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"If you appreciate the Mercury's interesting and useful news & culture reporting, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. Your donation is tax-deductible. You can also subscribe and have our papers delivered! Good Morning, Portland! February fakeout is fading, and today will be the last sunny, warm day for the foreseeable future.We've already been dipping back down to near-freezing at night, and tomorrow the rains begin again in earnest. Get out your Gore-tex and let's squish the news."

"IN LOCAL NEWS:* There's a new print Mercury out- on stands now! For the month of February, the paper is celebrating Black History Month with a feature package dedicated to Black innovation in Portland. Editor Donovan Scribes assembled a feature package on Black Portland innovators and changemakers you should know, a recap of significant moments in Portland and Oregon Black history from the last 10 years, and more!"

"* Complaints filed with the city allege that Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane's office retaliated against an employee who asked for disability accommodations. The staffer was fired last month but said in her complaints that the councilor and her chief of staff created escalating tensions which culminated in her dismissal. The complainant believes her experience is merely part of a larger problem in City Hall, where the staff working for councillors have little protections from their bosses. Name names, you say? Taylor Griggs does!"

A small monthly contribution and subscriptions are encouraged to support the Mercury's news and culture reporting. February will see an end to a brief warm spell as temperatures fall to near-freezing at night and sustained rain returns. A new print Mercury celebrates Black History Month with a feature on Black innovation and a recap of significant Black moments in Portland and Oregon over the past decade. Complaints allege that Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane's office retaliated against an employee who requested disability accommodations, culminating in the employee's firing and raising concerns about staff protections in City Hall. An Oregon bill awaiting a vote would expand shield protections for providers against out-of-state prosecutions and discipline.

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