The Oklahoma City Thunder came to the Moda Center Wednesday, November 5. The defending NBA champs. 8-0 start to the season. A swarming defense that is once again the best in the NBA. Last season's MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a savant at getting his defenders to foul him, has given lesser teams fits. And a 16-game winning streak against the Portland Trail Blazers. But the Blazers are different this year. They can beat annoying at its own game. 

Basketball is a contact sport. Sure, it isn’t the full-on deliberate brain damage-inducing collision sport that is American Football, but every single play in an NBA game involves players in some form pressing their bodies into the opposing team in hopes of creating some sort of offensive or defensive advantage. One way to create more advantages for teams who are offensively deficient is “pressing,” something this year's Portland Trail Blazers do more than any other team in the NBA.

A “press” is what it sounds like. Instead of letting the offense get to the half court line to set up their play(s), the defending team pressures the opposing ball handler the entire length of the court with hopes of instigating the opponent into turnovers, forcing them to exert more energy, allowing them less time to run their desired offense, and just generally annoy them—or often a combination of all of the above.

Pressing is so effective at youth levels that some coaches wish to ban it. Professional offenses, however, easily create advantages against a press if defenders are out of position. And while the press may tire out opposing offenses, it also leaves the defenders equally without time to catch a breath.

What could be more random than an audience member executing an honest coin-flip on a stage? Or a first date between strangers? Or a history-changing catastrophe that feels like it comes completely out of the blue?

Thus begins Craig Wright’s Recent Tragic Events, which the dramatist wrote in 2001, following the September 11 attacks. His play premiered before the rubble had been completely cleared from the collapsed World Trade Center, and it explores luck, chance, and free will, along with (almost as a byproduct) the potential for a new beginning—a new love story. 

Welp, welcome to another week, whether you like it or not—and there are, in fact, a few reasons to like it. Consider these: Lan Su Chinese Garden's chrysanthemum celebration creates a "living gallery," the Rothko Pavilion at the Portland Art Museum finally opens, and a stage adaptation of Little Women asks an important question—are you a Jo, a Meg, a Beth, or an Amy? Plus, repertory film goes multi-sensory this week with a scented screening of The Color of Pomegranates and a live-scored L'Inferno. More where that came from below!

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 arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋

Weather-wise, get ready for a "rinse and repeat" (literally) sort of week, with showers and/or cloudy skies practically every damn day and highs staying in the low 50s. And now let's lather up with some NEWS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• This just in: Loser Trump hates losing. (And yet keeps setting himself up for losses? I don't get it, either.) Anyway, following Judge Immergut's final ruling against the federal government on November 7—banning King Fool from sending National Guard troops to Oregon—last night the DOJ decided to file an emergency request to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals asking them to stop the judge's order. Probably correctly sensing their request is going to be shot down, they also asked that, if they refuse, to at least allow Oregon's National Guard to stay under federal control until the full appeal could be heard. The TL;DR version? The DOJ is hoping the decision will once again go before a three-person team of Trump judges in a desperate, hail Mary attempt to save face and allow the president to keep a smidgen of the power he so desperately craves. But even then, if the Trumpy judges agree to pause Immergut's ruling, it will most likely go back before the FULL Ninth Circuit Court who—just like last time—will issue a ruling of "BITCH, PLEASE." (The best result will be Trump finally discovering that Portland is the very least of his problems. Epstein's island, anyone?)

In an emergency motion filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, Department of Justice attorneys said Judge Karin Immergut's order effectively second-guessed military judgements by the commander in chief, “something district courts lack the authority and competence to do.”

[image or embed]

— OPB (@opb.org) November 17, 2025 at 7:15 AM

• Meanwhile, the 200 National Guard troops from California—remember them?—are reportedly heading home after sitting around in Oregon twiddling their thumbs. It's been six looooong weeks since Judge Immergut refused to allow the Cali troops to patrol Portland's almost completely calm ICE facility, and according to Department of Defense officials, they're finally being allowed to go home to their families. (But at least they had plenty of time to brush up on their backgammon and crocheting skills!)

For decades, Portland's lampposts and community boards have told a vibrant history. Oftentimes stacked one on top of another, feet-thick, stapled up on poles lining hip-strips like Mississippi and Hawthorne avenues, concert posters clue in passersby that certain artists will be playing at a certain time and date at a certain place; while also telling a story of a city's culture and history, its music and art scenes, and the people involved in those scenes. 

Historian and lifelong poster collector Jason Blumklotz grew up in Portland, coming of age going to shows in the ’80s—a time when the best way to disseminate concert and event information was by word of mouth, passing out fliers and handbills, and by making and putting up posters around town on lampposts, in record stores, coffee shops, venues, and bars. 

Since the mid-’80s, Blumklotz has collected concert posters that have caught his eye by taking them down from poles, grabbing them after shows, and building community with artists and collectors who have a similar appreciation of the art form. With over 10,000 pieces in his archive, Blumklotz is an authority on the historical threads weaving through Portland’s concert poster history—threads including city and cultural history, art trends and styles, music history, paper-making technology, and more. 

He’s sharing his decades-long passion with the community, The History of Portland Concert Posters will feature over 40 pieces from his archives. Opening at Mint Gallery Records on November 14, the posters on display will range from the 1960s to 2024, many of them for sale.

Last month, the progressive block of the Portland City Council signed onto a pledge to investigate the city’s financial ties to Israel and its military. They’re calling on city councils across the country to do the same. 

The pledge, which was launched by the Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and its four city council members, calls on the city of Portland to investigate whether weapons and surveillance technology used by the Israeli military are being manufactured or transported within the city limits. 

It also calls for an investigation of any city investments in or contracts with companies materially contributing to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, as well as any other diplomatic links between the city and the state of Israel.

“We cannot stand by while our public resources and our tax dollars are used to fuel atrocities abroad that, in turn, fuel the militarization on our own streets,” Councilor Mitch Green said during a press conference on October 17. 

Find an answer to "What are you up to this weekend?" with our cheap and easy guide featuring events from a free Motrik show to a launch party for VLVT HEART RECS and from an opportunity to Meet Portland's Mini Museums to the Portland Thorns NWSL Semifinal Watch Party. Check out our top event picks for more ideas this week.

FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC

Motrik
Claiming the title of “America’s Best Krautrock Band," Portland-based Møtrik returns with their fourth studio album EARTH, released last month. The record sports an eye-catching cover on which "Jerry the dog" runs across an Oregon beach with the title burning in neon letters above him. You can get your hands on a signed copy of the "ocean blue" colored vinyl this Friday at Music Millennium after rocking out to a special in-store performance from the band. The music is full of driving guitar melodies, echoey vocals, and sci-fi inspired synths; nothing like a free, high-energy show to jumpstart the weekend! SHANNON LUBETICH
(Music Millennium, Kerns, free)

A busted Mario costume. An extremely old pinball machine—so simple you wonder how pinball ever took off. Fighting games… so many fighting games. Hundreds of old consoles, some of which were complete flops, hooked up to hundreds of cathode ray tube televisions for maximum retro fidelity. High level Tetris players playing the NES version of the game in front of an exhausted crowd, resting up before returning to the show floor. The lady who does the voice for Princess Peach AND her faithful servant Toad in the Super Mario games, who will, if asked, do a shockingly loud Toad voice. 

These are the sort of things you see on the floor at the Portland Retro Game Expo, a yearly exhibition of video game culture and technology for vintage game collectors and dealers. Gamers are looking to relive their pasts and the pasts of others (who grew up with different systems or games), and, as with every gathering of ten or more people these days, Pokemon card collectors, hunting for the treasure their heart most desires.

But we are not here to linger in the past. We look instead to a pink and purple booth in Hall D, where 20 or so computers sit on tables, gamers on one side poking at programs, game developers on the other, chatting, pointing out stuff, offering light guidance, occasionally looking fretful.

If you appreciate the Mercury's interesting and useful news & culture reporting, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. Your donation is tax-deductible. You can also subscribe and have our papers delivered!

Good Morning, Portland: Ok, rain dogs. “Oh, how we danced away all of the lights. We've always been out of our minds.”

The sky is falling and it gets dark at 4 pm, but we can do this. Extra, extra! Here’s the news.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• As if it hadn’t seen enough already, the state transportation package could face yet another weird hurdle just days after Governor Tina Kotek signed the bill into law on Monday. House Bill 3991 is supposed to raise $4.3 billion (that’s a million dollars 4,300 times over) across the next decade, which is a critical amount of money if Oregonians want to keep roads clear and safe, not lay off a bunch of employees, and send funding to cities for their own public transit projects. But a few legislators and a tax-resistant advocacy group filed a petition hoping to send a referendum to Oregon voters. They think they have a chance because they believe Oregonians would rather sit still for 10 years than pay one more dollar in taxes for basic infrastructure. 🙄 Taylor Griggs has the story.
  
  
• Portland State University’s adjunct faculty union recently won an unfair labor practice dispute, but the staff are still having a hard time trusting university leadership as contract negotiations continue. The Oregon Employee Relations Board said PSU engaged in bad faith bargaining when it refused to administer benefit funds in August—including financial assistance from a fund often used for rent and groceries—to adjunct faculty who requested it after their contract expired in June. PSU (and universities everywhere) could instead try paying their adjuncts better or offering them full benefits, but for President Ann Cudd, millions of dollars are better spent on law firms specializing in “union avoidance” than ensuring teachers (read: heroes) have food and shelter. Kevin Foster reports.
  
  
• When it comes to Zenith Energy and the city’s ongoing battle with local enviros, the devil is in the details. On Thursday, attorneys for a group of environmental advocates announced a win as the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled in their favor, and against the city of Portland. The court decided that the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA), the state’s land use board, will hear the case advocates brought against the city of Portland in February, rather than Multnomah County Circuit Court, which the city would prefer. That matters because the details are very technical and could go over the heads of the albeit very smart circuit court judges, but not the three-member panel of LUBA. That could mean the courts ultimately decide the city must release a whole bunch of information, reopen a more public process for Zenith’s land use credential, and around and around we go. Jeremiah Hayden with the details here.

Written under his Richard Bachman pseudonym, Stephen King’s novel The Running Man was first published in 1982; it describes the malicious future of 2025.

King imagines that a massive authoritarian media conglomerate has a functional monopoly on all of American culture. To distract from its greed and incompetence, the quasi-governmental entity has replaced the country’s health care system, already strained by vast ecological devastation and income disparity, with a series of obscene game shows.

Corporations have successfully poisoned all natural resources. Basic necessities are unaffordable. Everyone is broken and everything sucks. If you are suffering, the TV (always turned on) reminds you that this is the fault of immigrants, of progressives, of gay people, of women—and actually it's your fault too.

In the fictional year of 2025, all of this injustice really pisses off protagonist Ben Richards. King’s counting on it to piss you off too.

A lawsuit environmental advocates filed against the city of Portland after it issued a land use credential to Zenith Energy will be heard in a specialized administrative court, after a state appeals court returned the case. Environmental advocates say the court’s decision is a win because the case will be heard by a board of attorneys with a better understanding of the complex legal framework around state land use law.

The Oregon Court of Appeals on November 13 reversed a Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) order issued June 5, in a legal claim brought against the city over its permitting approval process for Zenith. LUBA previously ruled that it should not hear the case. It said the lawsuit should instead move to Multnomah County Circuit Court because the city’s approval of a land use credential for Zenith Energy was an administrative decision, not a land use decision.

The city will be required to provide a record of events and meeting notes related to Zenith. LUBA could ultimately decide that the city needs to start over, with a more public process, to determine whether to approve a land use credential to Zenith called a Land Use Compatibility Statement (LUCS). Zenith needs that credential to operate legally in the city, and to maintain a state air permit.

Zenith operates a petroleum and renewable liquid fuels facility in Northwest Portland’s industrial area. Environmental advocates have been concerned for years that the location and the explosive products stored there—and transported by rail across the city—endanger Portlanders, wildlife on the Willamette River and Forest Park, and violate treaties with local tribes. Zenith has also flouted state and local policy in the past by failing to pay franchise fees on time and expanding the amount of fuels it transports despite promising it would not do so. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) fined Zenith in 2021 for flagrant violations of its air permit, and in 2024 for illegal construction at its site.

A group of petitioners, including the Northwest Environmental Defense Center (NEDC), Willamette Riverkeeper, 350PDX, and 18 Portland residents, sued the city in February after it approved Zenith’s LUCS. Environmental attorneys want LUBA to force the city to reopen the land use process with more transparency, saying the law requires it.

Mary Stites, staff attorney at NEDC, said the appeals court’s decision is a procedural win for the plaintiffs. Environmental advocates believe LUBA, the specialized court, should hear the case, rather than the Multnomah County Circuit Court the city argued for, which is not as specialized in local land use laws.

Stites said she felt confident about their arguments in any court, but it makes more sense for LUBA to interpret how a host of complicated mechanisms fit together.

“It's also very important for us to reinforce that there should be guidelines that need to be complied with, and LUBA is the best court to do that for the entire state,” Stites said.

NEDC argues that the city engaged in a flawed process when it approved a new LUCS in February because it failed to appropriately include the public when making its decision.  Portland first approved the LUCS in 2022 with additional conditions for Zenith, requiring the company to phase out all crude oil by October 3, 2027, restrict new infrastructure to only renewable fuels and blended jet fuel, and dismantle 30 storage tanks at its facility.

In November 2024, the DEQ found Zenith had violated those conditions by illegally constructing and using pipelines without proper approval.  The DEQ required the Houston-based fossil fuel company to obtain a new LUCS, which the city approved on February 3.

The city argued that LUBA should not have jurisdiction in this case, saying it should fall under exemptions in Oregon law allowing the Zenith approval to fall into administrative court rather than land use court. The city relied on an interpretation that fossil fuel terminals are allowed outright under state law in heavy industrial zones, including where Zenith operates. The city argued, and LUBA agreed, that Zenith’s proposed use was allowed outright under the city’s land use regulations, according to court documents.

Secondly, the city argued that the conditions it set out for Zenith in its approval did not convert the LUCS into a non-discretionary land use decision, meaning the Circuit Court should instead hear the case.

That would have put the legal arguments in a more generalized legal setting, despite the complex nature of land use laws, according to Stites.

The appeals court disagreed with LUBA’s findings, saying in court documents released November 13 that “LUBA’s order is unlawful in substance” and remanding the case back for further action. The court said even with the conditions the city and Zenith agreed on for the LUCS approval, the case should not be exempted from the land use court. In other words, LUBA is the appropriate venue.

“Petitioners met their burden to establish LUBA’s jurisdiction by showing that the city made a land use decision by imposing the conditions of approval in the 2025 LUCS,” the order said.

The appeals court also said the city’s attached conditions are enforceable by the city based on Zenith’s use of the property. In August, a city attorney turned heads when she argued in a court hearing that the city’s rules were not enforceable, going against the city’s longstanding assertions that they are.

Zenith needs the LUCS from the city in order to maintain an air permit from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The DEQ approved the permit on October 9 amid significant pushback from environmental advocates, and despite the ongoing litigation.

DEQ spokesperson Michael Loch said DEQ does not comment on ongoing litigation, including cases it is not involved in, and DEQ could not speculate on potential outcomes. 

“However, DEQ’s air quality permits are contingent on a valid LUCS,” Loch said. “If the LUCS is overturned or revoked at any point, we will evaluate how that may impact the status of Zenith’s ACDP.”

Stites said in the end, environmental advocates want the city to stand up to the fossil fuel industry, and NEDC’s lawsuit does not challenge the city’s role in imposing and enforcing conditions to stop handling fossil fuels.

“We want the city to be able to use its authority to regulate those industries to comply with the city's ambitious Comprehensive Plan,” Stites said. “But when they do that, they need to follow the specific procedure that guides these kinds of discretionary reviews.”

The court’s decision came the same day the Portland City Council heard updates from City Attorney Robert Taylor on the city’s investigation into Zenith's potential violations of its franchise agreement. The city hired an independent law firm Cable Huston in September to assist in an ongoing investigation of the company. The City Council passed a resolution in March requiring that Mayor Keith Wilson open the investigation. 

Environmental advocates remain concerned that the city has not been fully transparent in its dealings with Zenith. They’re pressuring the city to disclose what work and what documents Cable Huston has access to, ensure it has full access to documents dating back to 2017, and allow the law firm to broaden its scope to investigate a pattern of conduct between Zenith and city officials.

“Portlanders will not accept a delayed, constrained, or opaque process,” Diana Meisenhelter, an XRPDX activist, said. “We need a definitive, transparent investigation that doesn’t intentionally avoid incidents and activities that would lead to revocation of Zenith’s franchise agreement — an outcome which aligns with the City’s climate resolutions and its duty to protect public safety.”

From the jump, I should admit that I have been skeptical of comics journalism. The method is too slow for the 24-hour news cycle, and making comics about complex and evolving issues risks simplifying things that should remain nuanced.

However, a new, deeply-considered textbook by former editors at The Nib, Shay Mirk and Eleri Harris, has changed my mind.

Portland State University’s adjunct faculty union recently won an unfair labor practice case against Portland State University (PSU) over the withholding of special benefit funds. The outcome was a victory for the Portland State University Faculty Association (PSUFA), but adjuncts at the university are still shaken by PSU’s actions amid ongoing contract negotiations. 

The union and university are currently in the middle of bargaining for their next contract, as their previous collective bargaining agreement expired on June 30. In August, PSU refused to administer benefit funds, including financial assistance from a fund often used for rent and groceries, to adjunct faculty who requested it. The move was deemed bad faith bargaining by the Oregon Employee Relations Board. 

The board ruled PSUFA members were entitled to the funds even after the contract expired. By withholding them, PSU failed to uphold the status quo requiring employers to maintain benefits for union employees even after a contract’s expiration. As a result, the board ordered PSU to release the funds, with interest, and post a notice of wrongdoing for PSUFA-represented employees. 

Updated November 13 at 12:52 pm

City Council found themselves in a tense standoff with Mayor Keith Wilson and angry Portland residents over a councilor’s failed plan to reallocate a portion of city dollars that have been used to sweep homeless encampments. At times, those defending Wilson’s plan sat side-by-side with community members who countered that the city should be spending its money on long term solutions to confront the city’s homelessness crisis and its impacts on neighborhoods.

While the comparatively long meeting on November 12 covered various issues, seven out of 10 hours of the session were particularly heated, partially because the mayor had spent the prior weekend imploring supporters of his homelessness plan to stop Councilor Angelita Morillo’s proposal in its tracks. That included what some characterized as thinly-veiled threats from the mayor to homeless providers.

Morillo’s proposal failed with 5 councilors voting yes, 3 voting no, and 4 absent.

A central theme of the often tense discussion, part of an annual budget adjustment process, was whether the city should prioritize encampment removals—commonly called “sweeps”—or instead allocate the city’s limited resources toward rent assistance and other support for vulnerable Portlanders. The meeting brought an unprecedented conversation about how Portlanders believe the city should respond to the homelessness crisis.

“We are funneling money into a system that is not helping people get connected to services, despite what the administration has argued,” Morillo said, referring to the city’s budget.