Portland

The Mercury assembled a Portland guide to Thanksgiving dine-in and takeout, with restaurant listings that include prices, dishes and addresses for Peruvian, barbecue, seafood and steakhouse options.

Dan Kitrosser’s comedy Marsha Blovotnik and the Marvelous Magical Chicken Soup runs at Artists Repertory Theatre through November 22. The 90-minute play, directed by Luan Schooler, follows an angry Jewish socialist lesbian whose magical soup might heal the world.

The Oregon Zoo is treating its elephant calf Tula-Tu for elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus, known as EEHV. A sibling of the calf died from the same disease in 2018 at age six.

The Multnomah County district attorney declined to prosecute Portland police officer Daniel Hall for fatally shooting Eric Hurtado downtown on October 15, finding the use of force justified. Hurtado’s family, who said he was experiencing untreated mental illness, questioned whether lethal force was necessary.

The Mercury's EverOut roundup lists newly announced Portland concert and comedy ticket sales, including CHVRCHES, Queens of the Stone Age, and Josh Johnson at the Keller Auditorium, plus 2027 shows at Star Theater, Roseland Theater, and Crystal Ballroom.

A Portland news roundup reports on an Ombudsman survey of homeless residents at alternative shelter sites who voiced mistrust of complaint processes, plus local events and the return of BLM's Bat Beauty Contest. It also covers the death of UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta at 96 and a Spanish train crash that killed at least 69.

A Portland Ombudsman survey of residents at nine alternative shelter sites found widespread distrust in how complaints are handled, with concerns over unfair evictions and staff conduct. Most negative feedback centered on Urban Alchemy sites, while some residents voiced gratitude for shelter.

Shannon Singleton, Julia Brim-Edwards and Sharon Meieran, all current or former county commissioners, are running for Multnomah County Chair. Each describes plans for responding to federal safety-net cuts and the possible loss of Supportive Housing Services funding.

Records show Portland Police Bureau and city tech staff held at least eight meetings from May to September planning police use of Microsoft Copilot, even though the city's April approval excluded police. Staff acknowledged criminal justice data and audit risks while planning a pilot.

— via Street Roots, Kate Kaye

Portland Police Bureau data show District 4 council candidate and downtown bike patrol officer Eli Arnold reported 59 uses of force since 2017, topping all officers in 2021; 75 percent of cases involved homeless people. PPB says assignment and context matter.

— via Portland Mercury, Jeremiah Hayden

A Portland news roundup covers Election Day ballot deadlines and endorsements, the City Council resolution backing climate lawsuits against fossil fuel firms, Diego Chará's retirement plans, and national stories including Lula's win in Brazil and Trump's renewed Comey prosecution.

— via Portland Mercury, Taylor Griggs

Portland Timbers captain Diego Chará announced he will retire after the shortened 2027 spring MLS season, finishing at 41. He joined as the club's first Designated Player in 2011 and played nearly 600 games across all competitions.

— via Portland Mercury, Abe Asher

The Portland Police Bureau has stalled the Mercury's request to identify officers in its use-of-force database, including council candidate Eli Arnold. Meanwhile, AFSCME Local 88 withdrew its endorsement of Julia Brim-Edwards for County Chair and switched to Shannon Singleton.

— via Portland Mercury, Wm. Steven Humphrey

A review of Fantino, a no-reservations Italian restaurant on SE Division in Portland that opened in February 2025. It praises the housemade pastas and tableside-deboned branzino, notes the long weekend waits, and covers cocktails and a 100-plus bottle wine list.

— via Portland Mercury, Katherine Chew Hamilton

Portland police use anonymous ID numbers in their use-of-force data, so linking an officer's name to an incident requires a separate records request. The Mercury's October request through the city's officer ID portal went unfilled for 10 days amid confusion over which office is responsible.

— via Portland Mercury, Jeremiah Hayden

AFSCME Local 88, Multnomah County's largest employee union, withdrew its endorsement of Julia Brim-Edwards for county chair and backed Shannon Singleton instead. The roundup also covers white supremacist flyers in West Linn, a study of 50,000 extra European heat deaths, and French cost-of-living protests.

— via Portland Mercury, Jeremiah Hayden

Fuse Theatre Ensemble's Trans Femme, by Portland playwright Mikki Gillette and director Asae Dean, puts a 2011 trans women's support group on stage. The reviewer praises the naturalistic cast, especially Naomi Mcusic, and the group's messy romantic entanglements. It runs at the Back Door Theatre through Oct 25.

— via Portland Mercury, Holly Hazelwood

The Trail Blazers opened their season with a 124-83 rout of the Phoenix Suns, powered by Damian Lillard's return after 18 months out; he scored 25. Fans were energized, though new owner Tom Dundon's stance on Portland and the Moda Center renovation looms over the team.

— via Portland Mercury, Taylor Griggs

A Portland woman is suing PDX Nails and the Oregon Health Authority for $2.5 million, saying an acrylic nail appointment left her with herpes. The suit claims a state investigation four years earlier found the salon wasn't properly sanitizing its tools, and that another customer caught the same strain there in 2023, yet the state renewed its license anyway.

— via Portland Mercury, Courtney Vaughn