By Neal R. Peirce A wildly imbalanced transportation bill, supporting highways but imperiling federal support for public transit systems, for biking, walking or livable communities, moves onto the floor of the U.S. House this week. The measure would devo

The most important "dollar signs"* to Portland voters are found on their property tax and water/sewer bills. Candidates Eileen Brady, Charlie Hales, Jefferson Smith, Amanda Fritz, Mary Nolan and Steve "free ride" Novick have ALL indicated: 1. Their OPPOS

My good friend Gail Achterman passed away late last month. She has rightly been recognized throughout the state for her multitude of contributions. In Rick Attig's fantastic piece last week, he deemed her "probably the most intelligent, most effective pu

Last week, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. , steered Portland's mayoral candidates -- Eileen Brady, Charlie Hales and Jefferson Smith -- toward that overgrown patch of ground that candidates are advised to treat as a no-trespassing zone: the weeds. The three

Blumenauer does not take attacks on bicycling lightly. (Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland) As arguably the most bike and transit-sensitive member of the U.S. Congress, Earl Blumenauer has had a trying week. Yesterday, the widely-maligned House transportation

Derek Schlickeisen, the press secretary for Representaitve Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), notes how coverage of today's jobs numbers varies from outlet to outlet. Dana Klinghoffer, a spokesperson for Fox News, did not comment, but did point out that a link to t