One benefit of a simultaneous wildfire smoke and heatwave situation is that the smoke may slightly mitigate high temperatures. And one benefit of living in hell is that you get to write unique sentences like the one before this.
Taylor Griggs
@taylorgriggs.bsky.social
Portlander, journalist, bicyclist Writing about transportation/climate/city stuff @portlandmercury.com tgriggs @ portlandmercury dot com She/her
In this edition of In this edition of @donovanscribes.bsky.social THE BLACK BYLINE, Donovan explores the current culture war erupting within Portland City Council through the lens of their most recent controversy, "daddy-gate."
THE BLACK BYLINE: Viral “Daddy” Rift Highlights a Bigger Culture War Within and Beyond Portland City Council - Portland Mercury
“I read all the revolutionary shit you read. But I am alive because of what my Grandmama did with her understanding of Christ.”—Kiese Laymon, 2026 “As a culture worker who belongs to an oppressed peop...
portlandmercury.com
Aw, I wrote about this for the Klamath Falls Herald & News in 2019 (my first transportation story, maybe!). It was really fun and a great demonstration of how special Amtrak is. Good to see Todd Kepple is still a docent on the Coast Starlight.
Riding the Rails; Telling Tales
If you’re traveling by train on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight, which goes all the way up and down the West Coast from Seattle to Los Angeles, you may be joined by
heraldandnews.com
The Oregonian@oregonian.com · 5d agoVolunteer docents aboard Amtrak's Coast Starlight reveal how the 1926 Cascade Line brought fortune to remote Klamath Falls and connected it to the rest of Oregon for the first time.
The league has to get rid of this Dundon guy. He bought the Blazers to hold the city of Portland hostage for arena money and now he's telling all of his underlings to shittalk the city so he can move to Kansas City or something. Cut this shit out or the league will be held hostage by similar ghouls.
Fischer 🛠️🚇@fischer.bsky.social · 6d agoif this is going to be the line then fuck these guys
Damian Lillard, please make your voice heard
Fischer 🛠️🚇@fischer.bsky.social · 6d agoif this is going to be the line then fuck these guys
A coalition of Portland neighborhood associations and transportation advocacy groups are sounding the alarm about a recently-announced pavement resurfacing project on West Burnside Street.
Transportation Advocates and Neighborhood Groups Seek a “Better West Burnside” - Portland Mercury
A coalition of Portland neighborhood associations and transportation advocacy groups are sounding the alarm about a recently-announced pavement resurfacing project on West Burnside Street. The projec...
portlandmercury.com
Advocates call on city leaders to pause W Burnside construction so it "works for everyone.” They point to 4 traffic deaths + many injuries in the past 10 years “A street this dangerous is not good for business or tourism. A better Burnside is possible” @portlandmercury.com @taylorgriggs.bsky.social
Transportation Advocates and Neighborhood Groups Seek a “Better West Burnside” - Portland Mercury
A coalition of Portland neighborhood associations and transportation advocacy groups are sounding the alarm about a recently-announced pavement resurfacing project on West Burnside Street. The projec...
portlandmercury.com
I'm not sure granting anonymity to let the Blazers management have better bargaining positions is really in line with best journalism practices.
The Oregonian@oregonian.com · 2w agoThe team official’s rebuke could be seen as an effort to push city leaders forward on the existing proposal. https://mrf.lu/2TgrB
This is like dating a guy who is pretty much always mean to you and when you ask him to be less mean he ghosts you until you understand that you can’t have ANY expectations if you want to hang out with him. And for some reason you agree to that arrangement for a while. (Theoretically)
The Oregonian@oregonian.com · 2w agoThe team official’s rebuke could be seen as an effort to push city leaders forward on the existing proposal. https://mrf.lu/2TgrB
Come to the Mercury’s Get Out & Eat ride next Saturday!! It’s gonna be fun and awesome. Thank you. www.shift2bikes.org/calendar/eve...
Each week, @sinacolad.bsky.social reminds me that he's not only the critic this cinema town deserves, but one of the cornerstones of Portland's underrated arts coverage. You can pull up the @portlandmercury.com any time you'd like, but this is a strong argument for picking up a copy when you see it.
Portland’s Lloyd Center defenders couldn’t get the City Council to intervene in the mall’s imminent closure. The Council voted Wednesday not to uphold appeal of a master plan for the site that will see the property demolished and redeveloped into a mix of housing, retail and entertainment.
Portland City Council Determines the Lloyd Center Can’t Be Saved - Portland Mercury
The plan to redevelop the Lloyd Center Mall and the surrounding land will go forward, despite two appeals aimed at saving the mall and its ice rink. On Wednesday, Portland City Council cast an initial...
portlandmercury.com
Come to the Mercury’s Get Out & Eat ride next Saturday!! It’s gonna be fun and awesome. Thank you. www.shift2bikes.org/calendar/eve...
Check out this ride Sunday! Hosted by my wonderful colleague Katherine Chew Hamilton and featuring smart speakers, music, etc. 🤩
Not becoming a US senator≠going to jail. Americans are owed due process in the legal system (though there are many better recent examples of that right not being honored). You are not owed a Senate seat.
Balu Puppy@balupuppy.bsky.social · 4w agoOmfg
My thoughts on Graham Platner in today’s news roundup, and a reader note: www.portlandmercury.com/good-morning...
Being a journalist is awesome because if you make an offhand joke that doesn’t land well, you may have a voice recording of the moment so you can be absolutely sure it’s not all in your head, the thing you said was actually stupid and you should definitely be ashamed of it for the rest of your life
NEW: TriMet plans to contract with Allied Universal to manage the Safety Response Team, ending Portland Patrol, Inc’s five-year run in charge of the program. Hundreds of local Allied employees are members of SEIU 49, which SRT staff believe is a good sign for their union efforts.
UPDATED: TriMet Safety Response Staff Urge Management Change - Portland Mercury
Update, 7/3: TriMet has announced it intends to contract with Allied Universal to manage the Safety Response Team and Customer Safety Officers, starting August 1. TriMet already partners with Allied, ...
portlandmercury.com
I need to say something. Stop writing like this. (Or, more likely, getting AI to do it for you.) The short, fragmented sentences. The frequent line breaks. It looks like shit and is awful to read. You’re not an avant-garde poet. You’re an ineffective communicator.
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.
Two City Councilors Face State Ethics Complaints Over Moda Center Event - Portland Mercury
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. A complaint filed ...
portlandmercury.com
We of the Noisy Union have become aware of some speculation regarding The Stranger's primary election endorsements. We are confident in the integrity of this slate of endorsements, and encourage concerned parties to read the SECB's full reasoning when our endorsements go live on the site tomorrow.
TriMet's Safety Response Team members spend their days aboard the public transit system, expected to de-escalate tense situations, discourage illegal conduct, and provide resources for people in need.
TriMet Safety Response Staff Urge Management Change - Portland Mercury
Regular Portland public transit riders are likely familiar with TriMet’s Safety Response Team staff. Decked out in blue and yellow uniforms and unarmed, Safety Response Team members spend their days a...
portlandmercury.com
Just want to amend this to say the Hot n’ Jazzy bowl is about 20x better than the original one. I know it’s on me for previously limiting myself to the bland original bowl, but I felt it was my responsibility to keep you abreast of such developments. Thank you.
Taylor Griggs@taylorgriggs.bsky.social · 6mo agoThere’s something about Cafe Yumm that’s just so….acceptable. Nothing less, and certainly nothing more.
When people say "bikes" they don't typically mean "just get on a bike and ride everywhere, loser." What they mean is that in a country where the more than half of all local trips are 3 miles or less, our government could do a lot more to make it safe for people to choose to bike if they want.
Dr. Samantha Montano@samlmontano.bsky.social · last mo.Have the people who just respond with “bikes” as a solution to everything ever been to 90% of the United States?
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.
Highlights of the Big Ticket Metro Chamber Event? Maybe the Catering. - Portland Mercury
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 ...
portlandmercury.com
The mayor lobbed insults not just at councilors, but at one of the most comprehensive & influential sources of info on the upcoming Moda Ctr deal. He called the Blazers fan an "opportunist" but said the billionaire demanding a publicly-funded $600M arena makeover seems "fair, firm," & "friendly."
In Latest Newsletter, Mayor Wilson Ridicules Blazers Fan and Influential Critic as a “Techbro” - Portland Mercury
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 inf...
portlandmercury.com
This is a huge loss. In addition to his excellent reporting, Zane was an incredibly funny and kind person. He was a great conversationalist and always remembered small details about people. I am glad I knew him and will always remember him fondly. 💙💙💙💙 He will be greatly missed.
Zane Sparling, reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive, dies of cancer at 33
“He wanted his identity to be a reporter, and that’s what it was,” his father said.
oregonlive.com
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.
Zane Sparling, reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive, dies of cancer at 33
“He wanted his identity to be a reporter, and that’s what it was,” his father said.
oregonlive.com
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.
Dozens of Complaints Against Police Funding Petition Prompt State Investigation - Portland Mercury
Last month, canvassers began collecting signatures for a Portland ballot initiative seeking to use clean energy funds to hire police. Since then, the Oregon Secretary of State has received 28 complain...
portlandmercury.com