Murmurs For the first time in recent memory, The Oregonian is taking a pass on the presidential race. The daily told readers Aug. 14 it won’t endorse a candidate for president. Insiders say Publisher N. Chr   More

News How will Rep. Jefferson Smith (D-East Portland) pick a mayoral staff? He'll ask if you know anybody good.The mayoral candidate announced at yesterday's software-startup debate at Elemental Technologies that, if elected, he'll ask for public input on who should staff his office. "The job of recruitment can't be left to a single person, but takes some version of a village," Smith said. "And I hope this ...   More

Elections It’s getting to where donating money in the Portland mayoral race requires photo ID, an advanced math degree and a healthy sense of irony. Last week, state Rep. Jefferson Smith (D-East Portl   More

News The campaign spending one-upmanship continues. It's Rep. Jefferson Smith's turn. More than a month after mayoral candidate Charlie Hales unilaterally announced a campaign contribution limit of $500 $600 and no out-of-state donors, Smith has responded with his own—entirely different—spending cap.Smith's cap limits individual contributions to $1,000 and has no out-of-state rule. But Smith promises ...   More

News Rep. Jefferson Smith landed another union endorsement in his race for mayor—the Oregon and Southern Idaho District Council of Laborers, which represents many city workers. So far, Smith and his opponent, former city commissioner Charlie Hales, have split union endorsements. Smith is backed by the Portland Association of Teachers and the city’s firefighters and police union. Hales has won the support ...   More

News More than 1,400 people took to the Willamette River's east bank near the Hawthorne Bridge Sunday afternoon, clad with floaties, inner-tubes and kayaks to participate in the second annual Big Float to promote recreational use of the city's main body of water. The event—organized by Will Levenson of Popina Swimwear—included a performance from local artist Violet Isle and an attempt to break ...   More

News  Consistently excellent public transit magazine Portland Afoot celebrated its second anniversary last night, and publisher Michael Andersen debuted his plan for the future: a mobile app.Today, Portland Afoot launched a $5,000 Kickstarter campaign for a mobile magazine with an inspirational video that's a who's who of transit geeks. The magazine is a sometimes uncomfortable blend of solid reporting ...   More

News  Mayoral candidate Rep. Jefferson Smith (D-Portland) still has plenty of liberal friends. Today, one is vouching for him.Bob Stacey, a newly-elected Metro Councilor and a former director of environmental group 1000 Friends of Oregon, endorsed Smith this morning. "Jefferson is a very exciting leader," Stacey tells WW. The longtime conservation activist, who led ballot-measure battles to preserve ...   More

News Gunshots were fired at least 11 times in the last two months in the outer-eastside neighborhoods currently represented by state...   More

News Last week, WW reported that mayoral candidate Charlie Hales kept taking big checks from influential supporters in the days before he announced that he'd limit contributions to $600 and would not take any out of state money in his bid for the Nov. 6 general election.The timing wasn't immediately obvious because, at this stage in their campaigns, candidates have 30 days to report contributions. Hales ...   More