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Portland Mercury

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Fair Transit = Fareless TriMet

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/11

by Anonymous We already pay the bulk of the TriMet operating budget through (mostly employment) taxes (49%), federal operating grants (13%), state and local revenue (8%). That’s a total of 70% that everybody has already paid—even folks who aren’t passengers. Passenger revenue is only covers 6% of the TriMet budget. https://trimet.org/budget/index.htm Why are we expected to cover an additional 6% via fare? If TriMet were fareless, it

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Damian Lillard Opens a Sports Bar in a Swanky...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/10

Honorable Mention is now open in the basement of the Benson. by Katherine Chew Hamilton Blazers star and hometown hero Damian Lillard is bringing Dame Time to the local food and drink scene. On Friday, March 6, Lillard and his business partners officially opened Honorable Mention, a sports bar—actually, it calls itself a luxury sports lounge—in the basement of the historic Benson Hotel in downtown

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SAVAGE LOVE: Poly Under Duress

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/10

Some of us start out poly, some of us achieve poly—others have poly thrust upon ’em. by Dan Savage Dear Readers: I’m off this week. To tide you over until I’m back, the tech-savvy, at-risk youth pulled some classic “PUD” questions from the archives. A PUD, of course, is someone who is “poly under duress.” Because while some of us start out poly and some of us achieve poly, others have poly thrust upon

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Good Ole Mooch City

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/10

by Anonymous I was standing up front by the bus driver because I only had 4 stops to go, after just boarding. We roll on about 20 ft and the driver stops. I saw the dude on the right waving, not at a stop or not running. I eventually learned the driver stopped because he saw a bicyclist on the left at the crosswalk. By happenstance, the dude got picked up, then made no effort to pay. A "regular" citizen walked on, "thank you, appreciate

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Good Morning, News: Weird City Hall Power Dynamics...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/10

by Taylor Griggs 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

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Inside the Race for County Chair: Financial Woes,...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/10

Two current commissioners are vying to lead Multnomah County in 2027, each promising a new governing style. by Abe Asher The race for chair of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners has begun in earnest. Last month, Commissioner Shannon Singleton became the first major contender to declare her candidacy for the position being vacated by Jessica Vega Pederson. She was quickly joined by her fellow commissioner,

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Sprained

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/10

by Anonymous After a week of recovering from a bad sprained ankle, in bed, and house bound, I went to work for 30 hrs instead of the normal 40 hrs. My job is 100% walking. Oh the pain every STEP of the way, and basically learning a new way to walk. First thing is, getting anywhere takes twice as long. Getting to the point, I may have been too ambitious with work, then grabbing some groceries because housebound, and getting to my bus

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In the Shadows: Records Show Labor Leader’s Campaign...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/10

Labor Council Secretary Laurie Wimmer privately suggested councilors sue the city to stop “MAGA of the left” from choosing council president. by Jeremiah Hayden During the City Council president vote earlier this year, Portlanders may have been surprised to hear City Councilor Loretta Smith (D1) say she wanted to use her office funds to sue the city. After multiple rounds of deadlock, Smith wanted to

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The Mercury’s Do This, Do That: Your Top Events for...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/09

Grasshopper pie, Irish boxing, and where to watch the Academy Awards. by Lindsay Costello This week, Indigo De Souza swings by to make us cry, Pi Day means eight types of pie are up for grabs at Lauretta Jean's (but you better get there early), and I bet you've never seen a chamber opera about a UFO cult! Plus, Portland has a few Academy Awards watch parties on the docket, but if you're more the type to

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THE TRASH REPORT: Rashes, Wigs, Zendaya's Wedding,...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/09

Welcome to the only gossip column in town. by Elinor Jones Hello, hello! Time for another Trash Report. I'm Elinor Jones. The human world—it's a mess. If we don't make fun of it I think we become complacent in it? Or at least apathetic. And I, for one, prefer to be regular pathetic, thank you very much. Let's gossip! Hail to the Rash Donald Trump started a war with Iran last week to distract us all from the

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Good Morning, News: The City's Pothole Crisis,...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/09

by Wm. Steven Humphrey 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

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Last Chance: Enjoy the Delicious Fun of the Mercury's...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/08

A week of creative, one-of-a-kind sammies from Portland's best sandwich artists—but hurry... it ends today, Sunday March 8! by Mercury Promotions IT'S A FACT: Sandwiches are the best. You can eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And thankfully, it's time to celebrate this feat of ingenuity with the Portland Mercury's Sandwich Week! (Big thanks and "what’s up!" to our pals at Jim Beam and Travel Portland

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Pixar Underdog Hoppers Is Undeniably Delightful

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/07

We are aware we could have said furever.by Dom Sinacola In Hoppers—the latest Pixar flick, directed by We Bare Bears creator Daniel Chong—under-enrolled college student and over-enthusiastic environmental activist Mabel (voiced by Piper Curda) stumbles upon her professor’s (Kathy Najimi) secret invention, which can transfer human brains into the CPU of a lifelike robot animal. “Like Avatar,” Mabel remarks,

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At Mako Matcha Mill, Tea Leaves Are Pulverized Right...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/06

This is the cafe for folks who like their matcha as matcha-y as possible. But don't miss the duck shit oolong. by Katherine Chew Hamilton It seems like matcha is in everything these days, from tiramisu to soft serve to overnight oats (looking at you, NYT Cooking). But what about straight-up matcha for matcha’s sake? Enter Mako Matcha Mill, where matcha itself is the focus—not the cloud foams, fruit flavors, or

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Theater Review: A Mirror Fractures, Like a Kaleidoscope

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/06

The questions Sam Holcroft poses about making art under authoritarianism are certainly timely. by John Rudoff These are deeply worrisome times. Stability, democracy, countries, our neighbors—all seem less permanent than they once were. Sam Holcroft’s complex and frightening 2023 play A Mirror reflects this uncertainty. The play isn’t timely, nor is it meant to be. It’s more like a kaleidoscope—as is our current,

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Update: Portland Design Commission Accepts Master...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/06

People talked about the mall as a public asset to the community… the trick is that it’s a privately owned and operated building, and it has an outsized negative effect on the outside of it. by Joe Streckert On March 5, the Portland Design Commission unanimously accepted the Revised Primary Master Plan for the Lloyd Center Mall, pushing the massive project one small step forward. The commission's

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The Lloyd Center

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/06

by Anonymous Does the plan to tear down the Lloyd Center seriously include building a million square feet of office space? Is there not enough vacant office space in this city already? Do we think the internet is a fad and people will soon be clamoring to return to cubicles? Or is this a prank of some sort? Because this can't honestly be the plan

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The Best Bang for Your Buck Events in Portland This...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/06

Portland Small Press & Art Book Fair, Lunar New Year Dragon Dance and Celebration, and More Cheap & Easy Events Under $20 by EverOut Staff Ready for the time jump that is spring forward this Sunday? Before Monday's rough wake up call, spend time at weekend events from the Portland Small Press & Art Book Fair to Cargo's Global Day of Unplugging Portland Style and from the 10th Annual Lunar New Year

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Good Morning, News: Preschool for All Tax Update,...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/06

by Taylor Griggs The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. 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! It's going to be chilly (high 40s) and rainy today. At least, that's what the forecast says. It's what it said yesterday,

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Maggie Gyllenhaal's New Frankenstein-Inspired Film...

Portland Mercury ·

2026/03/06

Sometimes there’s a rave under the overpass and Fever Ray is playing. by HR Smith Actress-director Maggie Gyllenhaal may be the first person to go from playing a woman blown up in an IMAX movie (The Dark Knight, 2008) to being the woman actually directing an IMAX movie (The Bride!, 2026). Watching the result on the big screen feels like riding shotgun in a stolen car—like someone cramming a lifetime of

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