2022 general election results

You can see results for elections in Oregon at results.oregonvotes.gov. I’m not going to post individual results: the State of Oregon’s results page is the most reliable source of such information and I encourage you to check race outcomes there. I am going to check in a couple of specific races below, however. The timeline for… Continue reading 2022 general election results

Portland’s failure to learn from the 2021 heat dome

Portland set a new record for the city’s longest heat wave last week: we experienced seven consecutive days with recorded temperatures at or above 95° Fahrenheit from Monday, July 25 to Sunday, July 31. The State of Oregon is currently reporting at least 15 related deaths, with at least seven deaths in Multnomah County alone. That number is… Continue reading Portland’s failure to learn from the 2021 heat dome

Primary Ballot Review: How Metro fits into Portland politics

If you live in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties, you have something on your ballot that no one else in the U.S. has — a directly elected regional government in the form of Metro. Metro is also the only directly elected metropolitan planning organization in the U.S. While knowing our local government is unique can make… Continue reading Primary Ballot Review: How Metro fits into Portland politics

Primary Ballot Review: Hello, I want to be the next Multnomah County Chair

A look at the candidates in their words On May 17, the Multnomah County Commission Chair’s seat will be up for grabs as Deborah Kafoury is completing her second term, which will put her at the term limit. Kafoury took office in 2015. While there, Kafoury has implemented several new services with the most notable… Continue reading Primary Ballot Review: Hello, I want to be the next Multnomah County Chair

Digest: Thursday, April 14, 2022

Youth camp swept; threatened with further sweeps The City of Portland used police officers and Rapid Response Bio Clean to sweep an encampment of homeless youth on Tuesday and, after the campers relocated to another location, posted a sweep notice at their new site. Confirmed reports from anonymous sources say the sweep started around 7:00… Continue reading Digest: Thursday, April 14, 2022

Calendar: April 13 to April 20

Wednesday, April 13 9:30 a.m. — City of Portland council meeting Portland’s city council meetings are broadcast live on YouTube. The agenda for this meeting is online and includes a settlement for property damage due to a motor vehicle collision involving the Portland Police Bureau, approving a request to the U.S. Department of Justice for $2 million to outfit PPB… Continue reading Calendar: April 13 to April 20

Digest: Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Surprise snow: the details On Monday night, snow fell on Portland — more snow than has ever fallen on the city in April, according to the National Weather Service. Exactly how much fell depended on location, but many folks shared social media updates noting two to three inches of snow, with up to five inches in some… Continue reading Digest: Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Digest: Thursday, March 31

Students protest Reed College’s response to viral video of professor Reed College students held a protest to push the school to fire a professor who was filmed demanding to know if employees at a Portland business were “illegal immigrants.” The professor, Paul Currie, teaches psychology at Reed College. Protesters first gathered at Reed’s Psychology building, then… Continue reading Digest: Thursday, March 31

Digest: Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Portland Street Response expands Portland’s unarmed street response team has expanded their coverage across the city as of yesterday. Portland Street Response can now take 911 calls without needing to check a map. The program responds to calls about crises that don’t involve criminal activity, usually related to an individual’s mental health. Team members also build… Continue reading Digest: Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Digest: Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Oregon’s expiring COVID emergency declarations The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance in February suggesting that most healthy adults can reduce wearing masks in many situations. They also released new metrics for assessing risks in specific communities. The new metrics shift the CDC from looking at how COVID is actually spreading to how many… Continue reading Digest: Wednesday, March 9, 2022