North Plains
GOVERNMENT
City of Portland forecloses on Gordon’s Fireplace building, other ‘nuisance’ properties
The Portland City Council unanimously foreclosed upon four blighted properties on June 12, including Gordon’s Fireplace Shop, the graffiti-covered eyesore that has sat vacant along I-84 since 2016.
Washington County motel turned shelter helping dozens of Tigard families turn a corner
TIGARD, Ore. — Washington County is taking a unique approach to boost up some of its most vulnerable students. Over the past year, Washington County has transformed a motel into a shelter. The nonprofit Family Promise of Tualatin Valley owns and runs the shelter. It houses 70 families and supports hundreds of people at any given time.
Former Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt has died
Former Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt, one of the state’s most powerful figures before revelations that he had sexually abused a teenager, died Wednesday, two days before he would have turned 84. As the young mayor of Portland in the 1970s, Goldschmidt was an electrifying figure. While many American cities were falling apart, he presided over a flurry of innovation in the City of Roses. He helped kill a freeway and launch a light rail. Under his watch, inner-city neighborhoods were lavished with money and attention....
Red light for everyone is now default at one Portland intersection
The City of Portland is testing a new traffic signal technology that makes red lights the default. (Don’t worry, it’s only during late night and early morning hours.) Last month, the Portland Bureau of Transportation flipped the switch on their first intersection with “rest on red” signal timing. Traffic signals on SE Powell Boulevard at 28th Avenue now display red lights in all directions during late night and early morning hours (10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays or 7 a.m. on weekends) when no drivers are approaching. Previously, this intersection displayed green lights during late-night hours.
Portland Water Bureau Addresses Discolored Tap Water in Southeast Neighborhoods
Residents of Sellwood, Westmoreland, and Brooklyn neighborhoods in Southeast Portland encountered an unexpected issue recently with discolored water flowing from their taps. The Portland Water Bureau has identified a pressure irregularity in Sellwood as the culprit, which has agitated organic sediments typically resting in the water mains. While the discolored water raised concerns among citizens, the bureau has assured that their crews worked diligently to address the issue. According to a recent statement, these sediments are an innate part of the water system and are harmless despite their unsettling appearance.
Report: 8 Portland-area ZIP codes among wealthiest in US
PORTLAND, Oregon — Eight different ZIP codes in the Portland area are among the wealthiest in the U.S., according to the Wealthy 1000 compiled by the Business Journal. The 97212-area code — which includes parts of Portland's Irvington, Alameda and Grant Park neighborhoods — is the region's wealthiest and No. 116 in the country. The average home value in the area is around $795,787, according to Zillow, with the median household income approximately $126,000.
Tensions rise in response to teachers’ pro-Palestine resource guide as Oregon school year ends
The group Oregon Educators for Palestine last month published “Know Your Rights!” a guide to teaching and organizing for Palestine in Portland Public Schools. Since then, there’s been a heated mix of responses, with some arguing the guide is a much-needed tool and others arguing it’s biased and harmful.
First-of-its-kind program helps parents bond with newborn babies sooner at OHSU
PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) - OHSU has a new program in their neonatal intensive care unit that helps parents hold and bond with their NICU baby sooner. It’s been in the works for over a year and is the first of its kind in Oregon. In January, Stephanie Dewes went...
9 p.m. sunsets starting in Portland metro
PORTLAND, Ore. — The longest days of the year are about to hit the Portland metro with 9 p.m. sunsets. The sun will set at 9 p.m. starting Wednesday, June 12 until around July 8 when it will begin dipping earlier. The official longest day of the year in Portland will be summer solstice on June 20, when the sun will rise at 5:21 a.m. and set at 9:03 p.m., bringing 15.5 hours of daylight.
Badlands, Portland's newest LGBTQ+ nightclub, opens
A new LGBTQ+ nightclub has opened in Portland at the former home of Embers, a gay bar and club that closed in 2017 after nearly 50 years. The Old Town venue at 110 N.W. Broadway will host DJs, drag shows, viewing parties, karaoke and games like trivia, bingo and pool tournaments. Embers closed abruptly in 2017 after the club’s owner, Steve Suss, suffered a stroke. Suss died in 2020. ...
Northbound lanes of Interstate Bridge close late Saturday night for maintenance
All northbound lanes of the Interstate Bridge will close at 11 p.m. Saturday, June 15 for sign maintenance, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. The bridge’s northbound lanes should reopen by 7 a.m. Sunday, June 16. Washington-bound traffic should take Interstate 84 east to Interstate 205 north across...
Things to do around Portland for Juneteenth
PORTLAND, Ore. — This year, there are a plethora of opportunities around the Portland metro area to celebrate and reflect on Juneteenth. Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The name stems from combining the words, nineteenth and June together.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler to seize control of all city bureaus months before new government launches
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said Thursday that he will seize control of all bureaus run by fellow City Council members on July 1, six months before a new voter-approved form of government goes into effect. In a statement, Wheeler said he will turn the day-to-day operations of the city’s government...
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