Lomelda with Tomberlin Indie project Lomelda was started by Texas-born singer-songwriter Hannah Read back in her teen years. With five studio albums under her belt, Read and company have shown the ability to shapeshift while always maintaining a gentle yet emotionally sparkling folk sound. Considering that Lomelda hasn’t released an album since 2020's Hannah, this tour will reach back into the archives for old favorites as well as debuting some much-anticipated new material. Be sure to catch an opening set from folk singer-songwriter Tomberlin. AUDREY VANN (Mississippi Studios, Boise)
Hello Trash Pandas and welcome back to the Trash Report. I'm Elinor Jones, and I've missed you so much! I didn't write a column last week because I was on "vacation" at freakin' Disneyland, because a thing about having kids when the world is on fire is that you feel bad about how fucked up their future will be, so you say "yes" to everything even if it's tiring and loud and very expensive. Space Mountain was fun though, so I can't complain too much. About that anyway. I can complain a lot about other stuff, which I will be doing... now:Â
The Coup Sucks
Donald Trump and Elon Musk and their merry band of sociopaths have been having one hell of a time destroying the government as elected Democrats in the House and Senate, and various Governors' seats keep going "he can't do that," while he does whatever, and also having the nerve to email me and ask for money to stop them?! Bitch, that's YOUR job! I give you $5 or $10 in election years to get elected and once you're there, you do something. Anything. We are desperate for action. Nancy Mace is a demonic freak, but she's on TV all the time because she says incendiary shit and people get dopamine hits from being outraged by news, so we keep clicking and they know this. I do not understand the Democratic party's commitment to being petulant losers and not following the winning Republican playbook of being huge sluts for any and all attention. Remember when Tim Walz called Elon Musk a dipshit? Just do that again, and then keep doing it, all the time!
Bumping this with the hope that a senator might see it
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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!đź‘‹
Put the thought of snow behind you and get ready for a rainy/occasionally sunny week with highs in the upper 40s and topping out at... 58 degrees on Friday? You may want to join me in taking your thongs to the dry cleaners! In the meantime, here's a thong-full of NEWS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• It's President's Day—a useless holiday if there ever was one—and the 50501 movement (50 protests, 50 states, one movement) will be staging a peaceful protest at City Hall in Portland from noon to 4 pm today, with similar demonstrations happening across Oregon in Salem, Eugene, and Medford. There will also be a seperate protest against Elon Musk—our other corrupt and bloviating Commander in Chief—organized by the SW Indivisible chapter, this coming Friday, Feb 21 (4 pm-5:30 pm) at the Portland Tesla dealership (4330 S Macadam). Yet another demonstration against Musk was held this weekend, so be sure to mark your calendars for this Friday and get rid of your Teslas, please & thank you!Â
• Our new city council seems to be making headway on their efforts to curb Portland's housing affordability crisis. According to this report from our Courtney Vaughn, at last week's council meeting they signaled their intent to address construction permitting, rental pricing, and residential vacancy rates—all of which contributes to our current housing woes. But District 3 Councilor Angelita Morillo is going extra hard with her proposal to ban the use of anti-competitive rental practices, which includes algorithmic pricing software used by landlords to collude with each other to keep rents skyrocketing upward.Â
Councilor Steve Novick went hard during the first meeting of the Portland City Council’s Climate Resilience, and Land Use Committee today.
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.)
As protesters take to the streets to condemn a litany of executive orders from the Trump administration, Oregon officials are using the courts to push back on Trump. Oregon's attorney general has joined five multi-state lawsuits to halt Trump's orders.
This week's fun trivia questions include: local sporty-sports, the death of your FAVE retail store, and Trump flounders with his firehose of failure. See how well YOU score! 🤓
Michael Jordan is arguably the most qualified person to serve as Portland’s city administrator over the next year, but a recent controversial Zenith Energy approval, coupled with communication misfires, left Jordan in the hot seat this week.
Oregon has signed on to five multi-state lawsuits challenging recent presidential executive orders on birthright citizenship, DOGE, federal funding, and health care.
Update, February 14: As of Friday, February 14, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order to block the withholding of federal funds from health institutions that provide gender-affirming care.
Originally published: Wednesday, February 12
As protesters descended on the Oregon State Capitol last week to protest a litany of executive orders from the Trump administration, Oregon’s elected leaders were pushing back on Trump in a different way.
Since Trump’s inauguration, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced the state had joined five multi-state lawsuits seeking to block several of the president’s directives.Â
On January 21, Oregon joined three other states in a court filing to halt Trump's plans to end birthright citizenship. A week later, Rayfield’s office joined 22 other states in litigation challenging a freeze on federal funds.
Happy Valentine's Day! Stay warm and cozy inside with our roundup of the latest food news, from a vintage-inspired bar to Steeplejack's new location. For more ideas, check out our Valentine's Day recs and our food and drink guide.
OPENINGS
Good Measure This new greengrocer, deli, coffee shop, and natural wine retailer hosted its grand opening in Milwaukie at the end of January and is slinging burritos and locally made bagels from Lloyd’s Bagels. Milwaukie
Portland city councilors provided inklings of their first legislative work this week, signaling their intent to address construction permitting, rental pricing, and residential vacancy rates as key tools to address the city’s housing affordability crisis.
The first round of Portland City Council policy committee meetings kicked off Monday, laying the groundwork for how the city’s elected leaders will tackle everything from the economy, to homelessness and housing, climate, infrastructure, transportation, public safety, and more.
Among the most impactful policies likely to come up for consideration is a proposal to ban the use of anti-competitive rental practices, including algorithmic pricing software used by landlords. The legislation is coming from District 3 Councilor Angelita Morillo.Â
Candi Pop Presents: DUMP HIM - An Anti-Valentines Day Party Chew on some sweet bubblegum pop at this anti-Valentine's Day party that'll beckon single folks to the dance floor for breakup anthems like "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," "thank u, next," and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." The event poster features "Powerpop Girls" redhead Chappell Roan (Blossom), raven-haired Charli XCX (Buttercup), and blondie Sabrina Carpenter (Bubbles), so you're sure to hear plenty of hits by the pop divas of the moment as well. JANEY WONG (Holocene, Buckman, $12)
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Good Morning, Portland! It's Valentimes Day. Portland Public Schools are closed, along with a bunch of other schools. ALSO, Monday is President's Day some schools will be closed for that too. Hope you like your kids; let's get at the news!
IN LOCAL NEWS: • More snow! The metro area saw between one to three inches of snow on Thursday, and this morning we're waking up to as much as four inches more! Forecasts for Friday temperatures project we'll pop-up above freezing this afternoon, and it's likely the city will thaw out in time for your Valentimes plans. Yeah, even thaw enough to drive. BUT NOT YET. WAIT A MINUTE. Try not to drive in the snow until it melts—even if you're so so good at it. I'm from Michigan and so good at driving as well, so I feel your pain. Let's talk about multi-car pileups.
• A series of what appear to be white-out-related crashes on westbound I-84 closed the interstate west of Multnomah Falls for several hours yesterday. Originally reported as an 100-vehicle pileup, officials later clarified that 20-30 of them were involved in collisions and the rest of that number described those on a "restricted road segment."
• A different crash, this time on slippery roads south of Troutdale, involved over 20 vehicles as well. Oof. Seriously, stop driving in the snow. You moved to Oregon, and you knew there would be trade-offs: as much delicious Bull Run watershed as you want, but if there's an inch of snow, you have to stay home.
Every February, Black History Month reminds us of the year-round significance of supporting Black-owned businesses and highlighting their contributions to our communities. We've made it easy for you by gathering a number of Black-owned bars and restaurants, from the pro-sex worker operation Meals 4 Heels to Gregory Gourdet's Kann. For more ideas, check out our food and drink guide.
Akadi Portland's acclaimed West African restaurant Akadi, which was on hiatus for over a year, reopened with an expanded menu in a new, bigger space on SE Division in 2022. The Portland Mercury's Jenni Moore wrote, "A starter plate of alloco, AKA fried sweet plantains, were expertly caramelized and even more delicious when dipped in the tomato-ginger-garlic-cayenne Akadi sauce. Portions of the flavorful tchieboudjen with mushrooms (instead of animal protein) were generous, deeply pleasant, and came served with harvest veggies like carrots and potatoes, green bissap (spinach and okra) sauce, and tamarind paste." Hosford-Abernethy
Start thinking about your summer plans: The 2025 PDX Live concert series will bring acts including Jamie xx, Men I Trust, and the Roots to Pioneer Courthouse Square. “Roses” rapper SAINt JHN is declaring it festival season with his forthcoming album and tour. Plus, Taylor Tomlinson will head to town to sling jokes for the millennial-and-under set. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, plus some news you can use.
UPDATE FRIDAY FEB 14: Multnomah County officials have announced they will be extending the hours of all eight warming shelters currently in operation following yesterday's winter storm. All shelters will remain open today (Friday, Feb 14), through at least 10 am tomorrow (Saturday, Feb 15). Officials are also looking for volunteers to help staff the shelters—those who are interested can find more information here. A total of 709 people took refuge in the shelters last night, according to the county. Stand by for more updates.
Original Post:
In addition to the six warming shelters already open, Multnomah County announced they will be opening two additional shelters and extending the operating hours through Friday, February 14 at 6 pm, due to freezing temperatures and inclement weather.
With the opening of two additional sites tonight (Thursday, Feb 13) at 8 pm, the county has a total of eight warming shelters currently in operation. Officials have also added extra sleeping beds at all sites, and say that no one will be turned away. Pets are allowed and all sites are accessible to those with disabilities.
Free transportation to the shelters is available through TriMet, or by calling 2-1-1. If you see someone suffering from the cold who may need help, call the non-emergency response line at 503-823-3333 and ask for a welfare check.
Who's ready to have some fun? Well, the Mercury is here to help with FREE TICKETS to see some of Portland's best concerts and events—our way of saying thanks to our great readers and spread the word about some fantastic upcoming performances! (Psst... if you want to say thanks to the Mercury, please consider making a small monthly contribution to keep us alive and kickin'!) And oh boy, do we have some fun events coming at ya this week! CHECK IT OUT!
Literary Arts will be hosting Javier Zamora on March 11 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, as the culminating event of the Multnomah County Library’s Everybody Reads program. This year’s selection is Zamora’s memoir, Solito, an account of his 3,000-mile journey from El Salvador to the United States when he was nine years old. Get your tickets now or enter to win here!
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, Tues March 11, 7:30 pm, $25-$65, all ages
Alt indie hip-hop duo Little Stranger (Kevin and John Shields—no relation, but best friends) have spent years honing their signature sound and perfecting their version of the "organized chaos" that a Little Stranger live show entails. In an era where genre is increasingly irrelevant, Little Stranger delivers a fresh take on melodic hip-hop garnering comparisons to newer artists like Remi Wolf, Still Woozy, and Marc Rebillet but also the golden age of hip hop running into pop epitomized by early 2000s Timberland, Gorillaz, and NERD. Get your tickets now or enter to win here!
Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, Tues Feb 25, 8 pm, $25-$30, all ages
CALLING ALL BRAINY BOTTOMS! 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 in this edition, we're testing your knowledge on a variety of topics including local sporty-sports, the death of my FAVORITE retail store, and Trump's many failed attempts to sneak his bullshit ideas into Oregon! (How can one person miserably FAIL so often?) 🤷‍♂️
READY TO START? Take this week's quiz below, take our previous pop quizzes here, and come back next week for a brand spankin' new quiz! (Having a tough time answering this quiz? It's probably because you aren't getting Mercury newsletters! HINT! HINT!) Now crank up that cerebellum, because it's time to get BRAINY!