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“Weaponized Charges of Antisemitism”: Human Rights Advocates Reject Councilors’ Characterizations of Investment Policy
“You get two Jews in a room, you’re going to get three different opinions,” Kelcie Smolin Grega, a Jewish resident in City Council District 4 says. It’s an old joke—one that was echoed by others who spoke to the Mercury after recent calls for the city to divest from companies…
Good Morning, News: Kotek Says She Would Separate State Psychiatric Hospital from OHA, Egg Prices Are Down, and SNAP Admin Costs Are Going Up!
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! Today’s…
Pearl District, NW Examiner Cancel Forum After Brushing Up Against Elections Law Violations
If you didn’t know any better, you might think downtown’s City Council district is down to four candidates vying for three seats. “Final four square off,” reads a headline announcing a downtown candidate forum set for next week. Bruce Studer, the president of the Pearl District…
Meet the Multnomah County Commissioner Candidates For District 2
Seven candidates are running to serve District 2 on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners. The district covers most of North and Northeast Portland. The seat is currently held by Shannon Singleton, who is running for county chair. This November, voters will use ranked…
Eugene Voters to Weigh Clean Energy Fund Modeled After PCEF
The landscape for climate funding has turned bleak since President Trump returned to office. But Portland’s dedicated clean energy fund has stood out as a remaining source of income for emissions reduction efforts—and other communities have taken note. The Portland Clean Energy…
Will Billboard Attacks Be Enough to Oust Portland’s Progressives?
It isn’t uncommon for big business interests to throw cash at elections in hopes of moving the electorate—and not just at the federal level. Amid growing wealth inequality and ongoing affordability crises, some Portland City Council candidates are also facing an onslaught of…
Mayor Wilson Rams Through Massive Fossil Fuel Deal in Second-Ever Tie-Breaking Vote
Mayor Keith Wilson on Wednesday used his power to break a tie City Council vote for the second time on his watch, this time to facilitate a massive fossil fuel deal. Wilson joined six councilors in voting to transfer a contract the city has with Houston-based fossil fuel company…
State Complaints Allege Portland Police Chief Broke State Rules Prohibiting Political Activity
Updated: 4:33 pm September 23 After speaking out against a city councilor over recently resurfaced social media posts from 2020, Portland Police Chief Bob Day is now the subject of multiple state complaints. The complaints allege Day violated state laws that prohibit certain…
Councilors’ Proposal Would Make Mega-Corporations Pay to Address Inequality, Budget Woes
Two city councilors are likely to infuriate a handful of CEOs in their quest to address the city’s perennial budget issues. District 4 Councilor Mitch Green and District 3 Councilor Angelita Morillo introduced what they call the “Fair Share Tax” on Wednesday, seeking to increase…
What’s at stake with diverting Portland Clean Energy Fund money?
If you’ve seen the Portland Clean Energy Fund, or PCEF, in the news lately, chances are it wasn’t in a story about clean energy projects. Groups floated PCEF, designed to support carbon-reducing projects with public funding, as a source to fund everything from more police…
Officials point to shelters as a step toward reducing homelessness, but fail to consider the factors pushing people away
Portland’s ban on sleeping in public took effect last Nov. 1. Since then, the city’s Impact Reduction Program swept over 6,000 encampments. Police assist in 16% of sweeps, according to Portland Police Bureau data. Some city officials say the ban, which criminalizes unsheltered…
Ben Bryant appointed as new City Manager of Happy Valley
City Council has appointed Ben Bryant as the next city manager of Happy Valley. Bryant has served as assistant city manager since 2015, overseeing major initiatives like the Happy Valley Library expansion, managing the administrative team of the organization and guiding strategic…