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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! 👋
Expect a cool, showery week (with the possibility of snowflakes here and there)—which sounds like the perfect weather to tuck into the latest Mercury print issue, on the streets right now at a bar or coffee shop near you! Besides the expected Valentine-flavored offerings, we’re celebrating Black History Month with a nice feature package dedicated to the Black movers and shakers of Portland. IT’S GOOD, Y’ALL. Pick up a copy, and now, pick up on this NEWS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• The embattled Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) made an appearance in court on Friday, where its supporters challenged a ballot measure that, if passed, would allow the Portland Police Association (AKA the cop union) to siphon off 25 percent of money dedicated for climate purposes to pay for new officers. (WAIT… WHAAAAT.) While it’s certainly true the fund has pulled in far more money than originally dreamed, PCEF advocates rightly counter that the cops’ ballot measure is “wildly out of the scope” of the fund’s mission. Meanwhile the measure’s supporters (which includes used car dealer and new Big Pink owner Jeff Swickard) seem to be arguing that PCEF has more than enough money to support the climate AND the cops’ already bloated budget… but perhaps the most important reason—THEY JUST DON’T LIKE THE FUND AND WANT A BIG CHUNK OF THE MONEY FOR THEMSELVES, OKAY? The judge said he would render a decision on February 24, which will hopefully give his eyes a rest after almost rolling out of his head.
In January, two men were arrested and detained by ICE agents while sitting in a car at a Portland gas station. Friends of one of the men said agents broke a window on the vehicle and forced them out.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) February 13, 2026 at 1:01 PM
• RIP to the late, great Roger Tofte—the creator of Oregon’s best amusement park, Enchanted Forest. Tofte passed away late last week at the ripe age of 96, and will be eternally beloved for the fairy tale-themed park, built with his (and his family’s) own hands. Enchanted Forest, located just south of Salem, is simultaneously charming and hilarious—but it’s also the all-too rare example of an artist creating and executing a vision that seems almost impossible to replicate today. Bon voyage, Mr. Tofte… you were a real one! ❤️ (For more, check out the Mercury‘s obsessive feature package from 2009, “The Best of Enchanted Forest.“)
• As mentioned previously, while the Portland area might see a few snow flurries this week, the Cascades are expected to get an impressive dump of the white stuff, with up to eight inches expected to fall today alone, and even more by Wednesday. Travelers are being warned to carry chains if going over the pass, while the rest of us can breathe a sigh of relief that the storm will increase the state’s snowpack—which is desperately needed to avoid drought and wildfires in the coming summer.
• It was DAME TIME once again on Saturday, when the great Damian Lillard strutted his stuff and took home the top glory at the All-Star Weekend’s 3-point contest. While he hasn’t stepped on the court for a game since April due to a torn Achilles tendon, Dame took home his third win at the contest, narrowly beating out (the also wildly talented) Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, 29-27. “I’m going 1-on-0 with myself every single day,” Dame said afterward, “trying to get numbers and trying to perform better and better and be healthier and healthier.” It’s stuff like this that’s making everybody absolutely DROOL for the much anticipated return of Dame next season! 🏀
The new Wuthering Heights film is here, and it’s destined for a long afterlife as a teenage slumber party staple. Is it worth a watch? Mercury film critic HR Smith breaks down the bombastic new adaption from the director of Saltburn.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) February 13, 2026 at 12:21 PM
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• According to newly revealed data on ICE, agreements between local law enforcement across the country and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have skyrocketed a dizzying 950 percent in the first year of Trump’s second term. To bring that into even more focus, that means that as of last month, 1,168 agencies have agreed to assist ICE in their evil plans as compared to the 135 agencies that offered their help during the Biden administration. While many states have refused to help (Hi Oregon 👋), others such as Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee are readily offering their assistance to the ghouls, while Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry is even encouraging his own state’s officers to join ICE. However, while state participation may be on the upswing, the national mood is quickly souring on ICE for their violent and often deadly measures, and calls for the agency’s abolition are growing.
• Meanwhile, Trump’s attempts to steal Americans’ personal information by demanding voter rolls from every state is even getting pushback from some Republican governors. While Trump is taking 25 Democratic-led states to court for refusing to hand over voter information the administration, some Republican strongholds are also telling their dark lord and master “no way,” such as West Virginia whose Secretary of State Kris Warner told CNN that if the president wants their voter rolls, “he’s gonna pay for it like everybody else.” And while other Republican states have agreed to hand over the private information—which contains Social Security numbers, home addresses, and more—they’re refusing to purge the rolls of people (you know which kind of people) that Trump doesn’t like.
“He is currently at his lowest point in the second term.”
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) February 16, 2026 at 6:04 AM
• The only Presidents’ Day news worth sharing: Former President Obama took to social media this weekend to shoot down the theory that the US government is hiding details about extraterrestrial contact. After appearing on a podcast in which he answered “yes” to a speed round question of “are aliens real,” Obama was forced to issue a statement to clarify his remark. “I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!” he said emphatically. That’s exactly the sort of thing a visiting extraterrestrial would say (I said while adjusting my tin foil hat)!
Just finding out now that the CEO of Chuck E Cheese is mentioned in the Epstein Files
— Sean Beckner-Carmitchel (@acatwithnews.bsky.social) February 14, 2026 at 10:43 PM
• Cue up the “saaaaaaad trombone”: Funding for the Department of Homeland Security—which controls ICE and border patrol agencies—ran dry on Friday night, leading to a shutdown as Republicans and Democrats battle over proposed immigration reforms. However, the fight could last longer than expected, as the GOP is refusing to entertain Democratic demands that would require immigration officers to use legal warrants during arrests, take off their cowardly masks, and stop their roving, violent patrols that have been injuring and arresting mostly innocent people. The bad news: Thanks to Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” DHS has the funds to most likely outlast the shutdown. The good news: Frontline immigration agents will probably be forced to work without getting paid. (Saaaaaaad trommmmbooone!) Couldn’t happen to a nicer group of guys.
• And finally… PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: You can only put so many rubber bands around a watermelon until something VERY BAD happens. (So why on earth are these people so surprised??)
@katgiauque47 The winners from the 2026 Grammy awards #grammys #foryou #songoftheyear ♬ original sound – KatGiauque47
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Wm. Steven Humphrey
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