News This morning's Oregonian story about the relationship in 2005 between Mayor Sam Adams and then 17-year-old legislative intern Beau Breedlove advances the story in three important ways: 1. The O got Adams' cell-phone records, which show a level of communication that was earlier, more frequent and more driven by Adams (rather than Breedlove) than has previously been reported. 2. The O found, ...   More

News The Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association, which overlaps the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area, has officially voiced its opposition [PDF] to Merritt Paulson's minor-league baseball stadium proposal. In the letter posted above, Erica Bjerning, chair of the Southeast Portland neighborhood association, writes: Residents were polled months ago on their opinion of having a lovely stadium in ...   More

News On May 21, 2009, Paul Scarlett, director of Portland's Bureau of Development Services went before City Council to talk about a fee-increase proposal. BDS is heavily dependent on fees from permits and fines to pay for its operations. But since fewer people have been seeking building permits amid the recession, the bureau has had to dip into its rainy-day funds. Since July, the bureau has spent $5.8 ...   More

News The city's Historic Landmarks Commission today unanimously rejected the University of Oregon's proposal to change the "Made in Oregon" sign on the west bank of the Willamette River, despite Commissioner Randy Leonard's campaign on behalf of the city this spring to strike a compromise deal with the university (pictured above) on the sign's wording. Leonard was not immediately available for comment ...   More

News We'll flesh this news out in a bit with more from the scene, but the basic development for the moment is that City Council just voted 5-0 this morning to rename 39th Avenue for Cesar Chavez. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know the question of renaming a Portland street for the late labor icon has been contentious and long. "For my family, we would be honored to live on Cesar ...   More

News Portland City Council has waded through a number of topics this morning and afternoon, after its marathon session last night on the topic of renaming 39th Avenue for Cesar E. Chavez. Mayor Sam Adams referred a proposal to give a 10-year tax break to a new housing complex back to his office Commissioner Nick Fish's office. A handful of neighbors from North Portland had testified against the proposal ...   More

News Commissioner Randy Leonard pledged last week to vote no on his resolution [PDF] committing the city to go forward with Merritt Paulson, owner of the Portland Timbers soccer team and Beavers baseball team, following Paulson's decision to withdraw his proposal for building a new minor league baseball stadium in Lents. The deal, which officially divorces the revamping of PGE Park for Major League ...   More

News Commissioner Dan Saltzman said this afternoon that he still plans to vote for the Major League Soccer deal going forward in a revamped PGE Park, despite Beavers/Timbers owner Merritt Paulson's announcement that he's pulling out of the deal's other piece — moving the minor-league baseball Beavers to a proposed stadium in Lents. Saltzman says he's not a soccer fan but thinks there's a buzz ...   More

News While Commissioner Randy Leonard has committed to voting against the Major League Soccer deal going forward now that Beavers/Timbers owner Merritt Paulson announced he's done with the baseball stadium proposal in Lents, Mayor Sam Adams announced this afternoon that "the City's mission is clear: focus our energies on guaranteeing that Portland is the new home of a Major League Soccer team." While ...   More

News Commissioner Randy Leonard says this afternoon he will now vote against his own ordinance resolution (PDF) to move forward on the Major League Soccer deal after Beavers/Timbers owner Merritt Paulson's announcement today that he will pull out of the Lents stadium proposal for minor-league baseball. Leonard says he was embarrassed by the reception Paulson got in Lents last night, but suggested ...   More