Taylor Griggs

Sandy Boulevard is weird. It’s a former state highway that cuts diagonally across Northeast Portland’s otherwise (relatively) tidy street grid, creating dozens of horrible, six-way intersections that can seem impossible to traverse. It’s statistically one of Portland’s most dangerous streets; the site of a disproportionate number of traffic fatalities for people driving, walking, and biking. Some people were once driven to creative madness over their hatred of Sandy Blvd, creating a spoof horror movie trailer...

KOIN-TV’s videographers, photographers, engineers, directors, and other production staff have always worked hard to get Portland’s news out to television screens across the city. But for the last several years, employees have had to put up with more than grueling overnight shifts and the typical ups and downs of the news industry. Since massive media conglomerate Nexstar purchased KOIN in 2016, unionized production staff at the station say they’ve experienced relentless union-busting tactics from their...

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Parking enforcement in Portland has ranged from lax to nonexistent over the past few years thanks to pandemic restrictions and staff shortages, but the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) says the days of leniency are officially over. With Portland City Council giving the bureau the green light to hire 22 new parking enforcement officers, the fleet of officers will soon be larger than it was before the pandemic. Starting July 8, PBOT’s expanded team of...

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has spent the better part of the last decade trying to change the public narrative about its plan to expand I-5 through Portland’s Rose Quarter. A new lawsuit, filed last Friday by five local environmental and transportation safety advocacy organizations, is just the latest indication ODOT's efforts haven’t worked. The lawsuit, filed by No More Freeways, Neighbors for Clean Air, Oregon and Southwest Washington Families for Safe Streets, BikeLoud...

Portland Japanese Garden employees say they love the work they do, but they need to see change in the workplace in order to continue serving the community at one of Portland’s most beloved destinations. On April 22, employees from the Japanese Garden’s cafe and gift shop announced their intent to unionize with Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) Local 483. In a statement to the Mercury, unionizing employees wrote that over the past six...

[Welcome to our second annual “SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND” issue! Read it online here, or if you like physical, paper-y things, you can find it in more than 50 locations all around the city!—eds] Portland has been a bike city since the 1890s, just after the invention of the modern bicycle. By 1896, the city’s bike culture was strong enough to warrant distribution of a map of cycling routes, which contained advertisements for bike-friendly...

Need a new place to hang out? Look no further than Soho House, which just opened in Portland’s Central Eastside: A combination community workspace, gym, restaurant, social club, and solution to any isolation you may feel. We all know about the demise of American public gathering places—what could be better than a local Soho House (a chain club with more than locations around the globe) to make Portlanders social again? Hold on a second… I’m...

Portland advocates for parks and public space were excited when city officials announced the plan to overhaul and reopen O’Bryant Square, the downtown park now named Darcelle XV Plaza, after the late, renowned drag performer. Now, roughly a year since the plaza’s rebirth process began, some early project stakeholders and local urban design leaders fear the plans are being swayed by private business interests. Though it was once seen as a feat of public planning,...

Portland Commissioner Dan Ryan wants to continue serving on City Council. After months of silence about his political future— in contrast with his three fellow commissioners, each of whom have begun 2024 mayoral campaigns— Ryan announced today he plans to run for Portland City Council again this year. He will be vying for one of three seats in District 2, which encompasses the majority of the Northeast and North city quadrants. Ryan’s time on City...

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 the last ~real~ week of December (that purgatory week between Christmas and New Year’s Day doesn’t count). Where has the time gone?! I wish you all joyous holidays,...

Portlanders have seen several iterations of the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) since they voted to approve the fund to kickstart more climate-friendly initiatives in 2018. PCEF— which is funded by a 1 percent surcharge on local sales at large retailers— has consistently outperformed expectations, requiring leaders to reevaluate the fund’s purpose and strategy. Now, an unanticipated surge of cash has prompted yet another paradigm shift for PCEF. This week, leaders in Portlan…

Note: Some names have been withheld from this story to protect sources from retribution. Instead, the Mercury is identifying them using letters to differentiate quotes. The Portland Japanese Garden, a lush and peaceful urban oasis located just outside downtown, is one of the city’s most prized natural and cultural attractions. But to many garden employees, the working experience has been less than tranquil. Staff describe an atmosphere marked by denigrating language from the nonprofit’s leadersh…

One of Portland’s most notable transit hubs is getting a big makeover. The Hollywood Transit Center, located just south of Northeast Halsey Street between NE 41st and 42nd Avenues in Portland’s Hollywood neighborhood, is a major Northeast Portland transportation hub. The transit center serves several of TriMet’s bus and light rail lines, and thanks to the car-free I-84 crossing adjacent to the MAX station, the area also sees quite a bit of bike and pedestrian...

The next Portland City Council election isn’t until November 2024, but candidates are already announcing their intent to run. Since the beginning of August, five people have filed paperwork with the city’s Small Donor Elections Program, signaling forthcoming bids for City Council. Another five people filed campaign finance forms with the state, making 10 City Council candidates as of August 29. The bulk of those candidates are running in District 3, the most populous district,...

Portland needs to act fast if it wants to achieve its goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Though the city has several plans on the books to slash citywide greenhouse gas emissions, the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) is among the most promising—and well-funded—avenues for local climate action. And after a somewhat rocky start, PCEF now appears to be finding its footing—almost five years after 65% of Portland voters approved the...

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is not only tasked with managing how people get around the city, it also oversees how commercial goods and services flow through Portland. With a new plan, PBOT envisions a greener, safer future for urban freight movement in Portland. Last week, the Portland City Council adopted the 2040 Freight plan, embracing PBOT’s vision for future urban freight movement. The plan dictates the city’s urban freight strategy, policies, and objectives...

In a time when many Oregonians are experiencing financial precarity and can barely afford to pay rent, a Portland-based tenant aid organization is on the brink of financial collapse. The Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) has served as a tenant advocacy group for people across Oregon since its formation in 1996, offering resources like a renters rights hotline and tenant organizing support. The organization has helped renters deal with unexpected rent hikes and landlord disputes...

I’m Taylor Griggs, the new reporter at the Portland Mercury. You might recognize my name from my work at BikePortland, where I was the staff writer for the last year and a half. While there, I became a true urban infrastructure nerd and honed my ability to page through very lengthy government planning documents without losing interest. I look forward to covering climate, transportation, city government and more for the Mercury and am eager to...