During a speech he delivered on World Environment Day 2013, Portland Mayor Charlie Hales urged the state to stop investing in fossil fuels. One month later, during a visit with environmental journalist Bill McKibben, he reaffirmed his commitment to steeri ...
6 Feb 2015 - Emily Green
As Oregon adds marijuana to its list of taxable sins, Street Roots examines the financial impact of the state’s excise taxes, also known as “sin taxes.” How much revenue do sin taxes generate for the state and what do the taxed sins ultimately cost reside ...
19 Feb 2015 - Emily Green
Oregon has the stiffest water pollution regulations of any state in the U.S. Sounds impressive, right? Think again. Oregon is dead last nationwide when it comes to keeping wastewater permits current with state regulations. According to the EPA’s most rece ...
24 Feb 2015 - Emily Green
Climate scientist Susan Kaspari talks about our black carbon footprint As snowpack levels hit record lows, and wildfire seasons hit record highs, a geological sciences professor in Washington is studying the connection between forest fires and accelerated ...
27 Feb 2015 - Emily Green
How Portland police and local courts wasted time and money on a petty theft of mere fractions of a penny There are common misdemeanor offenses and then there are the obscure. This past July, a homeless Portland woman was charged with third-degree theft wh ...
6 Mar 2015 - Emily Green
Public defenders say petty criminal charges police issue to TriMet riders are wasting Portland-metro area court resources This past July, at the Tigard Transit Center, Chris Tejero was arrested and slapped with two misdemeanor charges after he boarded Tri ...
10 Mar 2015 - Emily Green
Lifelong public servant Barney Frank tells Street Roots that after more than 50 years in politics, he still has work to do When Grace Badik answered the phone at the Street Roots front desk, the caller wasted no time with pleasantries. “Barney Frank.” No ...
19 Mar 2015 - Emily Green
Justice reinvestment programs help keep people out of prison, so why are legislators starving the funds? Carole Hinojosa didn’t expect a second chance. She grew up in a drug house in deep Southeast Portland in the 1970s, where, she says, she began her lo ...
19 Mar 2015 - Emily Green
VA acknowledges veterans’ concerns, but continues to deny claims of toxic exposure Thousands of veterans who trained at Fort McClellan say contamination at the military base caused them to become seriously ill. For more than a decade they’ve demanded the ...
27 Mar 2015 - Emily Green
Veterans use their military uniforms to create artwork and heal hidden wounds A group of Portland-area veterans is preparing to dismantle the uniforms its members wore while serving in the military – first, by shredding the fabric with scissors and box cu ...
3 Apr 2015 - Emily Green