The Bee

Up until now, most of the shootings that have bedeviled the area near Mt. Scott Park have been at night...Previous shootings in the vicinity of Mt. Scott Park have occurred at night, and as reported previously in THE BEE, the deployment of orange traffic-control barrels on the streets around the park did seem to reduce the shootings a bit for a while — presumably because they made a quick getaway after shooting seem harder to do. But the shootings took an alarming turn in the mid-afternoon of Thursday, July 21, because the shots were fired in broad daylight. A neighbor in...

Wherever trash appears on streets and in parks, SOLVE steps forward: This time, it was at Sellwood Riverfront ParkAlthough it was substantially past this year's "Earth Day", those looking for a meaningful way to spend a day outdoors while contributing to the environment spent Friday morning, June 24, at SOLVE's "Pick It Up, Portland!" cleanup at Sellwood Riverfront Park. Waves of volunteers arrived that morning to receive an orientation, be outfitted with gloves and "litter pickers", and be sent into the park beside the Willamette River. "I'm told this area gets a lot of use; and consequently, a lot of...

An evening-commute crash on S.E. 82nd Avenue of Roses left the two involved vehicles disabled, and traffic slammedA two-vehicle smashup on S.E. 82nd Avenue of Roses at Woodstock Boulevard on Monday afternoon June 27 caused a traffic backup along the thoroughfare for quite some time. Because witness statements differed, the East Precinct officers who were dispatched to the scene at 6:14 p.m. that evening said they weren't able to make a determination of guilt. The crash, THE BEE was told, was between a very large pickup truck, and an older model red Subaru Legacy. The front end of the Subaru sedan was completely torn off; it came to rest more or less facing eastbound on the east side of the intersection. "No one was transported to a hospital; the parties involved exchanged information," an officer said. "The truck was lightly damaged, and it left here after the exchange." {loadposition sub-article-01}

The Letters to the Editor is where BEE readers share their news, and observations on events taking place in SoutheastKabobs fundraiser in Eastmoreland Editor, At the Eastmoreland Garage Sale, members of Moreland Presbyterian Church sold kebobs to raise money for the two Afghan families whom they are co-sponsoring with Lutheran Community Services. Both families made their way here through refugee camps and army bases, leaving family and possessions behind. Thanks to the generous donations and support from the church and the neighboring community, as well as the Rotary Club of Southeast Portland, both families were able to find housing and...

The Business Briefs are where you'll find late developments in the Inner Southeat Portland business communityNew leader for "Transition Projects": The nonprofit chosen by Multnomah County to run its special homeless shelters to assist women and veterans who are homeless into homes and jobs, Transition Projects, has chosen Joy M. Jones, MSW, as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. She assumed the position on August 1. Ms. Jones relocated from California to assume the position. In her role as Vice President of Programs at "Abode Services" in Northern California she led Permanent Supportive Housing and other housing services...

The crash was not fatal, but it did leave a jet-skiier uncoscious in the river; he's recovering in a local hospitalOn Friday evening, July 1st, two people were enjoying the clear and warm weather by jet skiing near Sellwood Riverfront Park on the Willamette River. The idyll was interrupted when one of them ran into a sailboat. Central Precinct officers and Portland Fire and Rescue responded to the accident. The involved jet skier was conscious after the collision, but was taken to the hospital with "serious" injuries, according to PF&R. There is no further report on their condition due to federal privacy laws. The fire officials added the involved sailboat was "immobilized", and was towed to shore. No other injuries were reported. {loadposition sub-article-01}

Quick response by firefighters save the house -- and also saved a number of cats and kittens, tooBecause of the speedy arrival of firefighters just after noon on Monday, July 18, a house at 5324 S.E. Lambert Street was saved with only minor fire damage. The dispatch was at 12:40 p.m., and first to arrive was the Ladder Truck Company from Woodstock Fire Station 25, and Hawthorne Fire Station 9's Engine Company. Arriving crews reported smoke rising from the house, and from an attic vent. Using their onboard water supply while hooking a supply line to a hydrant, firefighters quickly found the fire inside and put it out. Simultaneously, other crew members checked for fire victims in the house, but found that all had safely escaped. "This incident was a pile of clothes on fire in a laundry room," said PF&R Public Information Officer Lt. Damon Simmons. "We're happy to report that firefighters rescued six cats, some of them kittens." He added that no injuries were reported and, because the damage was light, the residents were able to stay in their home. {loadposition sub-article-01}

The Inner Southeast nonprofit helping seniors 'age in place' has an Ice Cream Social in Woodstock ParkIf you were in Woodstock Park enjoying the early July sunshine a month ago, and heard quite a racket coming from somewhere in the park, chances are it was the sound of the ice cream machine invented by retired Benson High School teacher Matt Pellico. Pellico is a member of Eastside Village, the nonprofit dedicated to help senior citizens in Inner Southeast "age in place", and he brought the big device to serve up the centerpiece of an "ice cream social" outing for fellow...

The triangular intersection has been seen as neighbors to be helping shooters speed away -- now it shouldn'tAs part of their safety and livability campaign for Mt. Scott-Arleta, its neighbors have been lobbying the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to close the diagonal street part of the "Arleta Triangle", at the intersection of S.E. 72nd Avenue and Woodstock Boulevard. "From May through June, Portland State University helped us survey neighbors about this idea," Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association Chair Matchu Williams told THE BEE. "The project generated input from 190 respondents in five languages." The short street was seen as helping...

A motorcyclist from Sellwood has a collision south of Milwaukie on McLoughlin Blvd; is killed in the mishapJames Robert Sheehan, 57, identified as a resident of Sellwood, was killed in a traffic accident on S.E. McLoughlin Boulevard south of the City of Milwaukie on Sunday evening, June 26. The crash occurred near S.E. Jennings Avenue, north of Gladstone in the Jennings Lodge area. Oregon State Police and emergency personnel responded. According to OSP, James Robert Sheehan was riding northbound on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle when he was unable to stop before hitting a Mazda MZ3 which was reportedly turning left across traffic. Sheehan was killed by the impact. The driver of the Mazda was 76-year-old David Norby, who was not injured in the crash. There is no report about whether any citation was issued, or if there were any contributing factors in the fatal mishap. {loadposition sub-article-01}

The digging has begun in the Sellwood water main replacement project...but now they've hit bouldersAs BEE readers have learned, and as residents in the construction area of the "S.E. Lambert and 19th Sellwood Water Main Replacement Project" are already experiencing, the Portland Water Bureau (PWB) has begun the replacement of water mains originally installed back in 1927. Construction on the project will replace just under a mile of aging pipe along Lambert Street and 19th Avenue. In July, contractors started at the east end of the project, along S.E. 19th Avenue, primarily between Umatilla and Marion Streets. "We appreciate the...

Playing an imaginary guitar can be theraputic in more ways than one, as a Westmoreland woman has discoveredShe has freed herself from stage fright, inhibitions, and the fear of losing her dignity. And, after battling stage-4 colorectal cancer for three years, she is feeling more energized, and better than she has in years. Kara Picante Muir, 52 years old and a longtime Westmoreland resident, describes herself as an introvert and a "weirdo" who has evolved into an uninhibited competitive air guitarist. She uses the stage name of Kara Picante. She gave herself the last name "Picante" years ago, and now...

Not a shocker? Another delay in this very-slow-moving story. The outcome could possibly come this year...Starting in 2012, fully ten years ago, the Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association and some of its residents started working to designate a large portion of the neighborhood as a federally-recognized "Historic District". For a brief history of this project, see the February, 2022 issue of THE BEE. It's online at — tinyurl.com/4669f3r3 In April, it looked as if the Eastmoreland Historic District proposal would be resubmitted soon; but once again, the lengthy process has bogged down. A D V E R T I S I N...

He had a giant stash of empty soda cans, and was living with them in somebody's garage. Then fire broke out...A fire broke out on Friday morning, July 1, in the back of the attached garage of a house at 6105 S.E. Insley Street, at the east edge of the Woodstock neighborhood.. Dispatched at 7:54 a.m., the Woodstock Fire Station's Engine 25 arrived in less than three minutes, and found smoke seeping from the garage door. As they got to work on the apparent blaze, seven additional PF&R apparatus and crews arrived; some firefighters hooked up water supply lines...

Friends of Trees began its work in Woodstock -- and grew to plant thousands of trees across Portland. But now what?Reed neighborhood and former Woodstock resident Sherry Hall acquired a love of trees and the natural environment at an early age. Her parents lived near S.E. 119th and Division Street where then there were open spaces, cherry trees, and vacant lots. "I loved climbing trees, picking cherries and sitting in the lots, hunting for 4 leaf clovers." She also went camping frequently with her family. Her parents later moved to a 20-acre farm in Oregon City,...

The editor presents a pageant of planning: How the city dealt with a zoning request that broke all of its standardsThis story began months ago — with a request for a zoning change on a commercial property which stretches from S.E. Insley on the north to Reedway on the south, on the west side of Milwaukie Avenue. There are two-story business buildings there now, and a sizeable parking lot in the center of the property, facing the west end of Harold Street. The property actually crosses over the Oaks Bottom bluff at the northwest corner, and the geologically-recognized landslide...

For some of those kids in the cars, that will prove to be the narrowest escape they will have ever had in their livesAlthough Creston-Kenilworth neighbors, and users of Creston City Park -- just south of S.E. Powell Boulevard — have said they've complained about the condition of trees there before, their concerns apparently did not reach Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R). If heard, their concerns about trees and limbs falling had not resulted in any action taken by PP&R. That is, until Monday evening, July 11, just after the Creston Outdoor Pool and closed, when people were heading back...

A mini refrigerator caught fire in a Brentwood Darlington motel room, and severely damaged the unitA fire in the Dar-Ron Motel, at 7707 S.E. 82nd Avenue of Roses on June 24th, brought in Portland Fire & Rescue crews at 12:12 p.m. that afternoon. Traffic was blocked along the thoroughfare, from S.E. Flavel to Malden Streets, as PF&R rigs from Lents Station 11 and Woodstock Station 25 pulled in to fight the fire. The blaze was quickly extinguished in the room gutted by fire; then a crew member headed back in to spray Class A Foam — a wetting agent — to snuff out any remaining embers. "This was a 'room and contents fire' in just one unit at the motel," confirmed PF&R Public Information Officer Lt. Laurent Picard. "Engine 11's crew had the fire knocked down five minutes after their arrival, and they found it had not spread past the involved unit," Picard told THE BEE. "There were no injuries'." Examining the incident report for THE BEE, Picard disclosed that the PF&R Fire Investigations Unit had determined that the cause of the fire was a malfunctioning mini-refrigerator. {loadposition sub-article-01}

This crash near Woodstock Park knocked one car into a yard, and caught the other one on fireA violent collision on Monday afternoon, June 27, at the corner of S.E. Steele Street and 46th Avenue, just west of Woodstock Park, sent a Toyota Sienna LE careening into the yard of a home at the intersection. The other vehicle in the smashup, a Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV, was on fire. East Precinct officers, and Woodstock Fire Station 25's Engine and Ladder Truck crews, were sent there at 4:52 p.m.,. Before firefighters got there, apparently a neighbor had used a home fire...

This was one of several residential fires in July; in this one, the occupant of the unit where it started lost everythingA fire that broke out in a small apartment complex in the Foster-Powell neighborhood on July 18 at about 4 p.m. sent Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) crews to 7716 S.E. Mitchell Street. Woodstock Fire Station 25's Engine Company was the first to arrive at the narrow, hard-to-reach four-plex. As they arrived, the crew reported that an apartment was fully engulfed, with flames showing from doors and windows. As the other nine PF&R units pulled in one after another,...