GOOD MORNING, SUNDAY! It's the perfect time to catch up on some of the great reporting and stories the Mercury churned out this week! (PRO TIP: If you despise being "the last to know," then be one of the first to know by signing up for Mercury newsletters! All the latest stories shipped directly to your email's in-box... and then... YOUR HEAD.)
• Councilors Want City to Move Faster on Enforcement of New Detention Center Fee
Portland City Councilors Angelita Morillo and Mitch Green are asking the mayor to expedite enforcement of a new detention center impact fee that targets landlords. The city code change makes it a violation to emit harmful chemical agents like tear gas, which pose environmental and health hazards.
• Revered Portland Restaurant República Has Announced It Will Close
By way of his newsletter Between Courses, Angel Medina has announced plans to close Portland's revered fine-dining restaurant República in February.
• TriMet’s Present Crisis, and Uncertain Future
Portland's public transit agency is in a dire financial place, and it's unclear when—or if—help will arrive. In the meantime, TriMet is going to have to make major bus and MAX service cuts.
• Gimme Shelter: Jason Statham’s Latest Thriller Warms Up a Typically Cold January
Here at the Mercury we love an action film director who’s secretly so much better than anyone asked him to be. Ric Roman Waugh’s Shelter hits theaters with a nearly wordless guy (Jason Statham) forced to return to a secret, violent vocation.
• Stopping the Slow Creep of ICE
Given ICE’s relatively limited infrastructure in Oregon, a possible federal plan to build the state’s first immigrant detention center in Newport has emerged as one of the key battlegrounds in the state’s struggle against the agency.
In this week's spicy gossip column: ICE is everywhere and it's scary AF, Brooklyn Beckham calls out his famous parents, Karamo backs out of Queer Eye press tour, Prue is leaving the Great British Bake Off, and more!
• The Pickathon 2026 Music Lineup is Here!
Pickathon is back in 2026, and has announced their initial music lineup! The genres represented, as per usual, feature an expansive lineup of international heaters and regional heavyweights, and heavyweights in training.
This week in arts and culture news: Portland’s claim on the summer thriller Weapons, Renée Watson won the Newbery Medal, and more!
• Proposed Renter Support Bill May Divert Some Funds to Developers
Despite a host of compromises over what to prioritize, Portland City Council has yet to decide how to allocate $21 million in funding generated by the city’s Rental Services Office.
Here's your curated Portland concert and music news guide! This week in town we're being treated to a Meredith Monk documentary, Cate Labubu, Steve Reich's Counterpoints, and so much more!
• What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome Documents Justin Townes Earle's Time in Portland
A new biography by Rolling Stone writer Jonathan Bernstein, What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome, draws from interviews with family, friends, and colleagues to look at the unvarnished truth of Just Townes Earle’s life and legacy.
WOW, THAT IS A LOT OF GOOD READIN'. I hope you didn't have any other plans this weekend! Dig in, and remember: Producing all this hard work costs moolah—so please consider contributing to the Mercury to keep it all coming! Thanks!
