THE CASE ARCHIVE

Every case file,
one cabinet.

7 case files tracing where Portland's tax dollars actually went. Filter by status, or dig through the whole drawer.

SHOWING ALL 7 CASES · NEWEST FIRST
Case File #007DEVELOPING
CASE FILE No. 007

You voted for it. This week: who really pays for Downtown Clean & Safe, and who really decides.

Read the file
D
David|Aug 14, 2026
Case File #006DEVELOPING
CASE FILE No. 006

Portland handed Daimler a tax break to keep manufacturing. Weeks after the ribbon-cutting, the plant is closing.

Read the file
D
David|Aug 8, 2026
Case File #005DEVELOPING
CASE FILE No. 005

A transportation deal collapsed in Salem, and the cost landed as the largest layoff in Oregon state-government history. Plus a housing bond that overdelivered, then started losing money.

Read the file
D
David|Jul 17, 2026
Case File #004OPEN
Issue 004

A bridge doubled in price, an arts tax tripled the teachers, a gas tax lost half its punch.

Read the file
D
David|Jun 19, 2026
Case File #003
Issue 003

A $2B freeway with a $1.5B hole, a preschool tax that worked too well, and a Black student center that sat in a drawer for five years.

Read the file
D
David|Jun 12, 2026
Case File #002
Issue 002

The MAX Green Line was a $575M promise. In August, it stops halfway home.

Read the file
D
David|Jun 5, 2026
Case File #001
Issue 001

A $500M water plant became a $2.56B megaproject. A parks levy passed with an $800M ghost in the basement. And one bond that's actually beating its goal.

Read the file
D
David|Jun 11, 2026