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.)
With local budget cuts looming and Trail Blazers ownership committing to stay in Portland, some city leaders aren’t ready to pull out the checkbook.
Among this week’s head scratchin’ questions: Franz Bakery’s spinning loaf, our badass Blazers, and what will you choose for your next highly regrettable tattoo? See how well YOU score!
Ethics Commission Dismisses Complaints Over Peacocks’ Legal Representation
After a complaint filed with the state ethics commission against six Portland city councilors was quickly shot down, their attorney said it may represent a big win, as Portland’s new government structure is young and threats such as these could be uses to undermine local representative democracy.
• Food News: Smashburgers at Steely’s and Chicago Tavern Pizza at Proof
The past couple weeks have been booming with restaurant openings. Steely’s looks like a promising new spot for smashburgers, while Proof Pizza’s thin-crust, square-cut Chicago tavern-style pizza is finally available for dine-in. Plus, Pipsqueak Bagels is open at long last. Here’s what’s new, what’s changed, and what’s closed since our last food news roundup.
• The Christophers Is Another Small Masterwork by Steven Soderbergh
Here in the prolific second act of his career, director Steven Soderbergh (Logan Lucky, Magic Mike, Presence) brings us a new tight masterwork on a nearly annual basis. The Christophers hits small theater big screens this weekend with a boast-worthy pairing of similarly masterclass actors Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen. If you love this stuff, get it while it lasts because Soderbergh says his next two movies will be made with AI.
• Advocates Reject Zenith Energy Investigation in Letter Delivered to Mayor’s Office
Local environmental advocates on Monday delivered a letter to Mayor Keith Wilson’s office, rejecting the process and results of the city’s investigation into Zenith Energy. In their letter, advocates said the investigation tainted by conflicts of interest, was too narrow in scope, and omitted information relevant to the case.
• We Picked Out Which Cast Member Is Which Golden Girl in Savannah Sipping Society
We are not saying that Triangle’s Savannah Sipping Society is modeled on The Golden Girls, but we will be telling you who among the play’s cast is our Rose, Blanche, Dorothy, and so forth. With just a few shows left, the run ends, like a pitcher of margaritas—too soon!
• Ethics Commission Fines Homelessness Influencer Over State Violations
A state ethics board fined the local social media influencer Kevin Dahlgren for violating state ethics law when he worked in homeless services for the city of Gresham from 2018-2023. Dahlgren is best known for filming unhoused people for his Instagram account, where he has 400,000 followers.
New holiday alert: April 12 is henceforth known as No Kings Day after the Portland Trail Blazers beheaded the Sacramento Kings last Sunday, 122-110.
• What Lies Beneath Sean Christensen’s Mount Saint Helens?
Christensen’s show Memory Foam, now up at Never Coffee’s SW 12th location, explores his childhood memories and the way familiar places transform over time—including Mount Saint Helens. The results are colorful, layered, and a little weird, just how we like it.
This week, check out shows from hip-hop royalty the Pharcyde, emo heartthrobs AFI, Portland Panorama’s Karaoke from Hell, and local favorite Nonbinary Girlfriend.
• Why Portland Author Justin Hocking Calls Toxic Masculinity “Extractive”
Justin Hocking’s first full-length memoir, The Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld, won the 2015 Oregon Book Award for creative nonfiction, and now his second is in competition for the 2026 prize. The new work A Field Guide to the Subterranean digs into both memory and history—of Hocking’s life and of minerals and profit extraction in the places he’s lived.
He needs to be tied up at least once per week, while his partner thinks it’s “a chore.” Can this relationship be saved? Dan Savage has a “DTMFA” locked and loaded in this edition of SAVAGE LOVE!
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!
