In some circles, lobbyist is a dirty word. We don’t elect lobbyists. We don’t know exactly what they do. Yet, lobbyists are an integral part of our democracy. And anyone can do it. Lobbying can be as simple as picking up the phone or writing an e-mail or ...
13 Mar 2014 - Grace Badik
There are two kinds of cheating going on in our economy, every moment of every day, that few people are aware of. One is named “corporation” and the other is named “bank.” Cheat No. 1 Corporations: The defining characteristic of a corporation is that it e ...
13 Mar 2014 - Robin Hahnel
Crouched in the trampled underbrush along the Springwater Corridor, Mike Davis pulls back a loose tent flap to reveal a quietly sobbing woman. “I don’t know what to do, Pastor Mike,” she says, shakily raising an unlit cigarette to her lips. “Can you help? ...
13 Mar 2014 - Alex Zielinski
Nearly 1,000 disabled and low-income clients of Safety Net of Oregon are wondering how they will receive disability benefits now that the company is under federal investigation. The nonprofit organization, which provides money-management services to indiv ...
12 Mar 2014 - Jake Thomas
The word “firefighter” often conjures up images of burly men clad in heat-resistant suits and iconic firefighter hats, wielding axes and pulling people from burning houses and kittens from trees. But in recent decades, fire departments, particularly in ur ...
11 Mar 2014 - Jake Thomas
When I first meet William, downtown was shuttered by a snowstorm. Despite having slept outside in the cold the night before, William is in a good mood. “Today is a good day,” he says. “Sympathy day.” For William, it seems bad weather makes for better sale ...
10 Mar 2014 - Ann-Derrick Gaillot
The lowest income households in Multnomah County face a severe challenge in acquiring apartments affordable at their income level. This forces many very poor households to rent housing that consumes the majority of their monthly income leaving little for ...
7 Mar 2014 - Bobby Weinstock
I met Manuel a couple of months ago. He’s of average height and weight. His handshake is firm and callused from years of construction work. One of the first things you notice about Manuel is the determined and proud look in his eye. Manuel went on to tell ...
6 Mar 2014 - M. Nels Johnson
The knocks came early. At around 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 23, Daniel Hernandez Garcia and his girlfriend of five years, Josefina Aguiniga, answered the door of their Southeast Portland home to find two officers. “They told me they were police officers and they w ...
4 Mar 2014 - Nathan Gilles
Ariel Gore is as raw and honest in her writing as she is in her life, earning her the moniker of the hippest mama around. But the backstory is a long way from Ozzie and Harriet. Gore, spurred by a resilience born of childhood trauma, dropped out of high s ...
3 Mar 2014 - Suzanne Zalokar