Erika Bolstad
@erikabolstad.bsky.social
Journalist, doc filmmaker and author of Windfall. Portland, Ore. Find The Windfall Dispatch on Substack. erikabolstad.com
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Independence Day seems like a good day to share that I’m directing a film about the symbols of democracy. Check out the trailer below!
See the film’s website to make a tax-deductible contribution toward production, via @filmindependent.org (And view the full trailer, too.) makingmonumental.com
See the film’s website to make a tax-deductible contribution toward production, via @filmindependent.org (And view the full trailer, too.) makingmonumental.com
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
Federal officers gassed a crowd of hundreds of protesters today outside the ICE facility in Portland.
Federal agents fire tear gas, make multiple arrests during protest outside Portland ICE facility
Hundreds of protesters marched to facility from nearby Elizabeth Carruthers Park in Southwest Portland.
www.opb.org
October 4, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Federal officers gassed a crowd of hundreds of protesters today outside the ICE facility in Portland.
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
Alissa's tenure at NYT has carved out so much space for documentaries, and here she addresses the threat of A.I. on our understanding of "truth" and how nonfiction filmmakers are fighting back: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/m...
Can You Believe the Documentary You’re Watching?
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Alissa's tenure at NYT has carved out so much space for documentaries, and here she addresses the threat of A.I. on our understanding of "truth" and how nonfiction filmmakers are fighting back: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/m...
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
“In the first 3 weeks of the government shutdown, the BLM has approved 308 applications for permits to drill (APDs) on national public lands. The majority of those permits (245) are in NM, with another 38 in WY. The rest of the permits were issued in Utah, Texas, North Dakota, Montana, & Oklahoma.”
Interior department issuing hundreds of oil and gas drilling permits during government shutdown - Center for Western Priorities
New tracker monitors Trump administration permitting activity DENVER—As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, a new analysis by the Center for Western Priorities finds the Trump administrati...
westernpriorities.org
October 21, 2025 at 7:31 PM
“In the first 3 weeks of the government shutdown, the BLM has approved 308 applications for permits to drill (APDs) on national public lands. The majority of those permits (245) are in NM, with another 38 in WY. The rest of the permits were issued in Utah, Texas, North Dakota, Montana, & Oklahoma.”
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
Right-wing media influencers are now being welcomed into the federal government to promote its messages. This kind of media access shows a deepening alliance between the Trump administration and an online world willing to misrepresent facts if it means furthering political goals.
Right-wing influencers shape nation and Trump’s understanding of Portland protests
Social media personalities, conservative media outlets and the Trump administration itself are blending online content to serve the administration’s policies.
www.opb.org
October 11, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Right-wing media influencers are now being welcomed into the federal government to promote its messages. This kind of media access shows a deepening alliance between the Trump administration and an online world willing to misrepresent facts if it means furthering political goals.
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
“Although warrants are required to operate cell-site simulators, the devices can be used without judicial authorization in certain circumstances, such as when there is an immediate threat to national security.”
san.com/cc/exclusive...
san.com/cc/exclusive...
Exclusive: Fake cellphone tower likely surveilled protesters at Portland ICE facility
Law enforcement officials may have deployed a secretive cellphone surveillance technology last weekend at Portland’s ICE facility.
san.com
October 11, 2025 at 4:34 PM
“Although warrants are required to operate cell-site simulators, the devices can be used without judicial authorization in certain circumstances, such as when there is an immediate threat to national security.”
san.com/cc/exclusive...
san.com/cc/exclusive...
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
BREAKING: A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from federalizing and deploying Oregon National Guard troops to Portland following a challenge from the state and the city of Portland.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/10/04/f... by @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/10/04/f... by @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social
Federal judge blocks Trump from deploying Oregon National Guard to Portland • Oregon Capital Chronicle
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from federalizing and deploying Oregon National Guard troops to Portland following a c...
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
October 4, 2025 at 11:48 PM
BREAKING: A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from federalizing and deploying Oregon National Guard troops to Portland following a challenge from the state and the city of Portland.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/10/04/f... by @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/10/04/f... by @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
This is an article about Portland and coffee, but every time I sat down to write it I felt like it needed to tie into right-wing threats to the city too. Then the morning it came out, Trump sent the military authorized to use "full force," so I think my intuition was right.
slate.com/life/2025/09...
slate.com/life/2025/09...
It’s Called America’s “Weirdest” City. But Just Wait Until You Hear What’s Going On in Its Coffee Shops.
Biking is just better with a caffeine buzz.
slate.com
September 27, 2025 at 9:24 PM
This is an article about Portland and coffee, but every time I sat down to write it I felt like it needed to tie into right-wing threats to the city too. Then the morning it came out, Trump sent the military authorized to use "full force," so I think my intuition was right.
slate.com/life/2025/09...
slate.com/life/2025/09...
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
From @erikabolstad.bsky.social: States are scrambling for the money to fill potholes, plow roads, maintain bridges and pay bus drivers as they confront inflation- and tariff-driven cost increases and declining gas tax revenues.
stateline.org/2025/09/25/s...
stateline.org/2025/09/25/s...
States scramble to plug transportation funding holes • Stateline
States are scrambling for the money to fill potholes, plow roads, maintain bridges and pay bus drivers as they face inflation- and tariff-driven cost increases and declining gas tax revenues.
stateline.org
September 25, 2025 at 1:08 PM
From @erikabolstad.bsky.social: States are scrambling for the money to fill potholes, plow roads, maintain bridges and pay bus drivers as they confront inflation- and tariff-driven cost increases and declining gas tax revenues.
stateline.org/2025/09/25/s...
stateline.org/2025/09/25/s...
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
Following an immigration raid at an active wildfire in Washington state, wildland fire professionals are raising alarms that the leadership team in charge of the fire response may have sent their crews into an ambush.
stateline.org/2025/08/31/f...
stateline.org/2025/08/31/f...
Firefighters question leaders’ role in Washington immigration raid • Stateline
Wildland firefighters were stunned when federal immigration authorities last week raided an active wildfire response in Washington state, arresting two firefighters and sidelining crews for hours.
stateline.org
September 2, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Following an immigration raid at an active wildfire in Washington state, wildland fire professionals are raising alarms that the leadership team in charge of the fire response may have sent their crews into an ambush.
stateline.org/2025/08/31/f...
stateline.org/2025/08/31/f...
States fast-track wind, solar permits and contracts to beat Trump’s deadline stateline.org/2025/08/27/s...
States fast-track wind, solar permits and contracts to beat Trump’s deadline • Stateline
Across the country, state leaders are racing to fast-track wind and solar projects before the expiration of federal tax credits to support clean energy.
stateline.org
August 28, 2025 at 5:38 PM
States fast-track wind, solar permits and contracts to beat Trump’s deadline stateline.org/2025/08/27/s...
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
NEW: Frustrated by oil companies mysteriously withholding large amounts of royalties, North Dakota mineral owners lobbied for change.
Instead, lawmakers provided an oversight program that, owners say, fails to address the issue it was created to solve.
With @northdakotamonitor.com
Instead, lawmakers provided an oversight program that, owners say, fails to address the issue it was created to solve.
With @northdakotamonitor.com
They Can’t Get Answers From the Oil Industry. North Dakota’s Oversight Program Hasn’t Helped.
Frustrated by oil companies mysteriously withholding large amounts of royalties, North Dakota mineral owners lobbied for change. Instead, lawmakers provided an oversight program that, owners say, fail...
www.propublica.org
August 11, 2025 at 11:40 AM
NEW: Frustrated by oil companies mysteriously withholding large amounts of royalties, North Dakota mineral owners lobbied for change.
Instead, lawmakers provided an oversight program that, owners say, fails to address the issue it was created to solve.
With @northdakotamonitor.com
Instead, lawmakers provided an oversight program that, owners say, fails to address the issue it was created to solve.
With @northdakotamonitor.com
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
A statue of a Confederate general that demonstrators toppled and burned in D.C. in 2020 will be reinstalled, the National Park Service announces.
Confederate general statue toppled in 2020 to be reinstalled in D.C.
The bronze statue depicting Confederate Gen. Albert Pike, which was torn down and burned by protesters in 2020, is being restored, the Park Service said Monday.
nbcnews.to
August 4, 2025 at 7:20 PM
A statue of a Confederate general that demonstrators toppled and burned in D.C. in 2020 will be reinstalled, the National Park Service announces.
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
Prior to the executive orders, the Trump administration was already taking action to revise information on park websites that did not align with its priorities. @jkutzie.bsky.social reports.
Women’s contributions and men’s racism erased from history of Muir Woods National Monument
An initiative to fill in historical gaps from the Muir Woods National Monument disappeared under pressure from the Trump administration.
19thnews.org
July 21, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Prior to the executive orders, the Trump administration was already taking action to revise information on park websites that did not align with its priorities. @jkutzie.bsky.social reports.
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
Now, state lawmakers have passed a bill which allocates $3.4 million to support criminal defense clinics. They had previously approved $2.1 million in one-time funding in 2024.
Oregon law schools to receive funding for criminal defense clinics
There are currently defense clinics at Willamette University in Salem, Lewis & Clark College in Portland, and the University of Oregon in both Portland and Eugene.
www.opb.org
July 19, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Now, state lawmakers have passed a bill which allocates $3.4 million to support criminal defense clinics. They had previously approved $2.1 million in one-time funding in 2024.
Independence Day seems like a good day to share that I’m directing a film about the symbols of democracy. Check out the trailer below!
See the film’s website to make a tax-deductible contribution toward production, via @filmindependent.org (And view the full trailer, too.) makingmonumental.com
See the film’s website to make a tax-deductible contribution toward production, via @filmindependent.org (And view the full trailer, too.) makingmonumental.com
July 4, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Independence Day seems like a good day to share that I’m directing a film about the symbols of democracy. Check out the trailer below!
See the film’s website to make a tax-deductible contribution toward production, via @filmindependent.org (And view the full trailer, too.) makingmonumental.com
See the film’s website to make a tax-deductible contribution toward production, via @filmindependent.org (And view the full trailer, too.) makingmonumental.com
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
New signs at incarceration camps raise historical erasure concerns asamnews.com/2025/06/19/d... via @AsAmNews
New signs at incarceration camps raise historical erasure concerns – AsAmNews
The Trump administration’s directive aimed at historical sites stirs debate over history of Asian Americans.
asamnews.com
June 19, 2025 at 6:59 PM
New signs at incarceration camps raise historical erasure concerns asamnews.com/2025/06/19/d... via @AsAmNews
A terrific analogy only a human could conjure up.
The LLM conmen pretend they're inventing Data from Star Trek but what they're really doing is throwing magnet poetry on a fridge and then claiming the fridge is a poet.
June 19, 2025 at 6:56 PM
A terrific analogy only a human could conjure up.
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
The situation at historic preservation offices is growing more dire. The nation is turning away from its 60-year commitment to preservation not through elected reps, but through OMB's intransigence.
Still can't get anyone to bite on my piece about this issue!
preservewa.org/advocacy-ale...
Still can't get anyone to bite on my piece about this issue!
preservewa.org/advocacy-ale...
June 12, 2025 at 12:15 PM
The situation at historic preservation offices is growing more dire. The nation is turning away from its 60-year commitment to preservation not through elected reps, but through OMB's intransigence.
Still can't get anyone to bite on my piece about this issue!
preservewa.org/advocacy-ale...
Still can't get anyone to bite on my piece about this issue!
preservewa.org/advocacy-ale...
Hey, check it out! Monumental (the doc I'm directing) is featured here! Curious about it or want to contribute to its production? Click the link!
🎬🔍 This month’s Fiscal Spotlight deal with institutions and how to move them forward in one way or another. These films tackle the myth of the American West, the ideals of a progressive church and a trailblazing dancer.
👩💻 Read more #ontheblog: filmindependent.org/blog/fiscal-...
👩💻 Read more #ontheblog: filmindependent.org/blog/fiscal-...
Fiscal Spotlight: Reckoning with the Past & Reinventing the Future - Film Independent
Welcome to Fiscal Spotlight, a special monthly round up of projects—at all stages of production—working their way through Film Independent’s Fiscal
filmindependent.org
June 4, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Hey, check it out! Monumental (the doc I'm directing) is featured here! Curious about it or want to contribute to its production? Click the link!
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
Oregon’s picturesque but beleaguered national park suffered another setback.
In another blow to Crater Lake, superintendent steps down, citing Trump
Oregon’s picturesque but beleaguered national park suffered another setback.
www.oregonlive.com
June 2, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Oregon’s picturesque but beleaguered national park suffered another setback.
When 7 in 10 children in an Oregon congressional district have access to healthcare via Medicaid — yet in a town hall, their representative won’t acknowledge the consequences of looming cuts. By @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social for @oregoncapitalchronicle.com oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/05/22/o...
Oregon's U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz insists Republicans 'not cutting' Medicaid, SNAP • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Bentz said he consulted with former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, weekly for the Medicaid portion of the Republican budget.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
May 27, 2025 at 2:58 PM
When 7 in 10 children in an Oregon congressional district have access to healthcare via Medicaid — yet in a town hall, their representative won’t acknowledge the consequences of looming cuts. By @alexbaumhardt.bsky.social for @oregoncapitalchronicle.com oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/05/22/o...
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
Oregon and Washington trail nearly every other state in bringing wind, solar and other renewable energy projects online. Its aging electrical grid is largely to blame.
How the Pacific Northwest’s dream of green energy fell apart
Oregon and Washington passed aggressive goals to decarbonize their power supply but left it to the Bonneville Power Administration to build the transmission lines needed for wind and solar. The agency hasn’t delivered.
www.opb.org
May 12, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Oregon and Washington trail nearly every other state in bringing wind, solar and other renewable energy projects online. Its aging electrical grid is largely to blame.
Cities are finding some cheeky runarounds to flag bans: www.sltrib.com/news/politic...
Salt Lake City may have found a way to avoid the state’s ban on pride flags
Salt Lake City adopts official versions of the pride and other flags just hours before a new Utah law banning unofficial flags from schools and government buildings takes effect.
www.sltrib.com
May 7, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Cities are finding some cheeky runarounds to flag bans: www.sltrib.com/news/politic...
Reposted by Erika Bolstad
North Dakota adopted a law last week that changes state rules to toss mail ballots if they arrive after Election Day, even if they were postmarked by Election Day.
Bolts recently reported on the rush of GOP-run states passing similar laws in 2025: boltsmag.org/restric...
Bolts recently reported on the rush of GOP-run states passing similar laws in 2025: boltsmag.org/restric...
Trump Wants Mail Votes to Arrive By Election Day. Red States Are Rushing to Toe the Line.
Two more states just banned grace periods for mail ballots that are sent before polls close but arrive after Election Day. Trump and conservative judges stepped up attacks, too.
boltsmag.org
May 5, 2025 at 10:45 PM
North Dakota adopted a law last week that changes state rules to toss mail ballots if they arrive after Election Day, even if they were postmarked by Election Day.
Bolts recently reported on the rush of GOP-run states passing similar laws in 2025: boltsmag.org/restric...
Bolts recently reported on the rush of GOP-run states passing similar laws in 2025: boltsmag.org/restric...
In recent weeks, both Idaho and Utah have enacted bans that prohibit Pride flags from being displayed on government property, pitting lawmakers in the Republican-dominated legislatures against the more progressive capitals of Boise and Salt Lake City.
Bills in more than a dozen states would prohibit Pride flags at city halls, schools and state buildings.
stateline.org/2025/05/05/g...
stateline.org/2025/05/05/g...
GOP lawmakers seek to ban Pride flags, stirring tensions with liberal cities • Stateline
In recent weeks, Idaho and Utah have enacted bans that prohibit Pride flags from being displayed on government property, pitting lawmakers in the Republican-dominated legislatures against the more pro...
stateline.org
May 5, 2025 at 8:31 PM
In recent weeks, both Idaho and Utah have enacted bans that prohibit Pride flags from being displayed on government property, pitting lawmakers in the Republican-dominated legislatures against the more progressive capitals of Boise and Salt Lake City.