Katie O’Connell became a regular at Portland’s Cully neighborhood Albertsons store, just two blocks from her home, during the COVID-19 pandemic as prices climbed at other nearby stores. Now, she divides her shopping between the Albertsons for pantry staples and a Safeway on Northeast Sandy Boulevard for fresh produce and meats,

Kroger and Albertsons were expected to present their closing arguments Tuesday in a U.S. District Court hearing on their proposed merger, which the federal government hopes to block.

A decision on the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons could be coming soon as the Federal Trade Commission hopes to get an injunction.