Hired by ICE after a 6-minute interview

Hired by ICE After 6-Minute Interview

Freelance journalist Laura Jedeed, an Army veteran who lived in Portland for a decade, has published an account of landing a job with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement after a cursory interview at a job fair. The Trump administration responded by calling her reporting a “lazy lie,” claiming that she hadn’t actually been accepted for a job. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

• Related: But Jedeed published the receipts showing she’d received a final offer. [Slate]

Oops, Transportation Bill Can’t Be Repealed

The Democrats have backtracked on a plan to repeal the $4.3 billion transportation package they passed last fall. Instead, they’ll work to schedule a May vote on the referendum to prevent the gas tax and other fee hikes from going into effect. The legislature's legal counsel initially said the Democrats could proceed with a repeal to avoid a fight at the ballot box, but has now reversed that opinion. [OPB]

• The reason for the reversal: A newly uncovered Oregon attorney general’s opinion from 1935 that said a repeal was not possible once a referendum to repeal legislation had qualified for the ballot. [Oregon Journalism Project]

$800K Decision Against Washington County

A jury has awarded two lawyers, both women of color, $800,000 after determining that a Washington County sheriff’s deputy discriminated against them. On two separate occasions, Deputy David Lyle wouldn’t let them into the courtroom; instead, on one occasion, he directed attorney Chloe Clay, a Black woman, to a line where criminal defendants wait. [Oregonian]

Superglued to the top of a step at the corner of Northeast 22nd Avenue and Irving Street, this superhero adds a little whimsy to Portland.

Last week, no readers knew where to find this guy, but apparently there’s more than one Batman around Portland.

“I saw the Batman and assumed it was the one located on my block. But who knew there were multiple Batmen?!” wrote reader Brigitte.

Her local superhero is at Wilshire Tavern. “Batman's head broke off,” Brigitte says. “I have it sitting in a pile on my counter with the intention of gluing it back on!”

A shoutout to Brigitte. A wrong answer is sometimes better than the right one!

This week’s scavenger hunt comes from reader Chris Jones:

Where is this fence?

Please click here to submit the location — and, for unofficial bonus points, anything you know about it.

If you’re new to the newsletter, there’s a scavenger hunt on Fridays. In next week’s newsletter, I’ll shout out the first 10 readers who respond correctly and reveal the answer.

📸 Want to submit a photo? Please email me a snapshot of somewhere in the Portland metro area, and we’ll consider it for an upcoming “Where Is It?” segment!

Each week, we include favorite local spots and organizations picked by City Cast Portland Neighbors. It’s a member benefit, but it’s also a great way to get to know our city:

• 📚 Street Books | “Street Books is a street library that provides community, resources, and advocacy for people living outside or at the margins in Portland.” — Jon H.
• 🍔 Dick's Primal Kitchen | Woodstock | “They do fundraisers for the local schools as well as have a free community room which people can use for meeting up. One rainy day I stopped for lunch (school fundraiser) and didn't have my bike lock with me. They let me bring my bike in - can't get more wonderful than that!” — Irisa P.
• 🚗 Atomic Auto | Hazelwood | “Atomic Auto is the best Prius repair business. They only fix what is wrong and do it in a way that makes sense for your car.” — Kristin C.

Become a City Cast Portland Neighbor today to share your own shoutout in this newsletter and on the podcast!