Thanks for this. Dave should have pushed a lot harder than he did, and the number he stated about Welfare Checks was wrong. There are 23,000 welfare checks per year and the pilot found that 14,000 of them could be handled by Portland Street Response (PSR). bsky.app/profile/marc...

There’s an old adage “if one person says it’s dry and another person says it’s raining, a reporter’s job is not to quote both; it’s to look outside and report the truth.” I’d say an even better reporter would ask what motivated one person to say it was dry in the first place, despite the rain.

I heard from PPB Chief Bob Day on OPB’s Think Out Loud today, and if you have a hyperactive amygdala, does he have some stories for you! Heavy on anecdotes, light on specifics. Why is the PR machine so active? Is it because the cop union spent $800k on a crooked ballot initiative and wants a return?

I heard from PPB Chief Bob Day on OPB’s Think Out Loud today, and if you have a hyperactive amygdala, does he have some stories for you! Heavy on anecdotes, light on specifics. Why is the PR machine so active? Is it because the cop union spent $800k on a crooked ballot initiative and wants a return?

“It was revealing that one of the first tributes to Lindsey Graham…came from Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, a far-right provocateur who recently caused widespread anger by sharing footage of himself taunting bound activists who had been trying to sail to Gaza with aid.”

A journalist/editor can easily convince themselves they’re reporting facts when quoting police. The trick is that the ~fact~ is police said it. It doesn’t mean what police said is itself a fact. In a defamation case for instance, a judge may not excuse a reporter simply because the lie is a quote.

A journalist/editor can easily convince themselves they’re reporting facts when quoting police. The trick is that the ~fact~ is police said it. It doesn’t mean what police said is itself a fact. In a defamation case for instance, a judge may not excuse a reporter simply because the lie is a quote.

Some late Friday news: Portland's city hearings office has upheld the land use violation issued against the owner of Portland’s ICE building. That means the city can begin issuing fines against the owners. More soon.

You might be wondering if the Secretary of State, City Auditor, or Multnomah County Elections will strike signatures from this ballot initiative after a host of complaints were filed over how signatures were gathered. There are still many questions, but some answers are here re: next steps.

The campaign for a ballot initiative seeking to redirect clean energy funds to the Portland Police Bureau announced Monday it had submitted enough signatures to the city to qualify for the November ballot. 🧵

The Safer Portland initiative is 1 step closer to Nov ballot w/63k+ signatures. Elections offices are verifying signatures, but @orsecretaryread.bsky.social is also reviewing 77 complaints filed against the initiative for alleged legal missteps, including a new one filed Tuesday.

Yesterday, this campaign to send 25% of climate money to cops submitted over 60k signatures to the city. This story by @taylorgriggs.bsky.social, exclusively covered by the @portlandmercury.com and never once even mentioned by any other outlet, seems like critical context for the public. 1/2

Yesterday, this campaign to send 25% of climate money to cops submitted over 60k signatures to the city. This story by @taylorgriggs.bsky.social, exclusively covered by the @portlandmercury.com and never once even mentioned by any other outlet, seems like critical context for the public. 1/2

Solidarity with the animals

Strike! Very fun to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the @picklesbaseball.bsky.social game last night. It was a great day for baseball! This is my mini love letter to Portland, where dreams can come true.

Went to my first Pickles game tonight (Dillie Nelson night), and was delightfully surprised to see the first pitch thrown by Portland's national treasure @jeremiahhayden.bsky.social. Just another perfect evening in the world's best country: Portland, Oregon.

As America turns 250 years old, it's become apparent that this country values entertainment over decorum. In his latest edition of THE BLACK BYLINE, Donovan Scribes imagines Thomas Jefferson—who fathered children with his Black slave—as the perfect modern-day guest on the Maury Povich show.

The city of Portland now owns the Moda Center, making us the Blazers’ landlord. With renovations needed and a team owner who's a notorious cheapskate, city officials must now flex their negotiating muscle while calculating the cost of civic pride.

Two Portland city councilors are facing a potential state ethics investigation after missing most of a public meeting to instead attend a local chamber of commerce event last week.

My latest Oregon Artswatch (@orartswatch.org) story celebrates this wonderful nonprofit publication's 15th anniversary by chronicling its founding, by longtime Oregonian newspaper editor Barry Johnson.

Friendly weekend reminder: Portland banned the sale and use of fireworks within city limits in 2022, so don’t get any ideas, pyros. PLUS a big update on the Interstate Bridge project and more of today's top stories in the Good Morning, News 🗞️

Portland's Community Board for Police Accountability is speaking out amid a supplemental budget ordinance, proposed by a moderate block of city councilors, that could pull from the police oversight budget next year to pay back money borrowed now.

And that’s why we need you to donate $3 to Democrats now, so we can stop socialists from winning elections.

Apparently someone has decided to let me throw out the first pitch at the @picklesbaseball.bsky.social game next Friday, July 3. So, if you’re attending, be sure to wear a helmet?

It’s unclear if anyone who purchased a $350 ticket to this year’s chamber of commerce meeting is feeling buyer’s remorse, but if they expected anything more than a pep rally, sans pep, they certainly could be.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson had critiques and a sharp tongue in a Tuesday newsletter that took jabs at city councilors as well as a data analyst who’s become one of the most influential sources of information about the city’s upcoming Moda Center lease contract. What the mayor didn’t have? Accuracy.

“Person driving a vehicle hit…” is a good framing here. Not long ago, this might have been a “pole-involved hitting.”

Ok, I’ll bite: Who is David Frum?

Hours after Portland City Council approved an $8.5 billion 2026-27 budget last Wednesday evening, five city councilors brought forward an ordinance to restore some of the frontline services Mayor Keith Wilson eliminated in the budget.

Meanwhile, another attempt to raid funds in Portland’s new police accountability office through a separate ordinance is expected to be introduced this week, according to multiple city councilors who spoke to the Mercury since the budget was adopted.

Devastating news about Zane, the inimitable local reporter and friend to many of us. There's a hole in the community that can't be filled. I'm grateful to have been on the receiving end of his jestful curiosity many times, read his stories, and of course, watch him work a karaoke crowd. RIP buddy.

Portland City Council’s Moda Center work session is set for the same time as the Portland Metro Chamber’s annual meeting. PMC’s president wants the meeting moved so councilors can attend the $350 event, with Blazers owner Tom Dundon and local officials speaking.

This Friday is Juneteenth, and in the latest edition of THE BLACK BYLINE, author Donovan Scribes lays out the case for reparations for Black Oregonians: why we should do it, the progress that's already been made, and despite all the arguments against it, why it remains very feasible.

The Oregon Secretary of State’s office has opened an investigation into allegations of misconduct against a campaign to divert PCEF funds to police. The state has so far received 28 of these complaints, which allege petitioners are misleading voters about the proposal or its funding source.

"Requesters...should not be required to defend themselves in court, particularly not if they are individuals or media entities operating in the public interest; this type of retaliatory lawsuit is so rare that it has happened less than a dozen times since the public records law was adopted in 1973."

Story has been updated with comments from the Metro Chamber’s Andrew Hoan (and a bit about what constitutes a gift under the city’s lobbying code).

A Council work session on the Moda Center later this month coincides with the Portland Metro Chamber's big-ticket annual meeting. But Metro Chamber CEO wants councilors to hear the Blazers' owner speak at their event, so he's asked council leadership to accommodate and reschedule the public meeting.

A Council work session on the Moda Center later this month coincides with the Portland Metro Chamber's big-ticket annual meeting. But Metro Chamber CEO wants councilors to hear the Blazers' owner speak at their event, so he's asked council leadership to accommodate and reschedule the public meeting.

Community centers, misting stations, and malls, oh my! Help get the word out that dozens of cool spaces across Multnomah County are open today to help beat the heat. Visit our interactive cooling map for details, including hours of operation: link.multco.us/interactive-map-cool-spaces

Ai Weiwei wishes President Trump a very happy 80th birthday. www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

It's going to be very hot in Portland this weekend. An extreme heat warning will be in effect from 11 am Sunday to 11 pm Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. On Monday, temperatures are forecasted to soar to 99 degrees.

At the time of this post, nearly 99,000 people are watching this livestream.

After a three-month preliminary review, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC) on Friday, June 12, voted to open a full investigation into former Portland Community College (PCC) President Adrien Bennings over potential conflicts of interest when she served in the role.

Oregon has officially pulled out of the White House event called the Great American State Fair, saying the cost of participating was too high, and it was shaping up to be a lot more partisan of an event than the White Housing initially proposed. This and more stories in today's Good Morning, News ⬇️

This budget amendment just failed in a 6-6 tie. Councilors Avalos, Dunphy, Green, Kanal, Koyama Lane, Morillo voted yes. Councilors Clark, Novick, Pirtle-Guiney, Ryan, Smith, Zimmerman voted no.

Story updated.

Portland City Council is again making adjustments to Mayor Wilson's budget on Wednesday, and one proposal could save over 100 city jobs.