PRIDE <<[Baker City Mayor Matt] Diaz recently posted a meme on Facebook with an image of four Pride flags positioned to look like a swastika. The meme’s caption read, “When you join four pride flags you become ultra pride.”>> The Baker City Herald reported that it received several letters to the editor demanding Diaz’s resignation. …
Category Archives: News and Analysis
6/23/2023 News Roundup
THE FASH <<On Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the formation of a nationwide coalition of numerous sheriffs, including four in Oregon, to work together to safeguard American communities from the effects of what they describe as “the ongoing crisis at the southern border.” The 90-sheriff coalition includes Oregon sheriffs from the counties of: Douglas, …
6/22/2023 News Roundup
STREET RESPONSE <<Portland Street Response is both widely popular and politically embattled, thanks to a city commissioner, Rene Gonzalez, who’s reducing its funding and a firefighters’ union that remains unfriendly to it (“Flame War,” WW, May 31). But the dispute over involuntary holds shows other tensions that threaten the program’s long-term prospects. WW reviewed correspondence …
6/17/2023 News Roundup
HATE CRIMES <<A man has pleaded guilty to hate crime charges for threatening to use his vehicle to hit an Idaho library worker who defended a transgender coworker, as well as two women he believed were lesbians, according to court documents and the U.S. Justice Department. Matthew Alan Lehigh, 31, of Oregon, on Thursday entered …
6/16/2023 News Roundup
HATE CRIMES <<A 32-year-old Portland man is facing multiple assault charges after he allegedly attacked and injured a bouncer in a Portland strip club and restaurant while shouting racial and anti-Semitic slurs, according to court documents. On May 28, police responded to the Acropolis Steakhouse on Southeast McLoughlin Boulevard after reports of a customer, identified …
6/15/2023 News Roundup
PRIVATE COPS <<A new religious organization has hit the streets of Northwest Portland, offering the homeless food and access to shelter. Barely a year old, it’s already winning public grants, philanthropic checks, and nods from city leaders. Loving One Another, while registered as a 501(c)(3), is not your typical nonprofit. It was created by Alex …
6/11/2023 News Roundup
FASH VS DRAG << Drag performer Poison Waters was slated to host a Drag Queen Storytime at Tigard Public Library on Sunday. That is, until online threats took over social media. On Thursday, the library announced a decision to cancel the event due to “threats of violence and an indication that the safety of the …
6/10/2023 News Roundup
MEDICAL EXAMINER <<The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office says it no longer has the capacity or staffing to keep up with record numbers of mysterious deaths, murders and autopsy requests. So this summer, much of the often painstaking and taxing work will be shifted down to local counties – some haven’t staffed a medical examiner …
6/9/2023 News Roundup
THE FASH <<Tigard police say a Drag Queen Story Hour event at the public library has been canceled for this Sunday due to threats of violence. Police made the announcement on Twitter today. They say due to repeated threats of violence and information indicating the safety of community members may be at risk. The library …
6/8/2023 News Roundup
HOMELESSNESS <<Portland City Council approved a new policy that criminalizes homeless camping Wednesday. The ordinance bans camping on public property from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and introduces stricter rules on camping during all other hours.>> <<Opponents, including people currently experiencing homelessness, said the proposal sets unrealistic expectations on people who may struggle to pack …