@dirquez

Politics and things for @OPB. [email protected]

 Portland, Ore.
opb.org/author/dirk-vanderhart/
Joined March 2009
  • Tweets12.9K
  • Following1.3K
  • Followers8.2K
1.5KMedia
Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Jason Koebler@jason_koeblerAug 19
New: 404 Media obtained footage of investigation and arrest of a cop who used surveillance databases and license plate cameras to stalk a woman "We’ve told them over and over again 'You see a hot chick, you don’t look them up in a database.'" 404media.co/i-saw-a-shiny-th…

'I Saw a Shiny Thing': Cop Explains Why He Used License Plate Reader to Stalk Woman

Body camera footage shows police surveillance abuse is common: "We’ve told them over and over again: 'You see a hot chick, you don’t look them up in a database.'"

404media.co
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Gregory Royal Pratt@royalprattJun 7
NEWS: One plastic surgeon. Eight women dead. The state hasn’t disciplined Chicago doctor despite an investigation that began in 2020. At least three women have died since they started. With @ChristyGutowsk1 chicagotribune.com/2026/06/0…

Despite 8 patient deaths and a M jury verdict, state allows Chicago plastic surgeon to keep...

More than five years after Illinois regulators started investigating him over a patient death, the plastic surgeon remains open for business with a clean medical license.

chicagotribune.com
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Jamie Goldberg@Jamiebgoldberg4 Oct 2025
24 hours outside Portland’s ICE facility: Is this what ‘lawless mayhem’ looks like? oregonlive.com/crime/2025/10…

24 hours outside Portland’s ICE facility: Is this what ‘lawless mayhem’ looks like?

President Trump said conditions continue to deteriorate. Here’s what the newsroom saw.

oregonlive.com
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Sergio Olmos@MrOlmos23 Jul 2025
“A Times investigation: As west Altadena burned, L.A. County fire trucks stayed elsewhere. …only one L.A. County fire truck was west of Lake Avenue, where nearly all of the deaths took place.” Via @Rjaellis @seangreene89 latimes.com/california/story…

A Times investigation: As west Altadena burned, L.A. County fire trucks stayed elsewhere

Vehicle locator data obtained by The Times show that most L.A. County fire trucks didn’t shift into west Altadena until long after fire ravaged the area. How much of the town could have been saved,...

latimes.com
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
John Horvick@horvick13 Jun 2025
Measure 82: Repeals truck weight mile tax; establishes and increases fuel taxes May 2000
Dirk VanderHart@dirquez13 Jun 2025
As Democrats look to sell a massive transportation funding bill, opponents are already raising money to send it to voters. "If it's referred, it won't pass," says one Dem. #orleg #orpol opb.org/article/2025/06/13/t…

Opponents of Oregon Democrats’ transportation bill are already raising money to send it to voters

Former state Sen. Brian Boquist filed a political committee to fight the bill last week.

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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Paul Farhi@farhip26 Feb 2025
“So, to recap: A newspaper can’t be seen as taking a side. Until it’s essential that it be seen as taking a side. Bezos would never use his own ideological beliefs to restrict the Post’s work. Until he decides” to do exactly that. ⁦@jbenton⁩: niemanlab.org/2025/02/jeff-b…

Jeff Bezos declares opinions questioning “free markets” no longer welcome at The Washington Post

Months after insisting he would never allow his personal interests to influence the Post's content, one of the world's richest men decides opinions contrary to his "will be left to be published by...

niemanlab.org
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Andrew Theen@andrewtheen25 Feb 2025
How many lawmakers does it take to opb.org/article/2025/02/24/o…

Oregon school districts say lawmakers screwed up light bulb bill

A 2023 law barring sale of fluorescent bulbs has schools wrestling with flickering lights – and major costs.

opb.org
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Hillary Borrud@hborrud23 Feb 2025
Questions over Oregon politician’s pay lead Defense Department to terminate agency funding oregonlive.com/politics/2025…

Questions over Oregon politician’s pay lead Defense Department to terminate agency funding

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, a Defense Department unit, issued notice Friday that it was ending funding to the Oregon agency.

oregonlive.com
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Brad Schmidt@_Brad_Schmidt22 Feb 2025
New investigation: Equity Corps of Oregon has not disclosed a comprehensive tally of how many immigrants facing deportation actually received legal representation through the statewide program and how many avoided deportations as a result. @YeseniaAmaro oregonlive.com/watchdog/2025…

Oregon spends millions to help immigrants fight deportation. It’s unclear how many succeed

Lawmakers’ oversight of the program has been scant and some people have faced lengthy waits.

oregonlive.com
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Jeff Stein
@jstein_sun29 Jan 2025
EXCLUSIVE: White House budget office has officially rescinded the order authorizing a federal freeze on grants, according to document obtained by The Washington Post
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Alex Zielinski@alex_zee27 Jan 2025
A union representing 200 city of Portland employees (the District Council of Trade Unions) gave the city a 10-day strike warning today. Meaning workers can walk off the job as soon as Feb 6. (Stay tuned: Later this week, 1,000 AFSCME city workers may decide to join them.)
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Alex Zielinski@alex_zee5 Dec 2024
A call from Portland’s next mayor to require city employees work from the office more frequently isn’t sitting well with many city staff. opb.org/article/2024/12/05/p…

Portland city employees balk at Mayor-elect Wilson’s return-to-office proposal

A call from Portland’s next mayor to require city employees work from the office more frequently isn’t sitting well with many city staff.

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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Alex Zielinski@alex_zee19 Nov 2024
Facing inherited budget woes, unfamiliar bureaucratic systems, and voters eager for a new direction, expectations are high for Portland's brand-new city councilors. Here's how they -- and the ppl that supported them -- are thinking about the task: opb.org/article/2024/11/19/c…

Portland’s new city council prepares for the next chapter

Incoming Portland city councilors want to follow through on campaign promises, and are also expected to keep the city running smoothly under a new form of government.

opb.org
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Andrew Theen@andrewtheen4 Nov 2024
🚨Tomorrow is Election Day 🚨 There is so much on your ballot. The OPB team has been hard at work for months explaining and analyzing the top issues and races. Check out our ballot guide before you vote, but here's a thread with some highlights #orpol opb.org/election-2024/
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Alex Zielinski@alex_zee25 Oct 2024
Portland’s new city government will start in the throes of a budget crisis: Mayor Wheeler says city departments should be prepared to make up to 8% in budget cuts next year. opb.org/article/2024/10/25/p…

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler suggests hefty budget cuts for 2025

Portland’s new city government will start in the throes of a budget crisis. On Friday, Mayor Wheeler sounded the alarm about significant budget cuts on the horizon.

opb.org
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Andrew Theen@andrewtheen25 Oct 2024
It's beautiful. It's Friday. Go outside on a walk and fire up the podcast machine of choice to listen to @LaurenDake + @dirquez chat about Oregon's most interesting legislative races. #orpol Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/7u1…
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Dirk VanderHart retweeted
Ryan Haas@ryanjhaas11 Oct 2024
Experts are baffled by the images of a white fox looking creature in Portland that have been circulating on social media. opb.org/article/2024/10/10/a…

Is an arctic fox loose in Portland? Experts aren’t sure

A small white mammal spotted in Portland this week seems to be outfoxing experts who’ve been asked to identify it.

opb.org
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House Rules Committee hearing on voter registration issues is starting soon. It's supposed to only have testimony from ODOT and the SoS, and there's a woman outside the committee room who keeps interrupting passing legislators to tell them to "stop illegals from voting." #orleg
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Had a great time chatting with @dirquez on OPB Politics Now this week about just why the Oregon Republican Party is so invested in a 13-year-old Libertarian squabble about bylaws. #orpol opb.org/article/2024/09/06/o…

‘OPB Politics Now’: Why Oregon’s Republican Party is so focused on the tiny Libertarian Party

The Oregon GOP is once against focused on the potential threat it sees from a tiny political party in the state.

opb.org
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Here’s how Portland’s one-of-a-kind City Council elections will work – but with doughnuts oregonlive.com/politics/2024…
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