Abe Asher

Journalist at Freelance

Writer. Bylines @thenation, @VICE, @portlandmercury, etc. @themacweekly alum. he/him. Portlander 🌹.

Articles

Staff at PeaceHealth Southwest Say Job Cuts Could Backfire

2 weeks ago | portlandmercury.com | Abe Asher

Kris Burleigh, a unit coordinator in the emergency department at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington, was enjoying the final day of a vacation in April when her phone rang: After more than 24 years of work, she was told, she was being laid off.Â âI truly did not see this one coming,â Burleigh said.Â Burleigh, whose last day of work at PeaceHealth Southwest is set for June 21, is one of more than 100 employees at PeaceHealth who are losing their jobs as the health...
Crisis Line in Crisis

3 weeks ago | thestranger.com | Abe Asher

In the three years it has existed, the specialized services line for LGBTQ youth on the nationwide 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has been heralded as a major step forward in aiding young queer people in crisis. Now, however, the future of the specialized services line is under threat.
What Will It Take to Thwart Trump’s Assault on Democracy?

3 weeks ago | portlandmercury.com | Abe Asher

Plenty of ink has been spilled over the last decade on the question of whether President Donald Trump is a fascist or not. Shane Burley, a journalist and author who covers the far right, says it doesn’t particularly matter. “The question of whether or not Donald Trump is a fascist is sometimes a red herring,” Burley said.
Portland’s Best Tourist Destinations (for the Non-Tourist)

2 months ago | portlandmercury.com | Abe Asher

Portland is not known for big-ticket tourist attractions. We have a few, to be sure, but the real draw of the city is its approach to life—creative, independent, unhurried, and green. So if you have friends or family coming into town, ditch the typical tourist stops and consider treating them—or yourself!—to an unorthodox few days in Portland, with activities that speak to the things that make our city the treat it still is.
Tech Workers at Adidas Claim Late Payments, Other Challenges

2 months ago | portlandmercury.com | Abe Asher

When an information technology (IT) technician was beginning their career in IT services at Designer Shoe Warehouse, they had a notion that one day they wanted to end up in Portland. “The dream was to come here and work at Nike or Adidas,” the IT worker (referred to in this story as "IT manager") who agreed to speak to the Mercury on the condition of anonymity, said.
Health Care Providers Continue Gender-Affirming Care As Legal Battle Plays Out

Mar 10, 2025 | portlandmercury.com | Abe Asher

On January 28, President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending federal funding for all American medical institutions that provide gender-affirming care to people under the age of 19. The order, titled ‚ÄúProtecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,‚ÄĚ was quickly challenged on constitutional grounds by doctors and Democratic state attorneys general, and temporarily blocked nationwide by federal judges in both Baltimore and Seattle.
Researchers illuminate the front lines of neuroscience today

Mar 6, 2025 | austinchronicle.com | Abe Asher

Scientists will discuss cutting-edge methods to re-create and study the human brain Depression remains the most common cause of ill health and disability worldwide, per the World Health Organization, and while doctors are getting better at treating its acute symptoms, there is still a group of people who have what Patricio Riva Posse, a neurologist and associate professor of psychiatry at Emory University, calls “treatment-resistant depression.” Providing those people long-term relief has...
The Long Road Back: A 2025 Portland Timbers Preview

Feb 20, 2025 | portlandmercury.com | Abe Asher

The last time the Portland Timbers took the field for a competitive match, they suffered what was easily among the most humiliating defeats in club history: a 5-0 drubbing, at home, in a playoff game, against a Vancouver Whitecaps team that was about to fire its coach.Â On Sunday afternoon, February 23, the Timbers will return to Providence Park for the first time since that nightâ€”facing the same Whitecaps team and plenty of questions after the sale of star midfielder Evander to Cincinnati...
Austin Gets Compared to a Lot of Cities. But Is Life Better There?

Feb 20, 2025 | austinchronicle.com | Abe Asher

Shopping for home There are plenty of reasons to love Austin and the enormous, unique state it’s part of. There’s also no shortage of reasons to pull up stakes and leave. Whether it’s the far-right state government depriving you of your civil rights, the scorching, climate-change-fueled summers, the cost of housing, or the lack of public transit.
SAHAN EN ESPAÑOL Archives

Feb 13, 2025 | sahanjournal.com | Alfonzo Galvan |Katelyn Vue |Abe Asher |joey peters

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