Julia is a former news editor for Portland Monthly.

Coronavirus

Oregon Has Another New Target Date for Lifting Its Indoor Mask Mandate: March 11

The new target date is nearly two years to the day that the state went into its first sustained lockdown for COVID-19.

02/28/2022 By Julia Silverman

News You Can Use

5 Oregon Stories To Watch, February 28–March 6

Rain returns with a vengeance, how to help Ukraine and more.

02/28/2022 By Julia Silverman

Analysis

What's Next in Portland's Strategy for Houselessness?

Plenty of questions remain, including when the Safe Rest Villages, originally promised by the end of 2021, will be up and running.

02/25/2022 By Julia Silverman

Coronavirus

Oregon's Indoor Mask Mandate Will Lift on March 19

That's 11 days earlier than previously announced.

02/24/2022 By Julia Silverman

Transportation

How Much Would You Pay to Park Your Car in Portland?

PBOT is proposing to increase metered parking and permit costs to backfill a budget deficit and encourage the use of alternate transportation.

02/21/2022 By Julia Silverman

News You Can Use

5 Oregon Stories to Watch, February 21–27

The legislative session heats up, Portland City Council on parking, and the aftermath of a deadly weekend.

02/21/2022 By Julia Silverman

Politics

With Kristof Out, What’s Next for the Oregon Governor’s Race?

Looking at how the Oregon Supreme Court decision will affect other candidates, including Tina Kotek, Tobias Read, and Betsy Johnson, in the months ahead

02/17/2022 By Julia Silverman

Development

Think the Portland Metro Area's Done For? These 11 Developments Beg to Differ

New apartment complexes, restored theaters, downtown music venues, and more are in the works for 2022 and beyond.

02/16/2022 By Julia Silverman

Advertising

So, What Did We All Think of the Made-by-Portlanders Super Bowl Ads?

Let's discuss! Local agency Wieden+Kennedy had more ads running than any other agencies, but not necessarily the buzziest spots of the night.

02/14/2022 By Julia Silverman

News You Can Use

5 Oregon Stories To Watch This Week, February 14–20

A big ask for emergency shelter spending, the police contract up for debate, and yet more turmoil for the Timbers

02/14/2022 By Julia Silverman

Style

Vintage Fashion Fans Will Swoon Over This Under-the-Radar Portland Museum

Petticoats, opera capes, bustles, and go-go boots abound at Northwest Portland's Bliss House Museum.

02/11/2022 By Julia Silverman

Valentine's Day

Last-Minute Local Valentine’s Day Gifts for Your Love

From heart-shaped mugs to chocolate baskets to flower deliveries to nude paintings, Portland makers and stores have all your Valentine's Day needs.

02/11/2022 By Fiona McCann and Julia Silverman

Business

Can Portland-based Shoemaker BALA Bounce Back?

Disagreements with the early face of the brand—a beloved nurse and influencer with more than a million Instagram followers—changed the company's trajectory. Its founders, two former Nike employees, are trying to right the ship.

02/10/2022 By Julia Silverman

Coronavirus

Is this Really the End for Masks in Oregon?

The state says the indoor mask mandate can expire on March 31. But what that will look like in practice depends on where you live, work, and go to school.

02/08/2022 By Julia Silverman

News You Can Use

5 Oregon Stories To Watch This Week, February 7–13

Contracts for the police, the Portland schools superintendent, and the short session continues in Salem.

02/07/2022 By Julia Silverman

In Memoriam

5 Reasons Bud Clark Was Portland’s Most Unforgettable Mayor

John Elwood "Bud" Clark, who served as Portland's mayor from 1985 to 1992, died on February 1 from congestive heart failure.

02/02/2022 By Fiona McCann, Conner Reed, Margaret Seiler, and Julia Silverman

News You Can Use

5 Oregon Stories to Watch This Week, January 31–February 6

Kristof's day in court, the short legislative session kicks off, and is omicron finally on the run?

01/31/2022 By Julia Silverman

Summer Fun

For Summer 2022, the Blues Festival Heads Back to Waterfront Park

After two years of pandemic disruption, the Blues Festival will return to Waterfront Park in downtown Portland. The event will take place over the July 4th weekend.

01/25/2022 By Julia Silverman

News You Can Use

5 Oregon Stories to Watch This Week, January 24–30

A census of the tricounty area’s homeless population, final results from the Newberg school board election, and Kristof v. Oregon briefs due in court

01/24/2022 By Julia Silverman

Education

To Keep Schools Open, Portland Needs More Substitute Teachers

The problem is not everyone will make it through the application process, and not all substitutes want to fill in at schools where they are most needed.

01/21/2022 By Julia Silverman