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 […]
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Posted inNews
County Commissioner’s Staffer Fired After Scrutiny Over Political Activity
Communications manager Vikki Payne left Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards’ office in early August, after taking heat for actions involving a PAC she oversaw.
Updated: 10:52 am August 21 A staffer in Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards’ office who ran a controversial political action committee that often skewered county leadership has been fired. Vikki Payne, a communications and project manager who worked for Brim-Edwards since she began her term as commissioner in 2023, is no longer employed with the […]
Posted inPhoto Essay
PHOTO ESSAY: The Need for Speed (and Artistic Expression)
The Portland Adult Soapbox Derby just celebrated its 26th year—and was weirder and wilder than ever.
For a second, imagine you don’t live here. Deep in the southeastern part of Portland, there’s a dormant volcano. Around this volcano, there’s a massive forested public park (191 acres), with hiking trails, several reservoirs, a dog park, and a disc golf course. Every summer Portlanders huddle around the concrete walkway in the middle of […]
Posted inAlbum Review
Album Review: Zipper’s Turning 50. Have You Heard It?
Fred Cole’s hard-rocking ’70s slab deserves fresh ears.
Even the most dyed-in-the-wool Portland music historian can be forgiven for letting Zipper slip through the cracks. After all, there’s so much of Fred Cole’s music to keep track of (and thank goodness for that!)—from the 1960s psychedelia of the Weeds and the Lollipop Shoppe, to the glorious, shambling rock he made with wife Toody […]
Posted inNews
With a New Media Conglomerate on the Scene, Oregon’s News Landscape is Shrinking
Carpenter Media’s purchase of Pamplin and EO Media Groups has been marked by labor fights, layoffs, and the discontinuation of a Portland print edition in a series of cost-cutting efforts.
When Carpenter Media Group purchased Pamplin Media Group, Austin White, then the Portland Tribune’s managing sports editor, said many newsroom employees had never heard of the company. “We still didn’t really know what to expect,” White said. “We thought we had maybe sold to a better company, one that might not be like a Gannett […]
Posted inNews
Updated: The Willamette River is Swimmable Again, Health Officials Say
The Oregon Health Authority has lifted its advisory against recreating on the river, issued last week due to a toxic algae bloom.
Update August 19, 2025: The Oregon Health Authority lifted its advisory warning of a harmful algal bloom on the Willamette River, stating “water monitoring has confirmed that the level of cyanotoxins in Ross Island Lagoon and the Willamette River…are below recreational guideline values for people.” OHA continues to advise people be “alert to signs of […]
Posted inSavage Love
SAVAGE LOVE: Four Options
Ambiguous desires, nudist camp etiquette, and a new word for straight dudes who like dick.
I’m a 31-year-old heterosexual woman who has been married for nine years. The math: my husband and I got married right after university. Like you, I grew up Catholic, and as a girl/woman, all of the purity culture bullshit was foisted on me. Over the years, I’ve come to reject everything I was brought up […]
Posted inGood Morning, News!
Good Morning, News: Portland’s Hefty Festival Fees, Oregon’s Newspapers are Dwindling, and Workers are Staying in Jobs They Hate, For Now
The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. 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! Things are heating up this week. Today, we’re in […]
Posted inAlbum Review
Album Review: Holy Sons’ Fourth Entry in the Lost Decade Series
Memory-making, music to be nostalgic for in the future.
“What it means to be [an] amorphous teenager and not know what you’re becoming, and that kind of moment of potential magic that I think everybody has.” So says Emil Amos, the prolific artist behind Holy Sons, opening the first episode of his podcast, “Drifter’s Sympathy.” “I wanted to delve into [the] atmosphere and romance […]
Posted inPickathon
How to Conquer Pickathon (And Still Love It in the End)!
A guide to seeing every band—plus some—at Portland’s best festival.
To love anything is to be challenged by it. Love shouldn’t hurt you, and at its best, it has the power to push you to your limits in pursuit of growing, changing, and learning something new about yourself. After all, as the late Andrea Gibson once said, “It hurts to become.” Depending on what it […]
Posted inDo This, Do That
The Mercury’s Do This, Do That: August 18–24
This week: Ethereal indie, cinema with snacks, and more art at Lloyd Center.
In the words of contemplative poet Mary Oliver, “August of another summer, and once again/I am drinking the sun.” Are you drinking the sun yet? There are a number of methods with which to achieve this, but all of them require going outside. Luckily for you, there are many reasons to leave home this week, […]
Posted inThe Trash Report
THE TRASH REPORT: This Just In… Paris Isn’t Just a Wealthy Former Reality Star and DJ
Let’s go, Trash Pandas! It’s time to root around in this week’s hottest gossip.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: America’s favorite gossip columnist, Elinor Jones, is taking a well-deserved vacation and will return soon with the latest in shit-talking celebrity shenanigans. Until then, please enjoy this classic edition of The Trash Report from December 4, 2023.] Hello, Trash Pandas! I’m Elinor Jones, and this is…THE TRASH REPORT. Did anything cool happen to you […]