Ben DeJarnette, Author at Bridgeliner

(62 posts)

Trump Is Sowing Fear Ahead of the Census. Jordan Hernandez Is Pushing Back.

If the 2020 Census is accurate, Oregon will get more representation in Congress, more federal funding, and more new businesses. But getting an accurate Census count means making sure all communities feel safe to participate — and the Trump administration has been making that hard to even imagine. That’s why we’re supporting “We Count: Latinx […]

Politics / February 5, 2020

Who Owns Downtown Portland? It’s Not Easy to Find Out.

“Who are the largest landowners in Downtown?” —Anonymous The answer to our latest PDXplained question is pretty simple (more on that in a moment), but getting to the bottom of it wasn’t easy. It turns out that property ownership is easily concealed in Oregon — and most big landowners seem eager to do just that. […]

Downtown / November 12, 2019

We’re Investing in Portland Creatives. Here’s How You Can Help.

The origin story of Nike is the stuff of legend — a global sportswear brand that started with Phil Knight’s big idea, Bill Bowerman’s waffle iron, and Jeff Johnson’s Volkswagen van. Nike’s success might seem inevitable now that it’s a multi-billion-dollar company. But 50 years ago, Phil Knight was just a young entrepreneur with a […]

Community / November 3, 2019

How Oregon’s Education System Can Better Support Foster Children

Foster children like Adam Sweet often move homes — and schools — more times than they can count. Adam Sweet can’t remember exactly how many times he moved growing up as a foster child, but he thinks it was at least twenty. Usually those moves meant new schools, or at least a new chance to […]

Education / September 18, 2019

5 Questions to Ask If You’re Curious About Foster Parenting

“What kind of person is the best for becoming a foster parent?” — Anna Walker I’ve been digging into reader questions for our series on Oregon’s foster care system, and this is the hardest one to answer yet. The problem is that “foster parenting” can mean a bunch of different things. Sometimes it means taking […]

Community / September 4, 2019

PDXplained: The Hidden History of Morningside Hospital in East Portland

(📸: Wikimedia Commons) For more than 50 years, an Oregon hospital held “mentally ill” patients against their will, performed bogus medical procedures, and drew allegations of abuse and neglect. And it’s probably not the hospital you’re thinking of. Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” immortalized the Oregon State Hospital in Salem — […]

Hazelwood / September 3, 2019

Many Foster Parents in Oregon Don’t Feel Supported. Here’s the Plan to Fix That.

“How much help do foster parents (and institutional homes) get addressing emotional and social issues for the kids they care for?” —Alan Lehto I’ve talked to foster parents, caseworkers, and policy wonks for this series, and the universal answer to that question is “not enough.” But there’s a plan to turn that around — and […]

Community / August 28, 2019

No, Portland’s Neighborhood Associations Aren’t Going Away — And They Might Not Even Change

A proposed revision to the City of Portland’s civic code is either a bureaucratic tweak to bring more voices to the table, or it’s a Machiavellian power grab to silence critics and stifle democracy. It just depends who you ask. Confused? You’re not alone. The messaging from City Hall has been inconsistent at times, and […]

Neighborhoods / July 30, 2019

The 6 Things I’ve Learned About Foster Care in Oregon

Our readers sent in some great questions this month about Oregon’s foster care system, and I’ll be digging into them throughout the summer. For now, here’s an update on what I’ve learned: 1. First things first: what even is foster care? That’s not a stupid question. Sometimes foster care is a short-term arrangement for a kid […]

Real Talk / July 24, 2019

PDXplained: What We Learned About the Old ‘Comfy Inn’ in Kenton

Apartment construction is nothing new to North Portland (ICYMI, they’re going up everywhere), but the Kenton Korner development on N. Interstate Ave. has quite a story behind it. My sleuthing into that site began with a PDXplained question from reader Teresa Hill, who asked: “What’s going on with the old motel that’s being remodeled next […]

Kenton / July 22, 2019