Welcome to the (re)launch of Mercury Music Picks! Every week we’ll sift through the sea of concerts, gigs, and shows to let you know what’s really good in Portland. This week we’ve got three(!) local artists hosting album release gigs, a Portland punk rock royalty memorial, and the Queen of Neo Soul , Erykah Badu, pulling up to town. See you in the pit!

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Savage Love Today 9:54 AM

SAVAGE LOVE: Team Fantasize

"Don't tease me with your hot fantasies if you don't actually want to do 'em!"

Dear Readers: I haven’t felt so good since visiting a rustic pluck-your-own chicken place for dinner last week and — doctor’s orders — I’m not allowed to operate advice column machinery until I’m feeling better. Please enjoy this column from February 21st, 2017 and look for a brand-new column in this space next week. — Dan


I am a straight married man. My wife and I have a 4-year-old and a 3-month-old. We’ve just started having intercourse again. For Valentine’s Day, we spent the night in a B&B while grandma watched the kids. We had edibles, drank sparkling wine, and then fucked. It was amazing. After we came and while we were still stoned and drunk, my wife mentioned she was open to inviting others into our sex life. I asked about getting a professional sex worker. She said no. But maybe if we were in a bar (we’re never in bars) and met someone (a unicorn), she might be into it. Anal came up. She’s always said she’s up for trying anything once. I have a desire to experiment with anal. (Not just me entering her, but her pegging me as well.) I asked if she would use the vibrator we brought on me, just to experiment. She said she was too high to do anything. I felt let down. I feel she unknowingly teased me with fantasies I have, not knowing I actually have them. We have a good sex life, and I’m willing to write off the fantasies we discussed while high and drunk. It’s the teasing that drove me crazy.

Having And Realizing Desires

P.S. I’m in no hurry. We just had a baby, and I don’t want to pressure my wife right now. My fear is that she may only like the idea of exploring our sexuality together and not the reality of it.

Some people think about, talk about, and masturbate about certain fantasies without ever wanting to realize them. Let’s call them Team Fantasize. Some people think about, etc., certain fantasies and would very much like to realize them. Let’s call them Team Realize. There’s nothing wrong with either team. But when someone on Team Fantasize is married to someone on Team Realize, well, that can be a problem. Knowing your spouse is turned on by fantasies you share but rules out realizing them—or sets impossible conditions for realizing them—can be extremely frustrating. And sometimes a frustrated Team Realize spouse will say something like this to their Team Fantasize mate: “Talking about these fantasies together—this kind of dirty talk—it gets my hopes up about actually doing it. If it’s never going to happen, we have to stop talking about it, because it’s frustrating.”

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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! We can expect a rainy day, but unlike last week, we'll have a reprieve from the bitter cold. Today's high is 50 degrees, with a low of 46.

Portland’s weather may be back to normal, but current affairs are anything but, so let's catch up.

In Local News:

• Protests against the Trump administration have endured, and Monday was no exception. Protesters marched through downtown to Portland City Hall on Monday, for a Presidents’ Day (or as some referred to it “Not My President” Day) demonstration against a flurry of draconian executive orders and a government takeover by billionaire online bully Elon Musk. Since taking office nearly a month ago, Trump has enacted an agenda that threatens to chip away at civil rights, erase transgender people, and eliminate DEI measures that have historically worked to make our society more friendly to people with disabilities, people of color, and women. It’s a political agenda built on hyper masculinity, false bravado, disregard for separation of powers, and a fundamental misunderstanding of how our federal government operates.

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News Yesterday 12:00 PM

New Council Committee Grapples With Portland’s Slipping Climate Goals

Councilors hope the new Climate, Resilience, and Land Use Committee can help the city reduce carbon emissions and advance environmental justice.

The climate crisis presents unique challenges for local policymakers, trying to make a dent in a global emergency from their desks in Portland. The complexity and scale of the climate crisis was on full display during the first meeting of Portland City Council's new Climate, Resilience, and Land Use Committee on February 13.   

Councilor Steve Novick, one of the committee’s co-chairs, kicked off the committee’s first meeting with a candid speech about the scale of climate change, which he called the "greatest crisis humanity has ever faced.” He said while “what we do in Portland is only a small piece of what the world needs to do,” local action still matters. And right now, the city is behind on its carbon reduction goals. 

According to leaders working on the city’s climate strategy, Portland’s carbon emissions have decreased over the past 35 years, but the city is not currently on track to meet its climate targets. 

While Portland can’t fix the global problem by itself, councilors hope the new climate committee can push the city to lower emissions, making good on pledges and plans it has already committed to. With the climate crisis worsening by the day, and the new Trump administration actively working to roll back federal environmental protections and climate programs, time is of the essence. 

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EverOut Yesterday 11:00 AM

The Top 41 Events in Portland This Week: Feb 17–23, 2025

Erykah Badu, Fuyu Fest, and More

The snow has melted and your path is clear to head to top-notch events from Erykah Badu to Terence Blanchard and from Fuyu Fest to Live Wire Radio: Aubrey Gordon, Kari Ferrell, and more!

MONDAY

LIVE MUSIC

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)

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The Trash Report Yesterday 9:50 AM

THE TRASH REPORT: Flares, Margs, and a Thesis Proposal! Am I in College Again?

Time to pick up the trash—your weekly pile of gossip trash, that is.

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: 

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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— eve6 (@eve6.bsky.social) February 4, 2025 at 12:02 AM

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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!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! 

• 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 Homelessness and Housing Committee 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. 

Councilor Steve Novick went hard during the first meeting of the Portland City Council’s Climate Resilience, and Land Use Committee today.

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— Taylor Griggs (@taylorgriggs.bsky.social) February 13, 2025 at 10:59 AM

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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 Oregonians Take to the Streets to Protest Trump Policies, Oregon’s Attorney General is Turning to the Courts

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.

Char Harris

• POP QUIZ PDX! 

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! 🤓

Chang / Getty Images

• City Council Reluctantly Approves Mike Jordan’s Tenure as City Administrator Until 2026

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.

Courtney Vaughn
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News Fri 3:40 PM

As Oregonians Take to the Streets to Protest Trump Policies, Oregon’s Attorney General is Turning to the Courts

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. 

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.

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Photo Fri 2:00 PM

Portland Sledding Photos With Sound Effects

Sweet jumps, fluorescent ski jackets, and adorable children being dragged around on sleds after the city's 2025 snowstorm.

SHOOP - SUZETTE SMITH
BYZAAA - SUZETTE SMITH
WOASH - SUZETTE SMITH
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EverOut Fri 1:00 PM

This Week in Portland Food News

Mushroom Coffee, Scallops Casino, and Dubai Sundaes

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

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News Fri 12:22 PM

New Housing Committee Takes on Portland's Affordability Crisis

City Councilor Angelita Morillo says she'll introduce a policy to ban anti-competitive rental price-fixing software.

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. 

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EverOut Fri 10:45 AM

The Best Bang for Your Buck Events in Portland This Valentine's Weekend: Feb 14–16, 2025

Reputation vs. Lover - a Taylor Swift-ish Party, Portland Winter Light Festival, and More Cheap & Easy Events Under $15

This weekend, hit up your Valentine/Galentine/Palentine and rendezvous at cheap and cheerful events from Reputation vs. Lover - a Taylor Swift-ish Party to a Lunar New Year Food Fest and from Live Action Oscar Nominated Short Films to the final weekend of the Portland Winter Light Festival. For more ideas, check out our roundup of this week's top events and our Valentine's Day guide.

FRIDAY

PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE

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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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. 

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.

• Time for some good news! It's that time of year again; time to watch the plows.

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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

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