to remind you, anyway. Life is short and Burger Week is even shorter. Before you know it, this week will be over. If you forget to participate in Burger Week, it’ll be at your own peril. You will be dragged down by remorse for the next 12 months. Don’t let that happen. I don’t want that to happen for you, my dear reader. (Some suggestions, courtesy of Mercury staff: The BLT Gone Wild burger at Sandy-O’s. The Western Bacon FirBurger at Grand Fir Brewing. The Green Chili Chorizo Juicy Lucy at Bunk Bar.)
Okay, let’s get to the news.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Last week, Portland City Council approved nearly $4 million to resolve two settlement claims against the city’s police bureau. The larger settlement was for $3.75 million, settling a wrongful death claim filed by the family of Immanueal “Manny” Clark-Johnson, a Black man who was shot and killed by a Portland police officer in 2022 after being mistaken for a robbery suspect. (Councilors also approved a false arrest and battery claim made by Hannah Ahern, who was violently arrested by Portland cops while observing a counter protest against the Proud Boys in 2019.) The votes to approve the settlement agreements were unanimous, as was the councilors’ condemnation of the Portland Police Bureau’s violent actions, particularly in the case of Manny Clark. The unity was notable for a City Council that recently sparred, quite dramatically, over police funding.
Still, some councilors appear to have issued stronger indictments than others, particularly when reacting to the fact that the officer who killed Clark, Christopher Sathoff, is still employed with the Portland Police Bureau in an “off-street” role. He was never even disciplined for his life-shattering actions, which a PPB investigator found went against the Bureau’s own policy. Chief Bob Day made the final call in the decision to keep Sathoff on the force.
Portland has paid $22.6 million over the last five years to resolve hundreds of lawsuits against PPB. Councilor Jamie Dunphy spoke to the frustration of squabbling over allocating an extra couple million dollars for PPB during budget discussions, at the same time the city is tasked with paying out victims of a “deeply unaccountable police officer’s actions.” Read the full story, by our Courtney Vaughn, here.
• Have you ever heard of the Portland Problem Solver Network? If the answer is “no,” you’re not alone. The program, run by the Public Environment Management Office (PEMO), was established by former Mayor Ted Wheeler’s administration in 2022 as part of a broader effort to address the city’s post-pandemic “livability issues.” Problem Solver meetings take place twice a month, in 15 places around the city, and are intended to be a forum for community members (particularly business owners and neighborhood association leaders) to air their grievances about problems like trash, crime, unsanctioned camping, and graffiti. They’re also supposed to be the launching pad for action, with PEMO staff instructed to try to solve Problem Solver concerns within a rapid timeline. But nobody really knows what is going on at these meetings, because they appear to operate outside of public meetings requirements, and have proven difficult for the average Portlander to find information about.
The Problem Solver meetings may have remained on the DL for a while, but they’ve recently been thrust into the spotlight, at least among Portland’s bike advocates. This is due to their role in a plan to remove diverters in Northwest Portland, apparently because the bike-friendly streets have supposedly attracted crime and are difficult for police to navigate when attempting to drive to other crime scenes in the area. (I recommend checking out BikePortland’s in-depth reporting on the entire saga, which will intrigue you even if you’re not a bike person.) Backlash to diverter removal plan has also resulted in more eyes on PEMO and its seemingly exclusive Problem Solver Network, including from several members of City Council. Read the Mercury‘s latest story for more on PEMO and the Problem Solvers.
• Mayor Keith Wilson is facing some pushback amongst City Council members for his shelter plan.
Councilors accused Mayor Wilson of spinning stories for good press while neglecting gaps in his ambitious plan.
“Your plan… sometimes there’s some good storytelling, but there also has to be some tough truths at the end of that,” said Councilor Zimmerman.
— Alex Zielinski (@alexzee.bsky.social) August 12, 2025 at 5:55 PM
And here’s what Councilor Angelita Morillo had to say about it in a KGW interview yesterday.
• JUST IN: Potential buyer for the Blazers. (The word is they plan to keep the team here.)
🚨 SCOOP 🚨: Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has agreed to buy the Portland Trail Blazers from Paul Allen’s estate
@sportico.bsky.social values the franchise at $3.6 billion
Read more: www.sportico.com/business/tea…
— Lev Akabas (@levakabas.bsky.social) August 13, 2025 at 8:43 AM
• Creed is playing near Portland tonight. Our music editor, Nolan Parker, delivered an amazing half-endorsement of the band/scathing read of organized religion in this week’s Mercury Music Picks. There’s more to learn about, too. For example, “Weird Al” Yankovic will perform with a tall clown at Edgefield tonight and tomorrow. AND MORE!
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Right after receiving worldwide condemnation for its targeted assassination of journalists in Gaza, Israel continued its murderous rampage of Palestinians, with forces killing at least 73 people yesterday alone. More and more governments are criticizing Israel for its genocidal actions, with the European Union, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and more condemning the horrific suffering in Gaza. I hope it will make an impact. But for many, it’s too late. Israel, with support from the United States, feels empowered to seize total control over Gaza City, and is apparently in talks with South Sudan to resettle Palestinians there. Still, many people will go after those even remotely critical of the Israeli regime. I wish the world could find clarity. I wish so many things. I know, of course, that’s not enough.
Israeli attacks and forced starvation kill more Palestinians in Gaza as protests continue over slain journalists.
— Al Jazeera English (@aljazeera.com) August 12, 2025 at 11:00 PM
• Tropical Storm Erin could become the first Atlantic hurricane of the season. The storm is currently developing off the coast of West Africa, where it has already become very severe and killed eight people. Forecasters say it will strengthen even more today, and likely turn into a hurricane by late tomorrow. Right now, its trajectory looks to be headed toward the Caribbean, but it could have impacts on the US East Coast, too. We’ll know more soon.
• The US government is worried people are going to rise up against it, so they’ve enlisted Taylor Swift to distract the masses. (I’m only kind of joking.) Swift dropped some hints about her next album, which will apparently be called “The Life of a Showgirl.” Hmm. She’s wearing orange in a recent series of Instagram photos. What does it all mean? Sorry, Swifties. But you had your time.
• The US is a uniquely bad country. More here:
Canada and the US are both car-centric, spacious countries. But an American is 2.5x more likely to die in a crash than a Canadian – and the gap is widening.
My latest, in Bloomberg. 🧵
— David Zipper (@davidzipper.bsky.social) August 13, 2025 at 7:18 AM
• A record number of lawmakers in the US Senate and House plan to leave their posts at the midterms in 2026, whether that’s to chase higher ambitions or because they’re just done. This is probably good, right? I mean, Congress couldn’t possibly get any worse than it is right now. (I guess I shouldn’t make sweeping assertions like that, it tempts fate.)
• Finally, check out Mr. Jingles and the snail 🩷 (Also, this video says “AI info,” but it’s just because the guy is bad at using Instagram. It’s not AI!!! The world can still be magical.) Bye for now.
