News African-American students across Multnomah County are being suspended and expelled from middle and high schools at nearly 3.5 times the rate of white students, according to a report released Jan. 10 by the Multnomah County Commission on Children, Families & Community.
Th...   More

News You can call mayoral candidate Charlie Hales Tuesday night between 7 and 8 p.m. Or he’ll call you. Whichever.

Hales is hosting a telephone town hall that night, but you might have to call Sacramento to get him.

Hales’ campaign manager, Jessica Mokovitz, says the campaign had to hire a company that could handle the volume of calls they expect to receive Tuesday night, and ended up...   More

News Proponents of a potential ballot measure to put a once-cent-per-ounce wholesale tax on sugared soft drinks in Multnomah County say the tax will help curb childhood obesity, since studies have conclusively shown drinking sugared beverages increases a child’s likelihood of being fat.

But the most   More

News Max Williams, the former head of the state Department of Corrections, says he doesn't think the state's death penalty has worked well, and voter-passed laws about sentencing have put too much emphasis on locking people up and not enough on helping prisoners integrate back into society.

Williams, who resigned in December, told an audience at the Oregon Historical Society last night that Oreg...   More

Cover Story The archetypal prisoner of the last century wore stripes and carried a ball and chain. In the early part of the 21st century, he wore an orange jumpsuit.  The typical 2012 inmate may instea   More

News Supporters of a proposed ballot measure that would place a one-cent-per-ounce tax on sugar-added drinks sold in Multnomah County have added another use for the expected $35 million in revenue: Outdoor School.

The proposed measure, spearheaded by Portland physician Gregg Coodley, would funnel tax proceeds through Multnomah County to pay for after-school and P.E. programs administered by scho...   More

News Remember the debate over whether Occupy Portland increased crime downtown? The Portland Police Bureau hasn't forgotten, and today it released a report (PDF) attempting to demonstrate that crime spiked during the Occupy Portland encampment in    More

News Melanie Davis, owner and publisher of El Hispanic News, has announced she will start an LGBTQ-focused monthly magazine just weeks after Just Out, Portland’s gay community magazine since 1983 closed its doors in December.According to the magazine’s website...   More

News Soda pop, energy drinks and even some juice mixes will get more expensive in Multnomah County if voters approve a new tax proposal bound for the November ballot. As first reported Jan. 9 at ww   More

News Multnomah County voters could see a measure to tax soda pop, energy drinks and other sugar-added beverages at one cent per ounce on their November ballots.

The measure is an effort spearheaded by Portland doctor Gregg Coodley to raise money for kids' health programs. About half of the estimated $35 million per year the tax would raise for Multnomah County government would be set aside for...   More