Blair Best
Reporter at KGW-TV (Portland, OR)
Anchor of ‘The Story’ @KGWNews | Emmy award-winning Reporter | Mainer | NYU Alumna | Tips to [email protected] | Opinions are mine
Articles
'It feels like the Wild West': Downtown resident critical of Multnomah County harm reduction funding
5 days ago |
kgw.com | Blair Best
PORTLAND, Ore. — As Multnomah County considers a new budget replete with proposed cuts needed to close gaps, some residents complain that too much is being spent — and with few restrictions — on drug paraphernalia in the name of harm reduction. Chair Jessica Vega Pederson released her $4 billion 2026 budget last month, closing a $15 million gap in the county general fund. Included in the county health department budget is roughly $6 million for harm reduction services.
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1 week ago |
kgw.com | Blair Best
PORTLAND, Ore. — In late spring, a tree-lined clearing in the Johnson Creek Watershed of Southeast Portland blooms with small white flowers atop leafy green stalks. Despite looking right at home, these plants aren't wildflowers, but highly invasive herbs. That meadow is in an area of city forest that conservationist Michell Delepine knows well. "So, we are going up to the Buttes Natural Area," Delepine said. "It a little bit of a walk ...
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1 week ago |
kgw.com | Jared Cowley |Blair Best |Jamie Parfitt
PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Mayor Keith Wilson unveiled his proposed 2025-26 budget on Monday, which provides more funding for public safety, homelessness, city cleanup and climate change, while eliminating select staff positions, including a 12% cut to his own office, and $9.5 million in other citywide reductions to help account for a $93 million budget shortfall. That budget shortfall was the culmination of several factors, according to City Administrator Mike Jordan.
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2 weeks ago |
kgw.com | Blair Best
PORTLAND, Ore. — At the request of Commissioner Shannon Singleton, the Multnomah County board spent its Tuesday meeting putting a spotlight on street outreach — particularly in terms of where taxpayer dollars are going and where there could be better accountability.
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3 weeks ago |
kgw.com | Blair Best
HILLSBORO, Ore. — Due in large part to the homelessness crisis, the big budget gaps looming for Portland and Multnomah County have dominated attention in the metro area. But they're not alone, and right now Washington County commissioners are bracing for similarly significant cuts. Washington County's general fund faces a $20.5 million budget gap, and the communications director for the county administrative office said that nothing is off the table when it comes to cuts.
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The director of Welcome Home Coalition, a critic of Mayor Keith Wilson’s $24M plan to end unsheltered homelessness, says the city instead needs a “holistic system that’s efficient and not just growing a system that’s not actually ending people’s homelessness.” @KGWNews https://t.co/A7HgOVFDZn
Multnomah County Commissioner Meghan Moyer has “mixed feelings” about some of the county’s harm reduction practices including handing out tents and safe smoking supplies. In her budget, the county chair is proposing $6M for these efforts. @KGWNews https://t.co/xiXlmWlceJ
Results of a city-wide survey show homelessness, cost of living, and safety as top challenges for Portlanders. This comes as the city is in the middle of filling a $93M budget gap. Hear from the city administrator and police chief warning against cuts to PPB tonight @KGWNews. https://t.co/WBHDacpXpJ