Murmurs: Jobs, Jobs Everywhere, But Not a Place to Sleep

In other news: Lars Larson guest-stars in WikiLeaks!

Portland Housing Can't Keep Pace With New Jobs

When is a sizzling job market bad news? When a city doesn't have enough housing for the people flocking into town for the jobs. Median rent for a Portland apartment reached an eye-rolling $1,400 a month in July. On Aug. 1, Oregon Employment Department economist Christian Kaylor released a report showing the rent crunch is likely to continue despite a 10-year high in new housing construction. (Residential building permits in the Portland metro area are projected to reach 14,000 units by year's end.) Kaylor says construction isn't keeping up with job growth: The Portland area is adding 30,000 jobs a year, and those gigs are attracting new residents. (Ironically, one out seven new Oregon jobs is in construction.) "Until the region is able to create new housing at the same impressive rate we create jobs," Kaylor writes, "expect housing to remain scarce and expensive."

The Nation Pummels Multnomah County Jail

More bad press for Multnomah County jails—and this time, it's national. Last year, Street Roots exposed several new contracts at the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office that bled money from unsuspecting inmates. On July 31, The Nation magazine released a devastating follow-up, detailing how a county deal with a private contractor has badly transformed the county's system for returning money to arrestees upon their release. Inmates used to get their first $100 back in cash, with the rest paid by check. Now they get pre-paid debit cards. That subcontract, with Numi Financial, translates to hefty fees and no recourse for inmates, many of whom are already desperately poor. Lt. Steve Alexander, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, defended the debit cards, saying a cash system is less secure.

Lars Larson Appears in WikiLeaks

Portland conservative radio host Lars Larson makes a guest appearance in Democratic National Committee emails revealed by WikiLeaks last month. Among the leaked DNC emails is one in which a staffer summarizes Larson's May 17 interview with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to committee officials. As first reported on wweek.com, DNC staffer Matt Sarge listened closely to Larson's interview, summarizing each question and answer in bullet points. Larson says he was not surprised to learn that DNC staffers had tuned in to his interview. "They're going to do everything they can to beat Trump, because they've got their work cut out for them," Larson tells WW. "I think this is one of the ultimate compliments." Read the full email here.

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