Feature Stories

By Don MacGillivray Despite periodic criticism over the years, Portland police officers are well-trained and thoughtful in their use-of-force. The past use-of-force policy has been improved in recent years. The 

By Scott Fernandez  M.Sc. Biology  chemistry/microbiology Oregon has the third largest population at risk of excess cancer due to air pollution behind only California & New York. (USEPA National Air

By Michelle Frost Heavy rain did not deter Portland folk from turning out in support of the climate on Tuesday, January 12 at TaborSpace on SE Belmont. Former Secretary of

By Karen Hery Almost 100 years ago, a stone block was slipped in place on a building addition wrapping around the corner of SE Yamhill St. and 35th in the

By Michelle Frost A free community education event called Climate Change Coming Home invites you to a discussion of the impacts of climate change and how this region is being

By Jean Baker The year’s end seems like a fine time to recognize and celebrate the many businesses in Division/Clinton that have existed for decades, and form the backbone of

By Midge Pierce As tributes to the now shuttered Café au Play pour in literally from up and down the West  Coast, neighbors question what the future holds for the former coffee house, play area,

By Stephyn Quirke John Kitzhaber based his State of the State speech off of him in 1996. His rival Robert Moses called him an “outspoken revolutionary” for his ability to

By Don MacGillivray In the daytime, birds will often see the sky or nearby habitat mirrored in the windows of large buildings and believe there is a clear flight path

By Don Macgillivray Have you ever wondered what’s in your own health records? Open-Notes (O-N) allows patients to read about their medical condition after a doctor’s appointment. The most effective

By Michelle Frost Roughly eight million new cancer cases occurred in economically-developing countries in 2012, the most recent data reflects. Chances are great that every person reading this knows someone

By Don McGillivray At one time or another, everyone is likely to want information about caring for aging family members or oneself. The best and most reliable source for this

By Michelle Frost   Despite the many changes in this fair city – widespread development, rising costs, throngs of newcomers, and less rain, there stands a pillar of stability in

By Bob Woodle Julie Brim-Edwards of Mt. Tabor was among 49 athletic achievers inducted into the Portland Interscholastic League Hall of Fame on Sunday, October 18, She is the first

By Stephyn Quirke Local opponents of a controversial water deal have won important allies in the past few months, threatening a multi-million dollar deal for Switzerland-based Nestle. In a renewed

By Don McGillivray How each person concludes life is critical to everyone. No one wants to suffer or live as a vegetable in a hospital intensive care unit. At some

Sage Bolyard and other ardent skateboarders began skateboarding under the Burnside Bridge in 1990. Using the bridges foundation as a structure, they began to build ramps and jumps. Eventually it

By Michelle Frost If there is truly a Cloud 9 (“the highest a cloud can be; a state of happiness, elation or bliss”), then it has settled into the Clinton

By   Don MacGillivray While our waste water and sewage systems are working well here in Portland there may be better ways to do it. Flushing a toilet consumes on average

By Don MacGillivray With Portland’s rental vacancy rate at 2%, annual rents increasing by 11% a year, the population of Portland increasing by 7,000 a year, and renters being evicted,

By Karen Hery This will be the first year for an autumn pie bake-off and the second year for the Trinkets and Treats giveaway on Halloween in the Belmont Business

By J. Michael Kearsey For almost a decade, Vanport was Oregon’s second largest city, the state’s most integrated city and the site of one of the Northwest’s greatest tragedies. On

by Michelle Frost One very special police dog is being memorialized this summer by sculptor Richard Moore. Moore lives and works in SE Portland. This story begins last spring, in

By Michelle Frost Portland fashion and textile designer, Rio Wrenn, is the founder  & designer of R.A.W. Textiles, a production dye studio created in 2009 specializing in natural dyes, rusted

By Karen Hery Most people would have given up or not even gotten started on the journey Jim Swenson and Susan Fries embarked on in January 2013; a journey that

By Nancy Tannler   When Don Hudson first became a stay at home dad, he found there were very little resources for a dad as a child caregiver. His hunt

by Michelle Frost   Best known for her modeling career, Bella the dog is the face of Hawthorne Auto Clinic, Inc. appearing in every issue of The Southeast Examiner. Aside

By Nancy Tannler and Steve Rice Steve Rice’s pre-dawn treks around Mt. Tabor, has brought the distinct sounds of  screech owls coming from the porch area of Western Seminary. During

By Michelle Frost Portland has a softball league consisting of 16 teams from some of the most popular pubs, bars and lounges in SE.  The season began May 30 with

By Stephyn Quirke Unless you’re new to the region, you’ve probably heard of a massive earthquake that could happen any time between right now and the year 2315 Experts crafted

By Karen Hery “You never know where things will lead” is an understatement for first and second grade teacher Michelle Stobel and a group of students at Sunnyside Environmental School.

By Michelle Frost Once upon a time, a massage therapist and a corporate software technician dreamed of owning a store that would offer ‘healthy kitchen’ solutions to the community.  In

By Midge Pierce Love or curse it, growth has come to Southeast Portland. And with growth, new transportation projects follow. Most notably, the Portland-Milwaukie high capacity light rail line is

By Roland Lakey There are secret societies meeting all over Oregon, many right here in Portland.  Some have been here for more than 100 years.  And they are growing all

By Don MacGillivray For many years the disadvantaged and diverse members of our community have not had an effective voice in the civic affairs of the Portland. There have been

By Michelle Frost Maybe you’ve seen the bright green bags on a friend’s or neighbor’s porch step.  These are the trademark collection bags used by members of the Portland Food

By Karen Hery Drivers coming off the Marquam Bridge towards Central Eastside in the first block of Yamhill, can glance through the giant doors and large windows of Cargo’s newest

By Michelle Frost You may first be struck by the abundance and variety of terrariums on display, by the winding iron staircase inside the entrance, or the giant antlers mounted

By Michelle Frost   Daniel Peccia started making tile to remodel a fireplace. “That’s where it all started,” he tells me, pointing to the fireplace in his living room. “When

By Don MacGillivray The world increasingly talks about Climate Change and Global Warming, yet rarely is the story completely told. The basic problem is the excessive release of CO2 emissions

By Michelle Frost When the doors open at 7 pm, volunteers greet the women who are lined-up and waiting to enter.  Not only a Drop-in center for clothing, supplies and

By Nancy Tannler   The League of Women’s Voters recent presentation on “Juvenile Justice/Solutions for Youth in Trouble,” made it evident that Oregon is taking the lead to find a

By  Don MacGillivray   Every day 10,000 people in the United States turn 65 and Oregon is seeing a migration of seniors from all over the nation. 52% of seniors

By Don MacGillivray   An estimation by federal housing and census report that the need for low-income housing is between 20,000 and 22,000 units.  If people cannot afford housing they

By Midge Pierce   Eight recent art installations along the new Division Streetscape are a testament to the powers of observation and imagination. The title, This All Happened More or

By Nancy Tannler   For many years, Mark Brody has quietly gone about his mosaic work completing one amazing project after the next. Now he’s become masterful at what he

Starting to think about your 2014 taxes? This is the first year the IRS requires you to address your health insurance on your tax return. The Affordable Care Act has

By Karen Hery   From home studios, industrial work space and retail shops, a hidden web of resources supports the “made here” items that define the creative side of inner

By Sam Kellogg   Ferns and huckleberry bushes heavy with dew obscure the trail ahead. With each step forward, another waterlogged branch springs back into place behind me, splattering fat,

By Don MacGillivray   The State of Oregon requires Metro to examine the metropolitan Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) to determine if it requires additional land for future development. The new

By Don MacGillivray   In a few years SE Powell Blvd and Division St. will soon be the region’s first high-capacity Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route between Portland and Gresham.

Clarence and Delora have been residents of SE Portland for over sixty years. In October they celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary, and they still live in the house they moved

By Don MacGillivray   82nd Avenue is growing into its new name, the Avenue of Roses, but it remains a congested, auto-centric five-lane highway to those that use it. Pedestrians

by Colin Staub   The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability is in the midst of a project that will alter Portland’s Commercial and Central Employment zoning codes. The city’s current

PROJECT INSPIRATION OF THE MONTH Neighborhood Small Grants We Are Public Housing, a project by the Center for Urban Pedagogy, aimed to improve the New York City Housing Authority’s accountability and increase

Jeff “Weirdo” Jacobson is a leading force in the urban art scene in Seattle and his new work is in SE Portland. He has transformed Artifact Creative Recycle’s once nondescript

The Bureau of Environmental Services, Metro and the Expo Center in a joint effort created the Green Wall on the Expo Center’s campus. It is an ingenious way to beautify

By Don MacGillivray   On September 21, 400,000 people marched in the streets of New York City to call on 100 global leaders to take action on climate change during

By Ben Williams   The Green Furniture Hospital turned 100-years-old this year, making it older than much of the antique furniture they repair. Mike McCourt, the co-owner of the small

By Don MacGillivray   In early October the Coalition of Livable Future (CLF) held its 12th annual Livability Summit, Pathways to Prosperity while Advancing Economic Justice. The keynote speaker was