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Posted inNews
Hundreds of Portlanders Protest US Attack on Venezuela
Protesters took to the streets as part of an “emergency” national day of action against Trump’s unauthorized strikes and abduction of Venezuela’s leader.
At least 500 Portland residents joined “emergency” nationwide protests on Saturday against the Trump administration’s airstrikes on Venezuela and the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Early Saturday morning, January 3, the US bombed multiple locations across Venezuela, particularly in the capital of Caracas. Social media videos show missiles raining down and helicopters flying over the […]
Posted inGood Morning, News!
Good Morning, News: Oregon’s New ID Scanning Law, JD Vance’s House Vandalized, and Portlanders Protest Trump’s Venezuelan Kidnapping and Coup
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 […]
Posted inAlbum Review
Album Review: Dissolving the Binary with Dustbunny
On their sophomore album Offerings for Weary Dogs, the Portland band proves their multitudes.
Nolan Parker
Posted inNews
Oregon’s New ID Scanning Law: What Changed on January 1
Retailers can now swipe everyone’s license for age-restricted purchases. Here’s what that means for your privacy.
Oregon stores can now swipe your driver’s license or ID every time you buy alcohol or cannabis, even if you’re 65 years old and clearly not a teenager trying to score beer. The change took effect January 1. It emerged after convenience stores faced lawsuits over universal ID-checking policies that violated existing law, and it has drawn […]
Posted inPop Quiz PDX
POP QUIZ PDX: The Best Trivia Questions of 2025—Part Two!
See how much YOU remember about the weirdest and wildest happenings of 2025!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, BRAINY BRITCHES! It’s time once again to put your brainy-brain to the test with this week’s edition of POP QUIZ PDX—our weekly, local, sassy-ass trivia quiz. And this week we’ll be testing your knowledge on EVERYTHING that happened in the year 2025 in the thrilling “Part Two” of our trivia recap of […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Bi Gan’s Resurrection Revives 100 Years of Movie-Making for One Long Dream
Dream logic takes over in the Chinese writer-director’s latest technical marvel.
Chinese writer-director Bi Gan believes that filmmaking can capture his wildest dreams. Resurrection is his attempt to convince you that it can capture yours too. It’s ambitious to make a movie about how making movies is like harvesting dreams, projecting viewers’ inner lives back at them, often to visceral, abstract, and sometimes tummy-hurting ends. This is […]
Posted inMercury 2025 Recap
Mercury 2025 Recap: Housing and Homelessness
In 2025, new elected leadership in Portland presented a change of course in the city’s approach to housing and homelessness. At times, the mayor’s vision clashed with that of city councilors, with the mayor focused on expanding shelters and the Council focused on reshaping housing policy. Portland’s City Council adopted new policies aimed at combating […]
Posted inMercury 2025 Recap
Best Bites of 2025: The Savory, the Sweet, and the Road Trips
Mercury food critic Andrea Damewood on the ten best things she tasted this year.
I’m always conflicted about how to feel at the end of the year. Like, things were shitty (and for, like, at least the sixth year running). But within that, there are also moments of sweetness. I think that’s where we owe Portland’s restaurants a big debt of gratitude. It’s tough out there, but our chefs […]
Posted inNews
Despite DOJ Intervention, Portland Police are Still Killing People in Mental Health Crisis
A grand jury declined to indict officers who used deadly restraint on a man with schizophrenia in June. His family is weighing legal options.
Teri Johnson never expected justice. Her brother Damon Lamarr Johnson died in June after being restrained by Portland police for several minutes as they tried to take him into custody for behavioral health evaluation. A medical examiner’s report concluded Johnson 52, died of a prone-restraint-induced cardiac arrest, with methamphetamine use being a “contributing factor.” Prone restraint […]
Posted inNews
Immigrant Rights Groups Allege Multnomah County Jail is Violating Sanctuary Laws
A lawsuit claims the US Marshals Service is using local jails to hold detainees for immigration enforcement.
A group of immigrants rights organizations are suing Multnomah County, claiming the county and its sheriff’s office are violating Oregon’s sanctuary state law. The suit, filed in circuit court earlier this month, claims that Multnomah County is unlawfully agreeing to hold individuals detained by the U.S. Marshals Service for violations of federal immigration law even […]
Posted inNews
One of Portland’s Few Black-Owned Music Venues is Facing Eviction
The Heights owner claims predatory lease terms left him in default. His landlord says payments were missed even after a rent reduction.
One of Portland’s few Black-owned music venues is facing eviction from its location in Southeast Portland. The Heights lounge and event space was founded in 2024 by local musician Jermaine Malone. Since then, it’s operated out of a 3,800-square-foot space on SE Foster Road. The lounge features a rotating calendar of events from comedy nights, […]