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Posted inMusic Issue 2026

Turn! Turn! Turn! Wants To Be a “Place for Weirdos”

The venue has new owners. Artistic freedom is welcome.
Avatar photo by Jeremiah Hayden

What follows is one of the many articles in the Mercury‘s 2026 Music Issue. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you’re feeling generous and want to keep these types of articles coming, support us here.—eds. On a recent weekend, the small music venue at the corner of North Williams […]

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Council Budget Talks Highlight Tension Over Proposed PCEF Moda Center Investment

Mayor Keith Wilson has suggested Portland’s Clean Energy Fund can spare $75 million for Moda Center upgrades, but the details are murky.
Avatar photo by Taylor Griggs

If Mayor Keith Wilson wants to allocate clean energy fund dollars to renovate the Moda Center, he’ll have to go through Portland City Council first. And it’s not clear if they’re going to let him.  Earlier this year, amid a fervor to ensure Portland Trail Blazers’ new owner Tom Dundon keeps the basketball team in […]

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Portland City Council Officially Adopts Transportation Utility Fee

The fee will help pay for key road maintenance and safety programs, which have long gone without adequate funding.
Avatar photo by Taylor Griggs

The Portland City Council voted Wednesday to implement a fee that will offer a significant new source of funding for the city’s beleaguered transportation bureau. The transportation utility fee will be officially implemented starting in January 2027, coming in the form of an additional charge tacked onto Portlanders’ water and sewer bills. The new program […]

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Portland Moves To Shake Up Transportation Funding With New Utility Fee

Portland City Council is expected to adopt the new fee to pay for road maintenance. It’s a plan that’s years in the making.
Avatar photo by Taylor Griggs

Portland City Council is poised to adopt a new funding mechanism for the city’s cash-strapped transportation bureau, in the form of an extra charge on Portlanders’ utility bills. The new fee, expected to go into effect in January 2027, will be tacked onto residential and commercial water bills. Most Portland households can expect to pay […]

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Ongoing PCC Strike Could Threaten Legal Status of International Students

A strike at Portland Community College could put classes in limbo. For international students, that could mean transferring schools or leaving the country.
Avatar photo by Anna Del Savio

Thousands of students at Portland Community College are in limbo, with winter classes unfinished and spring classes on hold. Graduation dates, income from on-campus jobs, and financial aid are at risk as faculty and academic professionals begin their third week on strike for higher wages. For international students, there’s another threat: having to leave their […]

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Good-Bye, Felony Flats

Southeast Residents Develop a “No-Tolerance Attitude”
Avatar photo Lawrence Maushard

“When I first started coming here, this neighborhood was more or less a meth capital. Methamphetamines were rampant, especially on 65th and Foster. “Right here, you could get meth,” Kenny Sadler said as he straddled his mountain bike and gestured to the intersection a few feet away. “You could get whatever you needed. It was […]

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