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Posted inNews

Cop Union Alleges City Councilor Interference in New Police Oversight System

Councilor Sameer Kanal was invited to present at a meeting of the Community Board for Police Accountability. The Portland Police Association is crying foul.
Avatar photo by Courtney Vaughn

City officials say they’re evaluating complaints made by Portland’s largest police union against a city councilor.  On March 19, Aaron Schmautz, president of the Portland Police Association, fired off a memo to Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, City Administrator Raymond Lee III, and other top city administrative staff, alleging District 2 City Councilor Sameer Kanal had […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: The Latest Moda Center Funding Fight, Trump’s Laughable Plan To Lower Gas Prices, and the Video Game You Didn’t Know You Needed

Avatar photo by Courtney Vaughn

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! Hopefully you got outside and frolicked in the sunshine […]

Posted inNews

They Thought They Were Leaving Prison Early. Then They Weren’t.

In 2025, Oregon reduced hundreds of sentences. Then they added time back. The chaos caused confusion and false hope.
Phillip Luna, Prison Journalism Project

This article first appeared on Prison Journalism Project. Last October, Dylan Sanchez received some of the most exciting news one can receive in prison: He would become a free man sooner than expected. Instead of leaving his Oregon prison in 2030, as mandated by his original sentence, he would now be released 10 months earlier, […]

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Portland’s Top Public Safety Leader Is Leaving

Bob Cozzie, deputy city administrator for the Community and Public Safety service area, is departing on May 18. He’s the second leader to leave the department in less than a year.
Avatar photo by Courtney Vaughn

Bob Cozzie, the deputy city administrator for Portland’s Community and Public Safety service area, is leaving his role, the city announced Tuesday, May 5. Cozzie previously led the Bureau of Emergency Communications, which oversees the region’s 911 program, for seven years. He was tapped to lead the city’s Public Safety operations last June, after the […]

Posted inNews

Home Forward CEO Resigns Amid Scrutiny Over Travel

The housing authority announced Ivory Matthews’ departure Wednesday morning.
Avatar photo by Jeremiah Hayden

The CEO of Multnomah County’s housing authority, Home Forward, is resigning effective May 1. Home Forward announced Ivory Matthews’ departure via a press release Wednesday morning. Matthews’ resignation comes amid questions about travel she made on the public’s dime, first reported by Willamette Week earlier this month. Home Forward offers program vouchers and rent assistance […]

Posted inNews

Women’s Treatment Center Announces Permanent Closure After Abruptly Halting Services 

Amid mounting operating expenses and a sudden closure that triggered complaints to the state, Volunteers of America Oregon says it will shut down the women’s inpatient facility and lay off all staff.
Avatar photo by Courtney Vaughn

Almost two weeks after abruptly discharging nearly 50 patients from a women’s inpatient substance use treatment center in Northeast Portland, Volunteers of America Oregon (VOA) announced it will permanently close the site and lay off all staff, effectively immediately.  Staff were laid off Thursday, April 16. VOA Oregon did not confirm how many employees were […]

Posted inNews

Business as Usual at North Portland Scrapyard, Despite Years of Environmental Violations 

Auto dismantler NW Metals has amassed more than $550K in state fines over the past decade and continues to operate without proper permits. The business has tested the bounds of Oregon’s environmental enforcement.
Avatar photo by Michael Williams

Update: April 6: The Oregon Attorney General’s Office announced Monday that a motion has been filed requesting a contempt hearing for NW Metals, on behalf of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The motion alleges the scrapyard owner violated a 2021 court injunction requiring the company to comply with Oregon environmental law. NW Metals […]

Posted inNews

Progressives Say Investments in People, Not Corporations, Can Jump Start City’s Struggling Economy

Despite broad agreement on the need for new revenue and jobs, ideological disagreement about how to accomplish economic growth still permeates Portland and Salem.
Avatar photo by Abe Asher

If you’ve been following local political news over the last several months, you’ve likely heard a lot of talk about budget cuts. The state is making cuts, even though those cuts aren’t as dramatic as once feared. The city of Portland may have to make cuts too.  Some of the pressure facing both the state […]

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