(KATU) — The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office has recovered seven bodies from Portland-area waterways since April 13 with the latest two discoveries made on May 3 The bodies were found in various locations including the Willamette River and the Columbia River a public information officer with the sheriff's office said the number of recoveries still fall within the expected range we recovered at least six bodies from our waterways When the first four bodies were recovered last month MCSO recovered three bodies from waterways within our jurisdiction over a 12-day period." "These figures are statistically similar and do not currently indicate an unusual spike," he said late April HELP IS AVAILABLE: Mental Health Resource Guide The bodies were recovered on the following dates and locations: SEE ALSO: 911 calls detail harrowing moments before kayaker's disappearance over Willamette Falls A witness said he saw the body floating down the Multnomah Channel while fishing He and his son saw the body near the Steel Bridge "At first I thought it was a dead sea lion," said George Donnerberg who has lived on the Columbia River for around 30 years Donnerberg said the river was busy that day but he believes he was the first to alert the authorities there were a number of fishing boats out there It's fair amount of traffic on the river yesterday and that thing floated through the whole harbor; no one even noticed it." my son got up close to it just to check it out it was hardly recognizable as a human body because it was so bloated," he said That wasn't the first one I found in the river and I could tell that thing had been in the river for three Deputy Plock explained that several factors contribute to the increased number of recoveries Warmer water temperatures accelerate the natural decomposition process causing bodies to rise to the surface more quickly more people engage in activities on and near the water leading to a higher likelihood of previously undiscovered remains being observed and reported A ninth body was found on the Willamette River on Sunday further upriver near Gladstone in Clackamas County That body was confirmed to be a 20-year-old kayaker who went missing at Willamette Falls back on April 12 The Clackamas County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the identity on May 5 The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office found the body Sunday around 1:00 p.m following reports of a body in a difficult-to-reach location along the shoreline READ MORE: Officials confirm body found in Willamette River was missing kayaker KATU News is reaching out to authorities for more detail on the identities and causes of deaths By FOX 12 StaffPublished: May 2025 at 9:33 PM PDTEmail This LinkShare on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInPORTLAND Ore (KPTV) - Two bodies were recovered from the Willamette River in Portland on Saturday according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office The first was spotted in the river north of the Portland Steel Bridge shortly after 2 p.m Deputies said the body was taken to Cathedral Park and then transferred to the medical examiner another body was reported having washed ashore at Cathedral Park A Portland Fire & Rescue boat responded to the scene and confirmed the body MCSO River Patrol then arrived to recover the body Deputies said the medical examiner will be determining the identity of both people and how they died MCSO clarified that these are the sixth and seventh bodies they have recovered since April 13, with five from the Willamette and two from the Columbia/Multnomah Channel: Copyright 2025 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved. 2025 6:04 p.m.Friday’s speech marked Wilson’s first address since taking office four months ago Portland Mayor Keith Wilson delivers his first State of the City address on May 2 2025 at Franklin High School in Southeast Portland Portland Mayor Keith Wilson delivered a message of hope in the midst of uncertainty at his first State of the City address Friday “I’m filled with optimism about Portland’s future and our ability to solve the issues we now face,” said Wilson addressing a crowded auditorium in Southeast Portland’s Franklin High School “I continue to believe our best days are ahead of us.” Four months into his first job in political office Wilson remains upbeat about his ability to address the city’s biggest issues in the middle of a budget deficit In his speech, Wilson pointed to a few early actions he’s proud of, from opening new overnight shelters to lobbying the Legislature for a longshot effort to bring a Major League Baseball team to Portland He also previewed details of his first proposed budget as mayor Wilson entered office with a projected $65 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year budget That number has since ballooned to at least $93 million due to new spending on Wilson’s shelter plan Related: Metro Council gives Portland $15M to fund mayor’s shelter plan “There’s no easy way to say this,” he said He has not yet made public how many jobs are on the chopping block. But he’s announced a plan to cut 20% of the budget for departments that handle communications Portland Permitting & Development and Portland Bureau of Transportation have also been floated during early budget talks Wilson did point to some jobs and programs that aren’t on the cut list Undated photos supplied by the City of Portland showing members of Portland Street Response team at work he said that the city’s youth sports programs and community centers will remain funded Wilson said he’s also adding funds to expanding staffing at Portland Street Response and in the Police Bureau and will keep the precariously funded programs to address gun violence whole Wilson announced other ways he’s aiming to raise more revenue to cut expenses “We’re also going to raise or reinstate certain fees,” Wilson said That includes new price hikes to rideshare companies He also called on state and local governments to pitch in “No single government body can solve this crisis alone,” Wilson said The Metro Council and Multnomah County Board have already promised money to support Wilson’s shelter plan Wilson has expressed confidence that the state government will also help patch holes in his shelter budget FILE - Guests settle in for the night while a volunteer plays guitar at Portland Central Church of the Nazarene in southeast Portland The church offers overnight shelter for up to 45 guests and provides food and blankets to those they do not have space for Wilson has pledged to open 1,500 new shelter beds by December he said the city will soon open two more shelters He characterized his plan as a line of defense against President Donald Trump’s vow to move people experiencing homelessness into government camps. “It is increasingly clear that if we fail to act we risk mission takeover by an administration that does not share our values or compassion,” he said Wilson dismissed one new revenue proposal floating through City Hall: a pitch to expand the voter-approved Portland Clean Energy Fund to bolster the city’s budget Councilor Steve Novick and others have proposed increasing that rate of that voter-approved tax on big retailers and using that extra revenue to reinforce the city’s general fund have suggested using the fund itself to backfill city budget gaps “We voted for the Portland Clean Energy Fund to meet our climate goals “Keeping that promise means we must not tap it for an unrelated crisis.” City councilors will have an opportunity to propose amendments to Wilson’s budget once it’s released next week Tags: Politics, Portland City Council, Portland Mayor, Homelessness, Energy Stand with OPB and protect independent journalism for everyone Listen to the OPB News live stream (opens new window)Streaming Now Portland Mayor Keith Wilson gives his state of the city address at Franklin High School in Southeast Portland on Friday residents would see the cost of parking meters recreation fees and other city service surcharges all climb and positions within parks At the same time, the budget for next fiscal year — which begins July 1 — would seek to increase funding for police and its unarmed alternative Portland Street Response It would more than double the number of city homeless outreach workers And it would pour more money into filling potholes removing graffiti and impounding derelict RVs Officials on Monday also said the city had secured $24.9 million from Metro and the state to help fund Wilson’s plan to open 1,500 new shelter beds a centerpiece of the mayor’s pledge to end unsheltered homelessness by December the city would spend about $40 million next year to continue running eight “temporary” shelters serving more than 800 people at a time and fund 50 beds for homeless people in need of addiction recovery services “The task before us requires a city government dedicated to rebuilding trust with the public and proving we can deliver purpose and impact with every dollar we spend,” Wilson said in a letter accompanying his first proposed budget as Portland’s mayor parks and homeless services — and reductions to other core municipal services such as transportation Portland officials have warned for months that sluggish property and business tax revenues coupled with rising city expenses and the end of one-time funding sources such as federal pandemic relief dollars squeezed city coffers “We’re now experiencing the consequences of a tax base impacted by declining commercial real estate in our urban core fewer businesses and new arrivals and economic policies that have too often taken job growth for granted,” Wilson said “I have explored every avenue to blunt the impact of the coming budget reductions.” That includes a proposed 60-cent-an-hour parking meter increase a 10% hike in Portland Parks & Recreation fees — from swim lessons to event permits — and increases on other surcharges ranging from those imposed on rideshare companies to property owners who offer short-term rentals like Airbnb Each proposed city fee increase requires approval from the 12-member Portland City Council which will hold a public hearing on the mayor’s proposed budget Wednesday before voting on it later this month “Our voters remember the promises made with this fund — a cleaner lower-carbon Portland,” he said during a press briefing Monday “If we want our peer cities to follow our path All told, Wilson will recommend the city spend $804 million, a 9% increase from the current $732 million, in discretionary funds, which comprise the bulk of the city’s general fund, documents show While the mayor’s proposed budget spares community centers youth sports and after school programs from the chopping block trash cleanup and landscaping at city parks the city’s workforce would shrink to 7,241 under Wilson’s proposal down from about 7,323 authorized employees currently which has seen revenues plummet amid the city’s housing construction slump The Portland Water Bureau would slash about 32 positions while Portland Parks & Recreation would eliminate 15 Wilson would seek to reduce 56 jobs across areas such as communications equity and procurement as part of a multi-year effort to reduce administrative costs in those areas by 20% “We are no longer in a position where we can cushion ineffectiveness with excess funding,” Wilson said As members of the City Council digest the mayor’s proposed budget Councilor Steve Novick raised concerns over the proposed cuts to park maintenance and Wilson’s reliance on outside funding that may not be available in years to come “These factors lead me to the conclusion that the council needs to look for additional sources of revenue – in order to limit the cuts to parks to limit the property tax increase we might pursue for parks and to avoid another deficit next year,” Novick said -- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh covers Portland city government and politics with a focus on accountability and watchdog reporting Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com Follow on X @shanedkavanaugh or on BlueSky 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All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices by Victor Park during his state of the city address on Friday urged residents to visit downtown more frequently Mayor Wilson said homicides across the city are half of what they were year-over-year more than double the numbers in 2013 and 2016 when there were 14 reports each year according to data provided by the California Partnership for Safe Communities Homicide reports spiked in 2020 with 57 people killed coinciding with a sharp population increase in both 2019 and 2020 READ ALSO: Body recovered from Willamette River, marking sixth recovery in Portland area since April which more than doubled in 2022 with 185 homicides reported with Portland Police reporting 69 people killed in 2024 Mayor Wilson credited the work of Portland Police Chief Bob Day “We've interrupted the cycles of violence that have plagued our community Homicides are half of what they were year-over-year thank you for the dedication from your staff [and] your officers,” Wilson told the crowd at Franklin High School Losing focus now is unacceptable and should be unacceptable to everyone in this room.” there were 11 reported cases compared to 27 during the same period last year Chief Day expressed gratitude for the mayor's leadership "I think his vision is very collaborative and I'm grateful for his support and his partnership and council and leadership which is in line with how he's led since he's come into office and he sends a message that I have been affirming that we are seeing progress." robberies and assaults have also been trending downward police expect to see a high number of reports in 2025 Marc Stein speculates that Orlando could be after a Portland scorer Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons continues to simmer on the NBA Trade Rumors list as the Summer of 2025 unfolds. In his latest substack [subscription required] NBA commentator Marc Stein reaffirms the potential attraction between the Orlando Magic and Portland’s scoring guard After citing disappointment from the Magic regarding last summer’s high-profile guard signing—former Denver Nuggets champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope—Stein suggests that Simons could cure the ache in Orlando’s backcourt When Damian Lillard was on the trade block before the 2023-24 season league sources say that more than a few rival teams—as well as Lillard’s camp—wondered whether Orlando would be joining the trade pursuit for him another Trail Blazer has been increasingly projected as an Orlando target: Lillard’s former Blazers backcourt mate Anfernee Simons The 25-year-old is an Orlando native who would certainly blend in nicely from a timeline perspective alongside [Paolo] Banchero (22) and [Franz] Wagner (23) Simons averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 assists in 32.7 minutes per game over 70 appearances for the Blazers this summer He has one year remaining on his contract at $27.7 million He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the Summer of 2026 That unconventional approach could backfire down the road and potentially limit Portland's ceiling Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has proven in past deals that he's willing to include valuable draft capital in trades Avdija was a sleeper as his talent flew under the radar on a rebuilding Wizards team despite being a top-ten pick The Blazers' roster has drastically improved but they are still a piece or two away from making serious noise They should look to buy low on another Avdija-type deal this summer These three players fit the Avdija criteria as they are former lottery picks on team-friendly deals and align with Portland's timeline and roster needs Onyeka Okongwu had that breakout campaign that many have been waiting for and 0.9 blocks on 57/32/76 shooting splits finally surpassing Clint Capela as the Hawks' top center option His skill set was on full display in their play-in loss to the Heat where Okongwu totaled 28 points and 12 rebounds That could make it more challenging to convince Atlanta to part ways with their 24-year-old big man but it's clear they need to do something to shake up their roster after continually hovering around a play-in team for the majority of the Trae Young era Okongwu would be a perfect fit for the Blazers' frontcourt, providing them with a non-traditional big man to complement Donovan Clingan Anfernee Simons has long been rumored to go back to his hometown area in a trade with the Orlando Magic. But in these hypothetical deals the Blazers often receive a first-round pick and some combination of Jett Howard the one player Portland should be trying to pry away from Orlando is Jonathan Isaac With Paolo Banchero's extension coming the Magic must make difficult roster decisions Perhaps they could be more open to including Isaac to balance their roster better but his 6-foot-10 frame and defensive versatility would help bolster the Blazers' identity They still need more depth behind Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara and Isaac would fit in seamlessly with what Cronin is starting to build in Portland The Indiana Pacers advanced to the second round of the playoffs after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks for the second consecutive year They may not have a superstar-caliber player like Giannis Antetokounmpo but Indiana more than made up for it with their depth They arguably have the deepest team in the playoffs Nesmith's main strength was his shooting ability which led him to be a late lottery pick in 2020 The Blazers are a bottom-of-the-barrel team when it comes to three-point shooting and could use someone like Nesmith Nesmith's defense was largely overlooked as a prospect and he's quietly emerged as one of the better two-way wings He'd be an ideal addition to Portland's young core © 2025 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its affiliates and related brands All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER ","https://fansided.com/",{"alt":"6d","src":"6e","url":"6f"},{"type":"6c","value":"6g"},"link","Minute Media","https://www.minutemedia.com/",{"text":"6j","url":"6k"},{"type":"6i","value":"6l"},"All Rights Reserved Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its affiliates and related brands specializing in the Portland Trail Blazers He has been in the sports industry for over a decade most recently as a journalist for Oregon Sports News covering sports across the Pacific Northwest Reese earned his marketing degree from The University of Arizona and is also a certified full-stack web developer through BloomTech Okongwu would be a perfect fit for the Blazers' frontcourt, providing them with a non-traditional big man to complement Donovan Clingan Anfernee Simons has long been rumored to go back to his hometown area in a trade with the Orlando Magic. But in these hypothetical deals Under-the-radar targets for Portland this summer The exterior of Beverly Cleary K-8 School in Northeast Portland Parents there have been pushing for dedicated funding in the 2025 Portland Public Schools bond to address seismic upgrades.Lizzy Acker Most of the district’s voters already have ballots in hand and the deadline to vote is May 20 The resolution, drafted by outgoing board members Julia Brim-Edwards and Gary Hollands along with Herman Greene will be up for a vote at the school board meeting Tuesday Hollands said he believes there is enough support from the other four board members to pass the plan The proposed bond commits $190 million for deferred maintenance improvements, like heating and cooling systems leaky roofs and wiring and plumbing replacements board members’ hope — though it is not guaranteed — is that costs for remaking the three high schools can be brought down enough to dedicate at least an additional $200 million to upgrading the district’s under-maintained the district has not committed to specifics about how that money might be allocated The resolution specifies that $100 million of the deferred maintenance funding would be set aside for “emergencies system end-of-life useful replacements and unplanned projects to respond to imminent risks to students or district personnel.” But the remainder — at least $90 million and possibly significantly more — would be “available to address critical repairs and improvements at middle and elementary schools to mitigate the seismic deficiencies at the 8-10 schools assessed to pose the greatest risk of injury or death in a significant seismic event.” The resolution was drafted with help from parents including a well-organized cohort from Beverly Cleary K-8 in the well-off Grant Park neighborhood of Northeast Portland The school is one of 19 that is constructed largely of unreinforced brick masonry Sixteen of those schools have gotten some seismic work done in the past decades a significant step to prevent full collapse (The three that have gone thus far untouched: Capitol Hill Elementary in Southwest Portland Rose City Park Elementary in Northeast Portland and George Middle School in North Portland.) At a forum on Saturday morning that drew mostly Beverly Cleary parents with a smattering of families from other schools some parents said that having the seismic earmark in the bond made them more likely to support the proposed bond “We need to pass the school modernization fund it could be years before we get another chance,” said Beverly Cleary parent Per Olstad who has become the public face of the push for seismic safety A sign outside Beverly Cleary K-8 School in the Grant Park neighborhood in Portland in support of the upcoming Portland Public Schools construction bond.Lizzy Acker by far the largest K-12 money measure in Oregon history has softened amid questions about the costs of the three high schools their size and the lack of funding for other critical repairs in elementary and middle schools The resolution from the three board members does leave wiggle room for future boards It would allow the district’s superintendent and top staff members to recommend redirecting the money from seismic upgrades “upon a writing showing of impracticality demonstrable needs or reasonable evidence,” that the funds are needed elsewhere to address health and safety concerns It also entertains the possibility that some of the schools at highest risk of collapse in an earthquake may wind up as candidates for closure as the district’s enrollment shrinks and costs for complete seismic upgrades mount property owners would keep paying the same tax rate of $2.50 per $1,000 in assessed value or about $710 a year for an average home assessed at $284,000 Property owners would spend the next 32 years paying off the costs the tax rate for school construction will fall to about $1.60 per $1,000 of assessed value for the next eight years then continue to fall as previous bonds are retired — Julia Silverman covers K-12 schools for The Oregonian/OregonLive Reach her via email at jsilverman@oregonian.com This is a list of Portland’s most notable restaurant and bar openings, with new updates published twice a month. Did we miss something great? Please drop us a line What it is: A David Lynch–themed lounge serving beer and snacks attached next to (and run by) the Hollywood Theatre.When it opened: April 23Where it is: 4128 NE Sandy Boulevard, in HollywoodLearn more: Hollywood Theatre Opens David Lynch-Inspired Bar What it is: A new food cart pod in the space that used to be the Mexican restaurant La Carreta.When it opened: April 2Where it is: 4534 SE McLoughlin Boulevard, in BrooklynLearn more: Now: Brooklyn Carreta Is Open in Portland (Photos) What it is: An Italian-inspired cafe serving espresso drinks and focaccia sandwiches. When it opened: April 22Where it is: 906 N Fremont Street, in BoiseLearn more: A Local Player Is Debuting Both Coffee and Ramen Shops Along Mississippi Avenue What it is: A ramen shop that shares an owner, Grant Macdonald, with Rosetta. When it opened: April 24Where it is: 906 N Fremont Street, in BoiseLearn more: A Local Player Is Debuting Both Coffee and Ramen Shops Along Mississippi Avenue What it is: A buzzy pizzeria serving grandma-style pies inside Little Beast Brewing.When it opened: April 24Where it is: 3412 SE Division StreetLearn more: Grandma Pies and Pesto Bites Land at Little Beast’s Beer Garden What it is: A food cart in Rose City Food Park serving East Coast–style deli fare including some rave-worthy pastrami.When it opened: May 1Where it is: 5235 NE Sandy Boulevard, in Rose City ParkLearn more: Four Things I Learned This Week (April 25) in Portland Food What it is: A new congee place (duh).When it opened: April 11.Where it is: 605 SE Belmont Street, in East PortlandLearn more: PDX Opening Alert What it is: A tiny bakery (duh) serving coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and baked goods out of a window.When it opened: April 28Where it is: 5124 NE 42nd Avenue, in CullyLearn more: NE Portland is getting a new bakery, and the breakfast sandwiches are New England approved What it is: The new location of a New York–based chain of “barlours” that serve alcoholic ice cream.When it opened: May 2Where it is: 3987 N Mississippi Avenue, in BoiseLearn more: You’ll Be Able to Get Drunk on Ice Cream at This New Portland Shop What it is: The new taproom from the well-known Washington-based cider-maker, with a gluten-free kitchen.When it opened: April 23Where it is: 2800 SE Division StreetLearn more: Schilling Cider’s Portland Location to Reopen on Southeast Division Street Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again. 2025 7 p.m.The former business executive released his first proposed budget as mayor Monday FILE - Portland Mayor Keith Wilson in November 2024 Wilson's first budget as Portland's mayor calls for layoffs and program cuts but he’s hopeful that it still addresses the city’s biggest issues Mayor Keith Wilson is calling for layoffs and program cuts to balance his first budget as Portland’s top official But he’s hopeful that it still addresses the city’s biggest issues that’s what this budget is about,” Wilson told OPB in an interview “It’s restoring community health and safety.” The city is facing an anticipated $65 million budget shortfall, due to a series of compounding issues: inflation This deficit only grew due to Wilson’s campaign promise to open 1,500 new shelter beds by the end of the year — a plan that added $28 million to the shortfall almost $40 million in additional shelter costs has Wilson now needing to fill a nearly $130 million hole new fees and a heavy reliance on temporary outside funds from other governments — some of which aren’t guaranteed Wilson’s proposed budget also protects programs previously on the chopping block The $8.5 billion budget — a 4% increase from the current budget — includes discretionary and non-discretionary funds Non-discretionary dollars make up about 90% of the entire budget and come from grants contracts and other revenues that are specifically dedicated for a particular purpose such as water and sewer utilities have much fewer restrictions on how they can be used the city has an estimated $804 million in discretionary general funds to spend At the center of Wilson’s budget is his plan to open new shelter beds four day shelters and a new storage facility by December to address unsheltered homelessness Wilson debuted his $28 million plan in January but he’s now cut $3 million by eliminating two day shelters and replacing them with two “outdoor managed spaces” where people can access services FILE - Sleeping pods at the Arbor Lodge shelter site in North Portland The Multnomah County facility features health and housing services for unsheltered people The budget includes another new shelter expense: $38 million to continue operating a number of village-style shelters Portland expected these safe rest villages and temporary alternative shelter sites would be transferred to Multnomah County to fund and operate in July Wilson is confident he can cover the $63 million of the combined shelter costs without using much city money Metro Council has agreed to give $15 million, and Multnomah County has pledged $10 million Wilson said he believes the state will be able to cover the remaining $36 million It’s not clear if Wilson will receive all the state funding he’s counting on The money will have to come through the Legislature Lawmakers are waiting for a May 14 revenue forecast to drop before making major spending decisions Wilson has repeatedly said he’s confident that money will come through who has lamented the city’s previous reliance on these so-called “one-time” funds said he’s already working on solutions to fund shelter programs into the following year we are going to create our own level of following,” he said Sixty-three of those positions are in Permitting & Development But Portland’s slow pace of construction has hurt that funding stream With fewer construction projects to review and a dip in revenue “The biggest cuts are in permitting because the activity is so slow,” he said “I’m incredibly disheartened about that because those are good people that have given a lot to Portland.” This proposal comes days after Wilson teamed up with Gov. Tina Kotek to announce a plan to waive certain building fees to encourage new construction in Portland He said he’s not worried that cutting jobs in that department will hamper the city if their proposal does spur new development “Are we going to be pushing and pressuring the system?” he said A father and son find a place to play at Creston Park Wilson's budget calls for a reduction in Portland Parks & Recreation staff trash clean up and landscaping at city parks He’s also proposed deep cuts to Portland Parks & Recreation Wilson is floating a significant reduction in facility maintenance He said he made the tradeoff to cut these programs to preserve youth programming and community centers “To what extent are we willing to maintain our trees versus our kiddos?” Wilson asked His budget maintains funding for citywide sports programs youth programs run by SUN Community Schools and money to avoid closing any community centers Yet it does propose cutting back community center and community garden hours and closing youth summer camps and other youth summer programs in 2026 street cleaning and paving projects may all be put on hold under Wilson’s budget and 25 Portland Bureau of Transportation jobs may be eliminated Wilson is also looking to slim down administrative costs to balance the budget. Notably, he’s proposing nearly $10 million in cuts to jobs that fall into a broad category, ranging from community engagement to equity work. While it’s not mentioned in his budget summary, he’s previously projected these cuts to lead to an undetermined number of layoffs in the fall Another way to cut costs: freezing all raises for city managers and supervisors The more than $4 million in savings come from pausing both merit raises and cost-of-living pay increases for at least a year This is just the latest proposed change for city managers Wilson required all managers to return to working in-office full-time starting last month He said he knows that rolling back raises while making new workplace requirements may come as a blow “I keep thinking about all the hits that our staff are taking,” he said but are they proud of the job that they’re doing?” Wilson leans heavily on the promise of his shelter plan to “turn Portland around” in a way that makes employees proud to work for the city There is one area of administrative costs that is clearly protected in Wilson’s budget. He maintains $11 million in funding to support the increased size of City Council and mayor‘s office staff approved by Portland City Council in January Wilson also wants to boost the Council Operations Office by three positions While Wilson’s budget includes significant job cuts Many of these positions are in Portland Parks & Recreation and the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability These jobs are all funded by the Portland Clean Energy Fund the voter-approved tax on big retailers reserved for programs that cut greenhouse gas emissions Wilson also wants to add 11 staff to the office that does homeless service outreach and shelter management 14 staff to Portland Street Response and 10 staff to Portland Fire & Rescue The plan will preserve funding for a Fire Bureau program called Community Health Assess and Treat that responds to non-emergency medical calls FILE - Police leave the area after making arrests following a clash with protesters who were marching through downtown Portland The Portland Police Bureau’s budget has been cratered by overtime costs in recent years as retirement and slow recruitment have affected the workforce about 90 of the 877 available positions in PPB are vacant Wilson is turning to $12 million in one-time funding to help fill those vacancies and other program gaps He’s also turning to use one-time dollars to fill budget gaps in the city’s Office of Violence Prevention and a gun violence program called Ceasefire Wilson said he isn’t worried about relying too much on short-term funding to keep public safety programs afloat He believes this year‘s funding will help hire and retain more officers to offset the ballooning overtime costs “The way we’ve been using overtime compromises workplace safety,” he said more ready and rested team members out there.” While he’s proposed 25 job cuts in the Portland Bureau of Transportation Wilson hopes to add 20 more jobs to the department and pledges to restore $37 million in anticipated cuts Wilson is banking on a number of new revenue streams unguaranteed state funds and temporary cash to pay for his plan To backfill the PBOT budget, he’s endorsing a 25% increase in parking meter fees. He’s also proposing to hike the city’s fee on rideshare companies from 65 cents per ride to $1.30 per ride. And he’s hoping for $11 million from the state that could come if the Legislature passes its sweeping transportation package this session Much of his budget relies on one-time funding that expires in 2026 Wilson suggests using expiring funds to cover the salaries for new homeless outreach staff Wilson proposes using $50 million in “one-time” dollars to fund the city this year — or 6% of the city’s discretionary fund One revenue stream he’s not touching is the Portland Clean Energy Fund Mayor Ted Wheeler leaned heavily on the fund’s revenues to fill gaps in the city budget using money for programs that reduced carbon emissions Portland City Council approved a spending plan for PCEF which directs more than $740 million toward city bureaus over the next five years That leaves little money left over to fill other budget shortfalls have still suggested tapping into the funds early have proposed increasing the PCEF tax rate and using the additional revenue to bolster the general fund Councilor Mitch Green floated another proposal Monday — essentially using PCEF as a loan with a promise to pay back any money borrowed in the future with city resources “That tax has been so good for Portland,” Wilson said “We need to use it for what its intent and spirit was and that’s to reduce emissions in our city responsibly and to address those that are being harmed by the impacts of climate change we’re inviting scrutiny from others or litigation and that may cause the whole house of cards to fall.” Wilson said he is open to supporting other new taxes like ones focused on funding infrastructure or streets Wilson’s proposal now heads to City Council he’ll present the spending plan to the full council Councilors will spend the next several weeks drafting amendments to Wilson’s proposal which may change which cuts or additions are included in the budget Councilors will vote on these amendments and the final budget in early June Councilors aren’t allowed to comment on the mayor‘s budget until Wednesday But they’ve been open about what they’d like it to include “We need to make sure that we’re centering our investments in fairness and equity to make sure this is a city that everybody can live and thrive in,” Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney told OPB Friday those cuts aren’t falling more heavily on some communities than the others.” Wilson said his budget reflects the input of his 12 council colleagues He believes it’s at least 95% in line with their perspectives “Their DNA is all over this budget,” he said “Now it’s time for them to really see where I missed some things and fix it.” Tags: Politics, Portland, News Maine (WGME) -- There are new details on the mysterious flying object that crashed into a car on the Portland docks Plenty of Mainers commenting about this online We now know what the mystery object was that smashed into the back of a car at the Casco Bay Ferry Terminal Police say the flying object came from a nearby tugboat "Saw my rear windshield on the ground" He was working Wednesday night when an object fell from the sky crashing into his car's rear hatchback "Originally we thought it came from an airplane But we got conclusion earlier today that it actually came off one of the tugboats next-door" A number of people commented correctly online that it was likely a cleat that had broken off a boat Portland Police say the FAA and Casco Bay Lines determined the 35-pound yellow metal pipe Portland Tugboat had not returned our call but Casco Bay Lines told employees the metal object was a cleat that came off one of their tugs; "a tugboat tied up on the other side of the building here" Clancy says the tide Wednesday night was very low He believes as the tide dropped lowering the tug it must have created a great deal of tension on the line tied to the dock the strain on the tugboat popped the cleat off but obviously high enough to come down over that building and land right on the back of his windshield" He told us he believes that tension must have "slingshotted" the cleat off the tugboat before crashing down onto Cam Malette's car heavy piece of metal flying over that building is pretty insane" "I would assume it was under a decent amount of tension And metal over time does fatigue." Malette says his car can be repaired or replaced He's just glad that's all this flying object hit "I'm just thankful it didn't hit anyone" And I was just thankful that the freak accident didn't hurt anyone" The only mystery now is who's going to pay for the damage It's pretty obvious I didn't do it" 2025 at 2:24 pm PDTPortland Mayor Keith Wilson’s budget drops next week But city officials have offered one sneak preview of where cuts could land City leaders are ordering a 20% reduction in spending across a wide swath of core city services—including human resources and communications—but how much money those cuts would actually save remains unknown City administrator Michael Jordan announced the reductions April 23 saying the move was intended to stabilize the city’s finances amid a general fund budget shortfall of roughly $60 million though the number continues to be a moving target Services with central offices but smaller pockets nested across city bureaus—like human resources will be reflected in Mayor Wilson’s proposed budget City officials said the move was intended to stabilize the city’s general fund but did not provide an estimate of how much money the 20% cuts would save the city’s press office said projectionswere still being finalized and would be released with the mayor’s budget The city has already forecast 275 full-time layoffs under the mayor’s plan Officials say more layoffs are expected after a phased restructuring of services begins Sept Asked whether the 20% cuts would result in 20% staff reductions across all affected areas “The work is actively underway,” city press officer Cody Bowman wrote in an email Members of the City Council since taking office Jan 1 have repeatedly urged city administrators to cut duplicative services across city bureaus that formed as a result of the commissioner-style of government the city scrapped Jan But the council has also urged the city to cut management positions rather than union-represented jobs—two goals that may not be in total alignment Savings are expected to be phased in starting this fiscal year and fully realized by July 2026 Portland’s budget crisis has deepened over recent months City officials say the general fund gap is around $65 million currently though that figure has bounced around in recent weeks The size of the city’s general fund deficit—and how much of it the cuts would close—remains unclear Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today. Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today. Sign up for our Daily Primer newsletter. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. The bodies were found in various waterways including the Willamette River and the Columbia River since April 13 I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Seven bodies have been pulled from the waterways in the area of Portland, Oregon in the past few weeks – but local authorities say it’s not unusual we are at seven,” according to Deputy John Plock a public information officer with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office He said the number falls within the expected range but added: “It is possible there will be more.” The bodies have been recovered from various waterways On Sunday, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit recovered a body along the Willamette River north of Meldrum Bar Park, who investigators believe may be Marcelus Angelo Rodriguez, according to the sheriff’s office. Rodriguez, a 20-year-old kayaker from Porterville, California, has been missing since April 12 when a witness reported seeing a kayaker in distress and said they saw the man go over the edge of Willamette falls, KGW reported Investigators say that Rodriguez and his family were on vacation in the area and that Rodriguez, who was last seen kayaking, may not have known the falls were there, according to a press release. Just two days later, the blue kayak the man was last seen in was recovered near Elk Rock Island, about 7.5 river miles downstream of Willamette Falls, the sheriff’s office said. The Clackamas County Medical Examiner’s Office is working to determine the identity of the body pulled from the Willamette River on Sunday. At least three of the bodies have been identified, KPTV reported. On April 13, the body of 32-year-old Daniel Alcazar was found in the Willamette River near Swan Island. On April 15, the body of 24-year-old Rachel Mobley was found in the Multnomah Channel. And on April 18, the body of 52-year-old Brandon Williams of Portland was found floating in the Willamette near the St. John’s Bridge. On April 24, a body was recovered from the Columbia River near Hayden Island, and on April 30, another body was recovered in the Willamette River near Terminal 4. Two more bodies, including the one believed to be Rodriguez were found over the weekend. Investigations are continuing to look into how the people found in the river died. It is not currently known whether any of them were victims of crime. Deputy Plock told reporters that there are several factors that contribute to the increased number of recoveries – including warmer water temperatures, which accelerate the natural decomposition process, causing bodies to rise to the surface more quickly. “As the weather improves, more individuals engage in activities on and near the water, such as fishing and boating,” he added. “This increased presence of people leads to a higher likelihood of previously undiscovered remains being observed and reported.” Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies An aerial image shows the Steel Bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon where several bodies have been recovered in the past month govt and politics"},{"score":0.670968,"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/homicide"},{"score":0.61972,"label":"/law Police say it’s normal","description":"The bodies were found in various waterways I like living in Portland but sometimes I wish for a change of scenery on the weekends I bought myself a round-trip ferry ticket to Peaks Island Peaks Island can only be accessed by ferry boat Less than a thousand people live on Peaks Island year-round though that number increases in the summer A lot of the island's residents regularly use the ferry to commute to and from downtown Portland to go to work the ferry typically runs pretty frequently between the two places I appreciated that this gave me more flexibility around leaving and coming back from my day trip My round-trip ferry ticket cost me just $15 The ship left from Portland's waterfront area just off Commercial Street I chose to sit on its top level to maximize my views on the short ride a lighthouse in South Portland; and Mackworth Island I loved that our ferry dock was just a few minutes' walk away from an ice-cream parlor The island seemed too big to explore on foot so I knew I wanted to rent some mode of transportation It would've cost me $100 to rent a golf cart for two hours or $20 for a bike I was given a handy map highlighting the island's various landmarks a concrete military fortification from the 1940s that's covered in colorful graffiti I was able to follow a trail up to the structure so I could look around its tunnels and rooms It was bigger than I expected and felt easy to get lost in I also enjoyed stopping by the island's Umbrella Cover Museum which features thousands of umbrella covers that have been collected over the years The island also had several art galleries showcasing paintings of Portland and other towns in Maine especially since ferry tickets were cheap and the ride was so short Peaks Island felt like a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of downtown Portland — plus riding a bike around all day was a great workout though I might try taking the ferry to a different Casco Bay Island for my next day trip there is a lot you might encounter on your morning ride – nice things like spring flowers … or not so nice things you'll also come across fresh-brewed coffee It's an event called "Breakfast on the Bridges," where volunteers set up sort of mobile breakfast parties for bicycle commuters (and pedestrians During April's event on the Blumenauer Bridge volunteers had set up folding tables on the sidewalk close to the entrance and were making pancakes on a griddle – and doling out other breakfast snacks Portlander Ian Lindsay stopped by with his daughter He recalled the first time he encountered Breakfast on the Bridges a few years back "We were doing our normal bike ride and suddenly there was a tent full of doughnuts Maren was a kindergartener strapped to his bike; now she's pedaling her own bicycle many kids stop by on their ride to school – and and they saw that there was kids coming all the time So now they have orange juice and they have doughnuts While the children rode off quickly to make it to school before the morning bell retirees like Robyn Jensen lingered for a leisurely morning It's a really nice community – meeting new people," said Jensen There were cyclists encountering the event for the first time Doughnuts!" by those who were already enjoying the offerings And there were also experienced breakfasters like Quinn Segal who tried to hit all the bridges in a single morning "This is my third bridge of the day," laughed Segal "There was deviled eggs up at the first one Friends greeted each other and strangers asked about each other's bike lights and panniers Volunteer-turned-guest Timo Forsberg likened it to a cocktail party "Breakfast on the Bridges is great because people just walk up and talk to you," said Forsberg "There was this one time when there was this very attractive young woman who came up and just started talking to me … and I'm like I don't know why she's doing this.' But now we're married," he said "So Breakfast on the Bridge brought me a happy wife Breakfast on the Bridges (aka BONB) is the brainchild of Ayleen Crotty. She came up with it during 2002's Bike Summer festival volunteer-run event is a celebration of what Crotty calls "bike fun" – a calendar of open rides that anyone can join exploring neighborhood history or taco trucks or "midnight mystery" rides heading to unknown destinations According to Crotty, Portland was already known for being a bike-friendly city. It had robust bike advocacy and investments in bicycle lanes, and was on its way to a designation as a platinum-level bicycle-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists But Crotty said that in addition to making bicycling safe "A pamphlet or a website isn't gonna make me ride my bike." But being in community Crotty hosted a breakfast on Portland's Broadway Bridge three times that first summer – featuring a pretty simple spread of muffins coffee and cookies – and it was such a hit that she and a crew of volunteers decided to keep it going all year long It's cool to stop somewhere and have a micro-event on the way to work – you almost feel like you're getting away with something," laughed Crotty And the different bridges try to outdo each other Coffee is of course a must – most bridges go through about five gallons on any given breakfast day There are also donations of local doughnuts And in addition to what the donors and hosts provide individual cyclists will also contribute – dropping off a batch of cookies who coordinates breakfast on the Blumenauer Bridge says each of the hosts takes great pride in their own bridge serving more coffee or hosting special food days like 'taco Tilikum,' " he said On holidays, the hosts will celebrate the occasion – wearing Halloween costumes or St. Lucia's Day crowns, or crafting Valentines BONB will write you a tardy slip for your school/employer (not legally binding Even if you don't meet the love of your life you can still end up with a nice bike ride Become an NPR sponsor Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker sent both of her children to The Madeleine School in Northeast Portland After another student allegedly called the family's younger son a racist slur the parents pushed the school's principal to take action summoned Portland police to the campus in late March when the parents of a Black student demanded to know her plan of action after their fourth grade son reported being called a racist slur on the playground coupled with what the family saw as a lack of empathy from the leaders of a community they had poured their hearts into for the last 10 years prompted them to both hire a lawyer and speak publicly about their story “You’re calling the cops on me and kicking out my son because of what he heard?” Mike Phillips asked charted in detailed emails between the Stoudamire-Phillips family school leaders and other Madeleine School parents have caused wrenching upheaval at the PK-8 school According to the emails and school community members several families do not plan to re-enroll next year or have already pulled their children out including the family of a child who also reported hearing the slur who did not want to be named to protect his child’s privacy Principal Tresa Rast told him and his wife that she suspected that their son had made up the entire incident and recommended that the child see a therapist so he could be “deprogrammed” from the anti-racist training he’d received while previously attending public school in Portland Around 50 parents have since signed a letter to the parish priest who oversees the school asking him to reinstate the Stoudamire-Phillips’ son and transparently overhaul internal policies and practices governing the school’s response to racist incidents Their letter stopped short of calling for Rast to resign But it said she had committed “an act of violence and overt racism” by calling the police an action they said was “entirely inconsistent with the values of The Madeleine and cannot be tolerated.” The family of one of the only other Black children at the school wrote a separate letter to Rummell calling for Rast to resign and outlining what they said were other incidents of racism at the school including “students being made fun of for their skin tone and hair texture and other slurs there was no schoolwide communication and no policies and procedures actioned.” director of Catholic education for the Archdiocese of Portland with a detailed list of questions about the incident Rummell responded that the school was unable to discuss any actions administrators took or the reasons behind them But he provided an email that he sent to the schools’ families on April 23 acknowledging that “recent conflicts have impacted our caring Catholic community” and inviting families to reach out to him directly with their concerns “The Madeleine School remains committed to building its community based on love and respect for the dignity of all people as modeled by Jesus Christ,” Rummell wrote in his email to families “This specifically includes providing a safe environment for all staff and students that is free from discrimination it wasn’t the first time that their family had dealt with a racial incident at the Madeleine School who graduated last year and is now a freshman at a Catholic high school in Portland And the family had been unsatisfied with how Rast the family considered transferring their younger son this year she resolved to continue volunteering to help improve the school’s racial equity and social justice policies She had long done similar work professionally and had insight into practices at other organizations via her seat on the board of directors at De La Salle North Catholic High School the Portland Rose Festival Foundation and the Boise-Eliot Neighborhood Association she had her guard up when she got a call from the school’s secretary on the last Monday in March reporting that her younger son had heard another student call him the n-word as they headed back into school after recess She and her husband rushed to the school to comfort their son and talk to the principal you do understand that I don’t have confidence in you based on my previous experiences with you,” Stoudamire-Phillips recalled that Rast asked her and her husband to leave the office When they said they would not leave because they still had questions about how the school planned to respond to their son’s experience The report of the incident from the Portland Police Bureau states that they were called in due to “parents yelling at the employees and refusing to leave.” pictured here in a professional shot.Courtesy of Mike Phillips “You have to understand that a Black man having the cops called on him is a totally different implication,” Phillips said Phillips had excused himself to wait for them outside wanting to clearly show that he was unarmed and calm with nothing to hide Rast told police that the matter was under control and that the officers were free to leave the family said they waited for word that the parents of the students involved had been notified and that plans were underway for restorative conversations and disciplinary consequences Karis Stoudamire-Phillips got a call from the school during which she was told that all involved students had denied using the slur was that perhaps her son and his classmate had misheard them She responded with a blistering email to Rast and Rummell defending her son and writing that Rast had fostered a culture in which “both overt and subtle racism are allowed and even encouraged due to there not being real impactful and behavior changing consequences for racist action…[Rast] is completely inept…It is simply ludicrous to insinuate that one of the only Black boys in the entire Madeleine school would inflict such trauma on himself and lie [about the racist epithet].” the family received an email from Rummell with a terse subject line: “Termination of partnership.” “It has become clear that the relationship of trust and confidence that is necessary for a collaborative partnership between parent and school officials for the good of your child no longer exists,” Rummell wrote “Our partnership is hereby immediately terminated as of the end of the day This decision is final and from our perspective this matter is now concluded.” Their son was allowed to return to campus one more time “There wasn’t a dry eye in the classroom,” she said “Teachers from all over the school were coming in to say bye to him He knows that he is loved by that community He just doesn’t understand why these two leaders keep making decisions that have hurt him.” after news of the situation spread through the school community and other parents mobilized to demand explanations Rummell reached out to the Stoudamire-Phillips family to say that he was “open to dialogue” if they would like to meet he wrote that he knew it would be “no consolation” to them but that he “had been and am personally crushed by this experience.” the Stoudamire-Phillips family say they are seeking specific change at The Madeleine an independent investigation into the administration’s handling of their son’s complaint mandatory anti-racism training for all administrators faculty and families and the adoption of clear anti-racist policies to address any future incidents They have hired Portland lawyer Bonnie Richardson though they say they are hopeful that the school will make the changes they’ve outlined and put an independent review panel in place to monitor the response The exterior of the Madeleine School in Northeast Portland on April 24.Beth Nakamura sports participation and bathroom access should strictly match biological sex The Madeleine’s respected former parish priest, the Rev. Mike Biewend, retired that year, and he praised the former principal’s resistance to Sample’s guidelines in a farewell speech at the school’s eighth grade graduation. That section of his speech has since been silenced in a YouTube recording of the ceremony on the Madeleine Parish’s channel Amid rising backlash from parents to his new guidelines Sample temporarily dissolved the archdiocese’s department of Catholic schools to bring education operations under closer scrutiny by his office When the office reopened four months later it had a new focus on evangelical teaching and a new leader in Moo The National Catholic Review has since reported that Moo has close ties to the movement for Catholic Liberal Education more classical vision for Catholic schools that centers God and religious teachings across all subjects The Stoudamire-Phillips family are not Catholic but specifically chose the Madeleine for their children because they wanted their education to be guided by Christian values Now they are trying to help their son process his expulsion from the cozy Catholic school he’d attended since kindergarten his Oregon Battle of the Books team and the teachers who all knew his name ‘Why doesn’t this school love me?” Stoudamire-Phillips said “He asked me that to my face with tears in his eyes.” — Julia Silverman covers K-12 education for The Oregonian/OregonLive protests drew hundreds of people in Tigard Medford and elsewhere across Oregon on Saturday as part of the national “Hands Off” day of action.Several thousand people took to the streets of Portland on Saturday afternoon as part of a nationwide movement to protest what organizers are calling an “illegal billionaire power grab” by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk protesting President Trump’s administration part of “Hands Off” protests taking place around the country A demonstrator dressed as the Statue of Liberty participates in the "Hands Off!" protests against President Donald Trump at the Washington Monument in Washington "Hands Off" protesters gather at the Universal Plaza in Tigard Protesters at a “Hands Off” rally in Sellwood The Portland protests were part of a nationwide demonstrations Former National Park Service Director Chuck Sams speaks at the “Hands Off” protest in Pendleton Protestors gather at Pendleton City Hall as a part of the Pendleton Hands-Off demonstration in Pendleton takes a photo with a lone Trump supporter counterprotesting the “Hands Off” rally in Madras saying “most people in Jefferson County support the current administration.” "I see it as a direct attack on the least educated and those with the lowest resources,” says Lizzy Wienert of Madras taking part in the “Hands Off” rally in Madras Thousands of protesters descended on Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland The Portland protests were part of a nationwide "Hands Off" demonstration Mary Minor speaks while leading the "Hands Off" protest event at Universal Plaza in Tigard "Hands Off" protesters line up at the Westmoreland Park in Southeast Portland Demonstrators march through downtown Pendleton as a part of the “Hands Off” protest in Pendleton to join the national Hands Off demonstrations Brie Gibson and Lacey Headley-Collier hold an American flag upside holds a sign reading "FDT" made by her niece at the Hands Off protest in Bend McPherson said this isn't her first time protesting but she made it out because she wants "to get rid of Elon and Trump." There were several demonstrations in Portland on Saturday. But the largest, at Tom McCall Waterfront Park began at noon and quickly grew to several thousand people said she hopes the large turnout convinces more people to get on the streets and speak out She remembered how large the Women’s March was in 2017 and said Saturday’s march had a similar feeling “I would say this is even larger than that,” Green said “I’m also seeing a lot of people with signs that they’ve probably been holding onto since then and were hoping they didn’t have to bring out again.” The massive crowd marched down Naito Parkway along downtown Portland’s eastern edge chanting and waving a sea of different signs most of which voiced displeasure with the Trump administration The crowd then turned onto the Morrison and Burnside Bridges, closing both to traffic entirely for a brief time The Portland Police Bureau said in social media posts that both bridges eventually reopened to traffic I’m on the Morrison Bridge in Portland where thousands of protesters are marching. The bridge is completely closed to traffic, as people protest President Trump’s administration[image or embed] Organizers of the nationwide “Hands Off” protests Saturday said participants are calling “on Trump and Elon Musk to take their hands off the programs that the middle class and working families rely on.” Demonstrations began in the Portland metro area Saturday morning and continued throughout the day across the state several hundred people marched on both sides of Highway 99 Some protesters told OPB they were concerned about the impact tariffs will have on their life savings Others feared for the future of Social Security and spoke out against recent deportations about 500 people turned out at Westmoreland Park for an early rally Speakers included Portland City Councilor Olivia Clark and Oregon state Rep Related: The job market remains incredibly healthy — but the tariff storm could upend things Gamba said he worried Trump’s policies are designed to destroy the current American system and empower billionaires either to create a fascist or an oligarchic state This is something they’ve been preparing for a long time,” Gamba said holds a sign reading "FDT" made by her niece at the Hands Off protest in Bend McPherson said this isn't her first time protesting but she made it out because she wants "to get rid of Elon and Trump." Hundreds of protestors lined the streets at the intersection known as Peace Corner in Bend who had joined the demonstration in Sisters before heading to Bend on Saturday She called the crowd size in Bend “a show of force.” Many families at the Bend event were protesting together said it was important to show his 11- and 13-year-old kids what protesting looks like Bend resident Jim Bullock said he has lived in the city for 33 years and Saturday’s was the largest crowd he’d ever seen at a protest in Bend Many of the protesters were from the city and its surrounding communities but some traveled from as far away as Medford and Portland The lone counter-protester was a man waving a Trump flag hoping to draw attention to the issues from a different perspective The crowd at Pendleton City Hall Saturday afternoon was also about 200 people Umatilla County Democratic Party Chair Patrick Cahill was among the attendees and said he was “enamored” by the turnout Pendleton and Umatilla County have been Republican strongholds for decades with Trump winning handily in the last three presidential elections But Cahill pointed out the high number of federal workers who live in Eastern Oregon and how they’re affected by the massive cuts to federal spending the City Hall was surrounded by thousands of protesters She said a wide array of issues drove her and her husband to participate National “Hands Off” organizers were estimating that more than 1,000 events would take place in all 50 states and Washington D.C Organizers said they hoped they could turn out hundreds of thousands of people The rallies are organized, in part, by the 50501 Movement, which held similar nationwide events on Feb. 5 and Feb. 17 Elon Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency which has attempted to make significant cuts to the federal government While many of those job cuts and government program reductions have been challenged in court they’ve drawn notable ire and a growing protest movement from some Americans Related: Nationwide ‘Hands Off’ protests denounce Trump and Musk’s government downsizing Protests against DOGE and Musk, the CEO of Tesla, have also been taking place at Tesla dealerships across the country the White House said in a statement that “President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.” Demonstrations that have taken place have not widely been marred by property destruction that was associated with protests in Oregon and elsewhere during that first term The Associated Press and reporters Brian Bull and William L Tags: Protests, Oregon, Washington, Trump An empty classroom at a Portland-area elementary school Student absenteeism is a well-chronicled problem in Oregon Oregon was battling a high rate of chronic absenteeism a parallel absenteeism issue draws virtually no attention except in whispers among district administrators school financial officials and human resource leaders: A huge share of teachers are also chronically absent from class Oregon does not require districts to report data on teacher absenteeism And because each of the state’s 197 school districts bargain their own union contracts there is no universal standard for how much sick time and personal paid leave is available to educators School officials were skittish about discussing the topic on the record with The Oregonian/OregonLive citing fragile relationships with employee union leaders But in a survey of 10 large metro area school districts conducted by the news outlet teachers are also missing significantly more school days and there are virtually no policies in place to counteract the trend The Oregonian/OregonLive asked districts how many of their licensed educators missed 11 or more days of school for reasons other than professional development or other required school events. The news outlet selected that threshold because research has found clear setbacks to students’ learning trajectories when their teacher is absent more than 10 days a year chronic absenteeism rates among teachers increased an average of 11 percentage points since 2019 Every district reported at least 36% of its teachers were missing at least that much school last year frequent teacher absenteeism rates topped 60% School district leaders reach agreements with their teachers unions that typically grant a few days of personal leave per year plus about 12 days that educators can take off when they or a family member are sick So licensed educators are within their rights to miss 11 or more days of school over the course of an academic year in addition to school calendar breaks in November relatively few educators took that much time off instead piling up unused sick days they could cash out at retirement missing that many days has become the norm for educators across the Portland area Nearly two-thirds of the 10 districts’ 8,000 educators did so last year found statistically significant declines in math scores among elementary students whose teachers missed 11 days or more during the school year In the wake of the pandemic, Oregon elementary and middle school students have ranked among the worst in the nation on both math and reading tests given to representative samples of students in all 50 states In the small Polk County town of Independence Independence Elementary School closed unexpectedly on Feb 24 and again on March 7 because of staff shortages due to illness and other absences both times with just a few hours’ notice to parents The sudden closures came after an unexpected three day closure in February due to technology outages said the interruptions in routine have been especially tough for her 7-year-old daughter “My main concern is the fact that they are not learning enough,” Marcelino said “Our 7-year-old already struggles with reading In response to an email Marcelino sent the district outlining her concerns officials wrote that they’d closed Independence Elementary because of absences among special education staff who can be particularly hard to replace with substitutes because they work with children with highly complex behavioral and physical needs “The district has closed the entire building where the shortage has occurred as opposed to closing only a specialized program or one specific classroom in order to be as equitable in its actions as possible and not have closures disparately impact our most vulnerable students,” district staff wrote to Marcelino national survey data suggests that a student’s sense of belonging at school — and even their own willingness to show up every day — can be negatively impacted by frequent teacher absences “Teachers model behavior for kids,” Hansen said “Teacher attendance patterns influence their students Is part of the reason that kids aren’t showing up to school because there is not an adult in the classroom that they feel they can trust who has established a relationship with them?” Hermiston High School junior Joselin Barrientos said when one of her teachers was recently absent the difference in attitudes among her classmates was clear The substitute gave them a packet to complete “We didn’t know what to do and there was no one making us do it,” she said Districts from Hillsboro to Gresham told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the increased educator absences mean they must spend millions more per year on substitutes 24% of teachers missed 10 or more days of school in the 2018-2019 school year which was below the national average at the time of 28% according to the federal Civil Rights Data Collection Hillsboro spent $3.8 million for substitutes in 2018-2019 and $8.9 million in 2023-2024 “We track [educator] absences daily,” Human Resources Director Brian Haats said in response to the news outlet’s question “It typically fluctuates between 9% and 12% but will spike to 15% on occasion.” The district – like many of the others in The Oregonian/OregonLive’s survey – said it typically sees its highest absenteeism rates on Fridays in May when it is not uncommon for up to 18% of teachers to be out Absenteeism rates in some of the districts dipped slightly last year but remains higher than before the pandemic Drawing comparisons between districts is complicated by the different provisions in districts’contracts Most call for educators to work about 185 to 190 days and allow varying numbers of paid days off educators earn one day of paid sick leave for each month they work which allows employees to receive up to 12 weeks of paid leave to bond with a newborn deal with their own medical or mental health needs or to help care for a long list of family members The program also extends to those who are victims of domestic abuse “We were already experiencing an uptick in our absenteeism after the pandemic it just exacerbated the issue,” said Hillsboro’s Haats About 19% of the district’s licensed employees participated in Paid Leave Oregon last year A Portland Public Schools principal who spoke only on background in order not to cause rifts with their staff said paid leave has taken a clear toll in their building the principal said: A provision of Paid Leave Oregon allows employees to take “intermittent” leave during their 12-week stretch which means they might be at work one day and be on leave the next making it difficult to plan for long-term substitute coverage and requiring a patchwork of colleagues to fill in for them Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong said the addition of Paid Leave Oregon has been a classic case of “both/and” for the state’s largest school district Armstrong said she wants the district’s 3,500 or so teachers to be healthy and take care of themselves and their families – and also wants them to be at work in their classrooms The percentage of chronically absent educators is higher in some districts that serve large concentrations of low-income families and Black and Latino students 70% of teachers in the Centennial School District missed more than 10 days of school in 2023-2024 and 52% of teachers in Gresham-Barlow hit that metric; both Multnomah County districts serve a diverse and relatively lower income population than districts in suburban Washington and Clackamas counties 37% of teachers missed more than 10 days of school during that same year — 990 of 2,666 educators – though that was a 10 percentage point rise from pre-pandemic days local school districts that serve wealthier student populations saw fewer teacher absences overall But among those surveyed by the news outlet such districts experienced the sharpest spikes in the rates of teachers missing big chunks of school where families tend to be well-off and child poverty is vanishingly rare 36% of educators were chronically absent last school year also with a relatively well-off student base saw the largest rise in absenteeism among any of the districts surveyed by the news outlet Portland Public Schools’ data from 2023-2024 is especially noisy because of the three-week teacher strike that shut down schools for virtually all of November 2023 The days were added back to the school calendar but many teachers — and students — opted to stick with planned vacations particularly during the first week of winter break that year That’s likely partly why the district’s absenteeism rate hit 68% in 2023-2024 — meaning that 2,449 of its 3,587 teachers missed more than 10 days of school But it isn’t the whole story: Absenteeism rates hit around 60% the previous year president of the Oregon Education Association said there are a multitude of factors behind the jump in teacher absenteeism The pandemic left a legacy of trepidation about infecting colleagues and students by coming back to work before sickness has lifted “People experienced a way of taking care of themselves that actually helped them get better faster and have less impact on their colleagues and their students in terms of spreading airborne illnesses like colds and flus,” Scott-Schwalbach said “That cultural change is certainly still present for some people.” Being away from the classroom can often mean just as much work as being there Classroom educators are supposed to leave detailed lesson plans for substitutes and the demands of grading student work persists for some teachers even during time off for some educators who’ve been in the field for a long time My doctor’s telling me I need to take time off I’m going to have to step away and deal with this,‘” she said where teacher morale was lower than in any state except New Hampshire Only 2% of Oregon teachers told Education Week that a pay raise would improve their job satisfaction they said they wanted more adults to help support student needs fewer staff meetings and more administrative support to deal with student behavior issues Part of why teacher absenteeism flies under the radar in Oregon is the lack of tracking. It’s uncommon for states to report teacher absenteeism rates, though not unheard of. In Rhode Island, for example, school districts must submit daily reports to the state’s Department of Education for all building administrators Rhode Island updates its absenteeism dashboards daily, making it possible to track trends and compare among districts. Illinois releases yearly data on teacher absenteeism including longitudinal charts that show how statewide teacher absenteeism has grown steadily worse since the pandemic A few school districts nationally have waded gingerly into incentive programs and workplace culture shifts to counter teacher absenteeism a researcher with the Southern Regional Education Board A South Carolina school district let teachers cash out unused sick leave days and use the funds to buy classroom supplies One Texas district bumped up its 401(k) contribution for teachers who had unblemished or nearly unblemished attendance records while another offered a bonus each time a teacher hit 30 days without missing a day after the sudden elementary closures due to staff absences parent Marcelino said the school recently started a campaign to combat student absenteeism by sending home postcards with information about how many days students had missed “I think that’s great,” Marcelino said of the focus on student attendance But the communication also elicited a bit of an eyeroll: “At the same time that they are starting this now,” given the school closures forced by teacher absences,” she said Portland’s Best Veggie and Vegan Burgers The Best New Restaurants and Food Carts in Portland, May 2025 The Best Chinese Food in Portland This vegan essentials map highlights some of the major players leading the way in Portland’s vegan dining scene thanks to creative chefs this list focuses on restaurants — it does not include vegan businesses that operate as pop-ups and at special events Sweet Pea Bakery and Kati Portland came off the list while Chilango PDX — Additional reporting by Waz Wu and Rebecca Roland Rad Magic Subs has everything that makes a sandwich shop great like the Miracle Legion with vegan deli slices and the works; and the Wedgwich transforms the classic salad into a sandwich All subs come on a fresh roll from An Xuyên Bakery customers can tuck into breakfast items like the Cheddar Bacon Ranch served on a Dos Hermanos sourdough bun Portland’s Top Food Carts for Vegan Dining you’ll find charcuterie boards featuring Vtopian’s amazingly spot-on brie and seasonal cheeses alongside various pates Company’s patio is great in almost any weather and there’s no corkage fee during happy hour Portland’s only fully vegan dim sum house recently moved on from Aimsir Distilling to a new dedicated space on Southeast Belmont where Cyrus Ichiza serves a pan-Asian menu Here diners nibble on vegan “beef” wontons in chili oil lo mai gai dumplings stuffed with shiitake and vegan “chicken,” and bunny-shaped bawan dumplings that are almost indistinguishable from their meaty counterparts thanks to fermented soy protein In addition to traditional gaiwan oolong tea service the drink menu includes cocktails such as the non-alcoholic Forked Tongue with Jasmine tea and mochi brownies are available for dessert Portland’s Best Romantic Restaurants and Bars for Date Night Where to Find Portland’s Most Comforting Vegan Noodle Soups Collectively owned by its employees, this vegan pop-up turned restaurant on Belmont made a splash in Portland with Sri Lankan plates and street eats including spicy pigeon pea fritters and curried jackfruit potato croquettes with ever changing sides and relishes like deviled potatoes and coconut sambol especially the ones including NoPo’s “Pizza Creature” melty cashew cheese The restaurant also serves Sri Lankan Chinese dishes like deviled soy curl “pork” stir-fried with chunks of banana pepper 17 Best Portland Restaurant Patios for Outstanding Outdoor Dining Year-Round The Best Restaurants for a Mid-Week Lunch in Portland Nectaris offers vegan versions of comforting French dishes like cassoulet and french onion soup with ambiance to match feels like a French cafe and cozy mid-century modern living room combined Beverly McKenzie has created a fun wine list full of aperitifs and she coaxes some real magic out of vegan staples The rotating salad often incorporates Follow Your Heart bleu cheese and spinach with seasonal additions like pears and tinned seafood are available to nibble on and neighborhoody vibe can already feel like a summer picnic with friends This vegan restaurant with locations on Belmont and Alberta references owners Ketsuda Nan Chaison and Prae Nobnorb’s Southern Thai roots and rice dishes that runs the gamut of Asian flavors A full meal can be built out of starters like larb croquettes on cucumber rounds and lime aioli drizzled massaman curry samosas like the creamy mushroom linguine with coconut-galangal sauce and roasted cauliflower curry shouldn’t be missed Several of the cocktails come in nonalcoholic form like the frothy aquafaba-based pink guava sour Obon Shokudo found success at farmers markets before opening its restaurant on Grand Avenue Humiko Hozumi and Jason Duffany specialize in vegan Japanese homestyle fare like bouncy handmade udon noodles (including a gluten-free version) and kenchinjiru miso vegetable stew Some of the restaurant’s greatest hits include its Japanese vegetable curry served with sprouted brown rice and panko-breaded tofu katsu and its tempura udon which comes with fried tofu and kakiage another great way to experience Obon is to nibble through a bento of curried korokke and a choice of two onigiri (fillings include options like yuzu with pumpkin seed miso and aleppo with hominy miso) And the dog sushi freebie is always a hit among Portland pups The Best Japanese Food in Portland and Beyond Located inside the Sentinel Hotel and wrapped in floral wallpaper that channels a moody Palm Springs vibe Fortune is the place to catch vegan cocktails and snacks while DJs spin tunes beneath the neon “We Back” sign The downtown spot offers seitan French dips and deep-fried mac and cheese croquettes to pair with cocktails like serrano-infused Oaxacan Garden and the peach 9 Portland Hotel Bars Ideal for a Mid-Week Drink Epif offers a vegan twist on South American fare Pepe Arancibia slings small plates like baked empanadas with house ají verde salsa apple bocadillo with tempeh crumbles and jalapeño-Honee and sopaipillas — fried pumpkin bread that’s also drizzled with apple juice-based vegan honey the bar serves infusions of the spirit in flavors like chamomile and cucumber as well as cocktails like the jalapeño pisco sour intimate dining room — accented with repurposed materials and a colorful mural depicting a magical llama — makes for an excellent date night spot on 28th Avenue’s restaurant row The Best Mocktails and Spirit-Free Drinks in Portland Located within the Zipper, Boxcar Pizza is an all-vegan Detroit-style pizzeria serving square pies with a pillowy focaccia-like crust The pies come with toppings like marinated “steak” or Buffalo “chicken” with generous dollops of dairy-free blue cheese The shop offers kale Caesar salads and soy drumsticks prime for pairing with pizza Where to Find Knockout Vegan Pizza in Portland carrying Dirty Lettuce’s cornbread mix and coffee blends The 38 Best Restaurants and Food Carts in Portland Where to Find the Best Soul Food in Portland Portland Bars and Restaurants Slinging Frosty Mississippi’s vegan and gluten-free scoop shop — now with a second location on NW 23rd Ave — Kate’s Ice Cream has accrued a following for its coconut cream-based creations If the flavors don’t evoke childhood nostalgia complete with rosy ombre tiling and a sunshine-yellow door and warm brownie sundaes topped with rainbow sprinkles and vegan marshmallows Pick up pints of seasonal flavors and host birthday parties with ice cream cakes at the shop A Handy Dining Guide to North Mississippi Avenue This Summer’s Top Spots for Dairy-Free Frozen Treats Vanessa Arochi, the owner of Chilango and a biochemical engineer by training, decided to open up Chilango as an homage to the traditions and innovations of her hometown, Mexico City. Chilango focuses on Mexico City street food with offerings like esquites, tacos, and sopes. The menu reimagines the classics: the suadero is made from jackfruit, the chicharon from Ota tofu You can purchase the queso fresco for use at home and it is also incredible in the mini quesadilla salsa sampler — the chewy melty quesadillas beautifully highlight Chilango’s salsas: a green and La Neta (a closely guarded family recipe) Where to Find Tasty Vegan Tacos in Portland This Alberta from the Lightning Bar Collective stays open late for vegan customers looking to order a cocktail with their macros Drop by for ginger-peanut sauce-drizzled broccoli bowls with nooch-breaded tofu or a brunch time French toast with hazelnuts Portland Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants Offering Delivery and Takeout During the COVID-19 Outbreak Those in the know have stocked up on Orange & Blossom’s cardamom carrot cakes and rosemary focaccia at farmers markets long before it landed a spot on Killingsworth The gleaming pastry case is filled with vegan treats like brioche buns swirled with miso butterscotch caramel sourdough chocolate chip cookies with dustings of Jacobsen sea salt and super fudgy buckwheat chocolate truffles Customers can enjoy slices of buttercream-topped pistachio olive oil cake in the patisserie’s gorgeous nook Desserts rotate with the seasons as pastry chef Marisa Kroes sources produce This former pop-up-turned-Killingsworth restaurant is one of Portland’s most compelling vegan restaurants Chefs August Winningham and Ryan Koger’s vegetable-laden small plates menu playfully toys with expectations and flavors On any given day one might find a PBJ cabbage with chile crisp and dekopane marmalade a dish of Three Sisters Nixtamal masa dumplings in sweet corn sauce From the bar find highlights like the Morning Brew an espresso martini riff with coffee rum and passionfruit cachaca or a mezcal old fashioned and non-alcoholic options like virgin mangonadas and cafe de olla at the taqueria As a way of giving back to the vegan and LGBTQ communities who have supported them since their pop-up days Polo Bañuelos and Carlos Reynoso offer a pay-it-forward program and free meals for trans people of color 15 Best Restaurants and Bars Along Killingsworth Street in Portland The word on the street on where to drink and eat in the City of Roses If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy In the rough-and-tumble city of foraged dining, vegan soul food, whole-animal butchery, and bacon-topped maple bars, there are a lot of opinions about what to eat This guide slices through the designer flannel to help tourists find the best Portland food and drink out there which spans more than 25 distinct “pods;” standing in parking lots or seated at outdoor fire pits people dine on Texas smoked brisket and duck-stuffed jianbing Eater publishes and updates a rather massive database of maps — each focusing on classic foods or dining trends, from wood-fired pizzas to deftly prepared sushi For those who want to get to Portland’s culinary heart through its ribcage Portland is broken up into six general “quadrants” (yes, we’re in on the joke) — North and Southeast — but the city is defined by its many small neighborhoods within these six larger regions: Voodoo Doughnut's creations are simultaneously trashy and artwork-quality So if you want to eat a doughnut topped with Oreos named Ol' Dirty Bastard you have better options — without standing in that line The ”Dean of American cookery” was born in Portland, and he attended the one-time Washington High School, now home to the Revolution performance hall and Martha’s Cafe perhaps the most widely acknowledged food awards in the United States bear his name It’s also the foundation of countless Portland restaurants When a group of food carts or trucks form a group and stay in one place pods just consisted of a bunch of carts without a real dining area; now selling food for delivery or single-day pick-up Gabriel Rucker’s free-wheeling French fare has earned him a few James Beard Awards, plus a loyal group of local devotees. It doesn’t take too much planning to make a reservation at Le Pigeon, though reservations tend to book up a few weeks ahead of time Eater Portland is updated multiple times every weekday with breaking news stories (restaurant openings Want to send in a tip or a complaint or just say hello Here are some ways to get in touch with the Eater Portland staff: Additional reporting by Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Janey Wong, and Rebecca Roland 2025 at 6:00 am PDTBetween the Interstate 5–Interstate 84 interchange and the Fremont Bridge there are at least three unfinished freeway off-ramps that just end Was the Oregon Department of Transportation planning for off-ramps they couldn’t ultimately afford or were the engineers just hoping to set Portland up as the scene of an epic Speed-inspired bus jump There are certain questions I get asked over and over again How can the Benson Bubbler water fountains be allowed to run constantly Why are tens of thousands of crows gathering over downtown most of the people who read the original 2011* column have probably died of old age by now and there’s a whole new generation that deserves answers I have just enough new information on this subject to justify revisiting it those ramps were designed to provide access to freeways that were never built the Darth Vader of New York City public works planning to create an urban renewal plan for the city His frankly bonkers scheme would have replaced Northeast and Southeast 20th Avenue and Southeast Division Street (among others) with multilane expressways these plans had been scaled back but still included a buttload of freeways The ramps you describe would have joined up with the proposed Rose City Freeway had they not all been defeated in the Great Portland Freeway Revolt of the 1970s The unelected Moses famously wielded more power in midcentury New York than mayors or governors so there’s a certain irony that the man who finally pulled the plug on the Mt Hood Freeway was another unelected power broker Oregon Highway Commission chairman Glenn Jackson When Jackson finally withdrew his support for the freeway he’s reported to have expressed his loss of faith in the project by saying “I feel like we’re wiping our ass with a hook.” I’ve never been able to figure out what that means but you have to admit it sounds pretty badass *This is not a joke; the previous ramp column was literally 14 years ago Questions? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com Star Wars enthusiasts celebrated May the 4th with a themed bike ride through Northeast Portland Kids dressed as Jedi and wielding lightsabers pedaled their way from Wilshire Park through neighborhood greenways accompanied by the iconic Star Wars soundtrack "And I came out here because it's fun to lead a ride." "I lead the entire bike ride around the route and I make announcements about what you have to do to be on this ride and the safety things," he said Participants enjoyed a picnic after the ride 2025 1 p.m.00:00 / Bicycle commuters stop to grab a cup of coffee and a chat on their way into work as part of Portland's "Breakfast on the Bridges." there is a lot you might encounter on your morning ride — nice things like spring flowers … or not so nice things you’ll also come across fresh-brewed coffee It’s an event called "Breakfast on the Bridges‚" where volunteers set up sort of mobile breakfast parties for bicycle commuters (and pedestrians The Blumenauer Bridge is a car-free crossing over the freeway for pedestrians During April’s event on the Blumenauer Bridge volunteers had set up folding tables on the sidewalk close to the entrance and were making pancakes on a griddle — and doling out other breakfast snacks “We were doing our normal bike ride and suddenly there was a tent full of doughnuts Breakfast on the Bridges offerings vary month to month (and bridge to bridge) including everything from fresh-cooked pancakes to bacon to doughnuts Maren was a kindergartener strapped to his bike; now she’s pedaling her own bicycle many kids stop by on their ride to school — and is one of the organizers for the Blumenauer Bridge breakfast While coffee and breakfast are appreciated It’s a really nice community – meeting new people,” said Jensen Doughnuts!” by those who were already enjoying the offerings “This is my third bridge of the day,” laughed Segal “There was deviled eggs up at the first one "a celebration of biking as transportation as essential to our well-being and everyday lives," according to the League of American Bicyclists Friends greeted each other and strangers asked about each other’s bike lights and panniers “Breakfast on the Bridges is great because people just walk up and talk to you,” said Forsberg “There was this one time when there was this very attractive young woman who came up and just started talking to me … and I’m like I don’t know why she’s doing this.’ But now we’re married,” he said “So Breakfast on the Bridge brought me a happy wife The supplies for Breakfast on the Bridges — everything from tables coffee cups and griddles — are hauled out by cargo bikes and bike trailers Breakfast on the Bridges (aka BONB) is the brainchild of Ayleen Crotty. She came up with it during 2002’s Bike Summer festival volunteer-run event is a celebration of what Crotty calls “bike fun” — a calendar of open rides that anyone can join or “midnight mystery” rides heading to unknown destinations one of the organizers for the Blumenauer Bridge breakfast “A pamphlet or a website isn’t gonna make me ride my bike.” But being in community Crotty hosted a breakfast on Portland’s Broadway Bridge three times that first summer — featuring a pretty simple spread of muffins coffee and cookies — and it was such a hit that she and a crew of volunteers decided to keep it going all year long It’s cool to stop somewhere and have a micro-event on the way to work — you almost feel like you’re getting away with something,” laughed Crotty Volunteer Lance Poehler (blue cap) provides plates of fresh-cooked pancakes for people who want to stop and eat Coffee is of course a must — most bridges go through about five gallons on any given breakfast day In addition to the 5 gallons of French press coffee brewed for the Blumenauer Bridge event on the last Friday of April Andrew Kreps also prepared espresso shots from the beans he roasted individual cyclists will also contribute — dropping off a batch of cookies serving more coffee or hosting special food days like ‘taco Tilikum,’ ” he said On holidays, the hosts will celebrate the occasion — wearing Halloween costumes or St. Lucia’s Day crowns, or crafting Valentines Even if you don’t meet the love of your life Some riders attempt to stop by each of the four participating bridges in a single morning to enjoy the various breakfast options and party-like atmosphere Tags: Culture, National, News (KATU) — The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office River Patrol is in the process of recovering a body from the Willamette River The body will be transported to Cathedral Park where it will be handed over to the medical examiner to determine the identity and cause of death This recovery marks the sixth body found in the rivers surrounding the Portland metropolitan area in the last three weeks a spokesperson for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office stated that the recent number of recoveries falls within the expected range SEEK HELP: Mental Health Resource Guide MCSO recovered three bodies from waterways within our jurisdiction over a 12-day period," said Deputy John Plock "These figures are statistically similar and do not currently indicate an unusual spike." bodies have been recovered from various locations KATU News is currently on the scene of this incident This article will be updated as more details are revealed (KATU) — Portland Police Chief Bob Day joins KATU’s Wright Gazaway on ‘Your Voice Your Vote' for an exclusive interview Portland has been through a lot in the last five years including large-scale protests an increase in gun violence and an explosion of fentanyl While Day has been in the chief’s office for a year and a half He retired as Deputy Chief in 2019 but returned as Chief of Police in 2023 what police are doing to address gun violence the strategy to get drug dealers off the streets and how the bureau is addressing the biggest public safety challenge in the city Watch the interview below or on our YouTube channel. 2025 1 p.m.Airport wildlife manager Nick Atwell is responsible for keeping aviation and wildlife from colliding00:00 / 06:20When you think of airports just past the runways at Portland International Airport you might spot a team keeping watch over an entirely different kind of traffic — the feathered kind Nick Atwell uses binoculars in the bright orange PDX wildlife team truck The binoculars are used for spotting birds during the daytime Senior Natural Resources & Wildlife Manager at Port of Portland He’s part of a team of six biologists who work to keep birds and planes from crossing paths For this installment of “At Work With,” we rode along with him to learn what it‘s like to be an airport wildlife technician There’s so many different moving parts that Atwell struggles to describe the work succinctly The Port of Portland wildlife team patrols the runways in pairs daily from 5 a.m They’re looking for any possible birds of concern and we’re actually utilizing scare tactics to push birds out of the space that we would consider a high risk,” Atwell said “The technicians are out here all day long.. So they’re always patrolling and actually taking action when warranted,” said Atwell From “hazing” birds to trapping and tagging birds of prey to natural resources management along the airport’s floodplain — every part of the job serves the over-arching goal of reducing interactions between aviation and wildlife Their key metric is reducing “bird strike,” a bird hitting a plane the PDX airport had 62 reported bird strikes Atwell said keeping birds away from planes is hard work at the Portland International Airport in particular “It‘s on the confluence of two major river systems and it‘s on the Pacific Flyway the likelihood of you actually coming here is pretty high,” he said The wildlife team has many tools — binoculars A large trap built by the wildlife team at the Portland International Airport will be placed inside the lower area of the trap the top will close on entry Both the raptor and the prey bird are not harmed by the trap The high-powered green lasers are a bird deterrents Atwell says they sort of function as a light saber — “Birds have more green cones than mammalian species so they see that green spectrum more than we would we would only see the laser where it actually starts and where it terminates But they see the whole tube much like a light saber There’s 30 radio-controlled sound cannons that are all strategically placed all throughout the 11,000 foot airfield “They’re compressed propane gas that‘s ignited by a car battery that‘s solar charged,” said Atwell Next to the Portland International Airport runway three members of the wildlife team monitor radio-controlled canons used to haze birds technicians use thermal imaging googles to spot birds in the dark Those are the pairs that are here all the time They’ve demonstrated the ability to navigate the airfield in a safe way,” said Atwell The wildlife team is always in contact with air traffic control at the Portland International Airport Nick Atwell said the most crucial skills for this job are “multitasking and situational awareness You need to be able to hear multiple different radios Atwell said the most crucial skills for this job are “multitasking and situational awareness Atwell cautions that wildlife technicians have to have a tolerance for office work “It‘s such a unique job it‘s hard to know if it‘s for you until you experience it,” he said Nick Atwell holds one of the humane traps built by the wildlife team to capture raptors at the Portland International Airport A small prey bird will be placed inside the trap and a raptor's talons will get caught in the mesh Both the raptor and the prey bird are not harmed by the trap sometimes the wildlife team will use humane traps Their custom-built traps for raptors use small prey (like starlings or mice) as lures — but they aren’t harmed when a raptor is caught “We even treat the prey well,” Atwell said banded and relocated away from the airport to a suitable area the wildlife team will drive them two to three hours away So we’re just trying to keep them kind of in line with their migratory patterns,” he said Atwell said that raptor relocation is his favorite part of the job. Each bird is measured and logged at pdxraptors.com Eager birders look for the special orange Port of Portland wing tags and report sightings That data helps the wildlife team evaluate if the program is working The Port of Portland wildlife team has translocated 1,894 red-tailed hawks since 1999 Bright orange Port of Portland wing tags are seen on a red-tailed hawk in this 2015 provided photo Birders look for the wing tags and report sightings The technicians start the morning shift at 5 a.m “An injured bald eagle on West Hayden Island “That was probably one of the more unique days.” wildlife manager holds a captured red-tailed hawk at the Portland International Airport The PDX Wildlife Raptor Relocation program has translocated 1,894 red-tailed hawks since 1999 The job of keeping wildlife away starts years in advance if you know where to look Even the trees on Northeast Airport Way are selected by the wildlife team to be unattractive to birds that‘s decreasing the ability for birds to perch in,” said Atwell And the fluorescent green grass you see along the runway as you land “That‘s the whole intent of the endophyte fescue variety is that geese do not like to eat it,” he said A storm water runoff pond at the Portland International Airport runway on April 16 One of the wildlife team's proactive wildlife management strategies is to hide storm water runoff ponds with thousands of black balls Their storm water runoff ponds contain thousands of black balls to hide the water from an aerial view So instead of being this giant open water space … it‘s a proactive strategy," Atwell said “It‘s how often are you struck here by aircraft at PDX And then we couple that with the FAA national database how often are those birds causing damage throughout the country And so we come up with our birds of concern.” Nick Atwell shows preserved wings from bird strikes the wildlife team collects DNA and other information in order to make mitigation decisions “I was a natural resources kid,” said Atwell “We do have nests being built in areas that we would consider a higher risk,” said Atwell “We would look to intervene with that prior to them being established...so they would nest offsite somewhere further away.” “As far as birds that aren’t able to fly like adults and maybe their first flights. and we would try to trap them as quickly as possible after their first flights and take them to what we call a flight cage that we have maintained over on Sauvie Island So they learn to fly and hunt there instead of an airfield environment they’re translocated to a suitable site,” he said The wildlife team collects data on all bird strikes and encourages airport employees to report any strikes with signs like these around the Port of Portland The data helps make habitat and aviation design decisions to prevent bird strike in the future “It depends on the success of the breeding season,” Atwell said but usually a max of about six fledglings per year go to the flight cage on Sauvie Island “It‘s very exciting when you pull a large bird of prey out of one of these traps,” Atwell said ”I also am seeing if they have bands on them Nick Atwell stands in front of the collection of wildlife carriers in the Portland International Airport wildlife office on April 16 "They would also have some sort of cover on them And that's just to keep them totally calm until they're translocated." said Nick Atwell Since Atwell started working at the Port of Portland in 1998 Airport Wildlife Technician has become a career with a specific credential from the Federal Aviation Administration In addition to a bachelor’s degree with “advanced botany,” it requires on-the-ground training especially to learn the ins and outs of communicating with Air Traffic Control and understand runway lights and signals “That‘s why I say this role is not just a biologist role it‘s an aviation wildlife biologist role,” Atwell said “Everyone on my team has gone through the Mt Hood Community College natural resources and wildlife program,” said Atwell The Port of Portland takes on one wildlife intern each summer “That is a great way to get your foot in the door and just to see what this work entails,” he said Portland is hosting the national conference for airport wildlife staff and interested students, Bird Strike USA there’s now a staff member doing similar work on preventing bird strike “Often this is contracted out and that person that‘s responsible might have to go to multiple airports throughout the day whereas we have a team that‘s here all day long While avian wildlife is their biggest concern there are a few mammals the wildlife team is concerned with as well “There’s a really robust population of coyotes here and they do impact operations by crossing the runways The wildlife team tries to prevent coyotes by burying the perimeter fence- four feet deep and at a 45-degree angle so that the coyotes won’t be successful in digging Atwell has transported a few kestrels near his home for release “I live in an area that it‘s suitable habitat and it‘s good translocation site,” he said “The streaked horned lark really likes really degraded habitat,” like sandy fields the wildlife team keeps an undeveloped area near the airport “free of vegetation as a goose deterrent,” he said The streaked horned lark is “a federally-listed species and protected underneath the Endangered Species Act,” said Atwell “And their numbers are declining all throughout the metropolitan area,” so Atwell said breaking up the vegetation in vacant lots can help provide an environment for them and deter the higher-risk geese who prefer lush green fields “If we’re doing everything that we should be and maintaining our airfield turf if they’re needed for human life and safety rifles are ”locked up in a safe back in the office," he said Tags: Culture, Airport, Wildlife Management, Science & Environment some Portland restaurant owners have decided they can help by doing what they do best: cooking They’ll be serving a menu of traditional Filipino items like pandesal A post shared by BAON KAINAN | FILIPINO-AMERICAN FOOD CART (@baonkainan) The event is called a meryenda not just because it’s taking place before dinner but also because the word is “a nostalgic piece of our culture that we think resonates personally with a lot of Filipinos everywhere,” Baon Kainan co-owner Geri Leung told Eater in an email “The heart of it is sharing a meal with friends and family and catching up.” “Our personal motivation is to help in the best way we know how which is to dedicate our time and resources to provide food We think it’s our natural response when we see our community hurting,” Leung wrote adding that she and her husband and co-owner Ethan Leung went to college in nearby Bellingham “Vancouver was a place we’d frequent often as they had more Filipino stores and restaurants than our college town We have a personal tie to the city and have friends there.” “Whenever something happens in the community.. the Filipino businesses come together,” he says of Kolectivo Proceeds from the Monday event will go to families of victims of the Lapu Lapu attack, using links to individual crowdfunding campaigns provided by Vancouver’s Filipino Emergency Response it doesn’t matter the distance,” says Lamagna PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — North Portland residents rallied on Columbia Boulevard today for immediate legislative action on House Bill 2749, which would allocate $5 million for the engineering design of a new bridge over the railroad cut on Columbia Boulevard fearing an earthquake or other emergencies would cut the peninsula off and effectively turn the neighborhood into an isolated island Organizers emphasized the critical need for the new bridge are at risk of collapsing in even a minor earthquake the bridges across the railroad cut will fail," stated a rally flyer highlighting the potential isolation of the neighborhood The rally urged the Joint Committee on Transportation and the Ways and Means Committee to hold work sessions and hearings to advance the bill The proposed funding would be directed to the Department of Transportation for distribution to the City of Portland for the bridge design expressed her concerns: "As soon as we get the big earthquake these bridges have been inspected and they're expected to fail And then we're all stuck here in a toxic cloud and no emergency vehicles can get to us." Concerns were raised about the potential consequences of inaction and the risk of being trapped in the event of a toxic cloud from the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub READ ALSO: Seven bodies recovered from Portland waterways since mid-April A 2020 study commissioned by the Multnomah County Office of Sustainability and the City of Portland Bureau of Emergency Management revealed that the CEI Hub built before the current understanding of the region's earthquake risk sits on unstable soil prone to liquefaction and lateral spreading during an earthquake The study estimated that a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake could result in releases from the CEI Hub's tanks ranging from 94.6 million to 193.7 million gallons comparable to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill The average tank at the hub was built in 1954 and potential costs could reach up to $2.6 billion An earthquake would also affect other nearby infrastructure for fuels and materials shared her frustration: "I think it's very frustrating that this is such an obvious ask It's such an obvious request to allow an entire population of the state of the city with so much industry with working class families And we're just requesting a small amount of funding in the state's budget to fund 30% design "We are here to encourage the legislature to move forward House Bill 2749 which is a life and death issue for 20,000 people in the North Peninsula in St John's Cathedral Park and the Rivergate Industrial Area We have four bridges that connect us to the rest of Portland all of whom are over 110 years old They're all going to collapse in even a minor earthquake." The rally highlighted the urgency of the situation Lew Frederick, Oregon senator for District 22 "We're talking about the fact that this is an emergency path if something takes place We have accidents taking place that are not just earthquake we need to make sure that the people from the peninsula can get off." "This is one of the key spaces and it's old and it needs to be repaired and it needs to be upgraded so we can actually get people off of this area if something happens And we have things like earthquakes but we also have fuel tanks on the other side of the river we have cars and trucks and other things that can take place as well so we need to be looking at this as an emergency place." The senator said he has been aware of this issue but his colleagues in the legislature were not and pointed that their awareness and acknowledgment is critical to the cause "We have now started to see that we need to be ready for emergencies and we need to know how to deal with emergencies and make sure that people are safe That's something that's a bit new to our culture and we're starting to really see that now These folks see that they're making voices known Hawaii (KATU) — A Portland woman drowned while on a snorkeling excursion on the Big Island of Hawaii on April 30 62-year-old Lori Trende-Landgraver was visiting the Kailua-Kona side of the island on Wednesday and was on a guided trip to snorkel with manta rays Authorities say Trende-Landgraver had just received the safety briefing and was only in the water for five minutes before she returned to the vessel and complained about feeling soreness in her arms Trende-Landgraver told the boat captain that she wasn’t feeling well and shortly thereafter became unresponsive Crew members tried to revive her with CPR as the boat returned to the harbor and met with awaiting paramedics She was rushed from the harbor to Kona Community Hospital Authorities have asked the coroner to investigate Trende-Landgraver’s exact cause of death READ ALSO: Vancouver apartment fire leaves one dead, displaces 20 residents The Portland Trail Blazers snagged Dalano Banton from the Boston Celtics for the price of a heavily protected second round pick 18 months ago they paid nothing for a still-young athletic wing who was yet to get a real opportunity on the court The 25-year-old has just finished the second year of a two-year entering a free agency where he should improve his fiscal position after a decent showing this season given the two-year length of his expiring deal the rights still allow the Blazers to bring him back even if they are likely to remain above the salary cap But the Blazers are also poised to make serious changes to the roster with multiple veterans on the precipice of contract seasons Today we ask whether the Canadian comes back next season independent of the uncertainty that surrounds the rest of the roster After failing to stick with his hometown Toronto Raptors and then the Celtics Banton landed in Portland where opportunity was laid out before him on a rebuilding team the 6’9 Banton established himself as a tall long and athletic guard/wing with ability on both sides of the ball Banton’s control and movement with the ball in hand were instantly noticeable He has an ability to get to the rim and either kick out or finish using size to gather over guards and the agility and length to sneak in between big men under the rim His three-point shooting can be best described as streaky but he’s far from awful with Banton taking only 30 percent of his shots between three and 23 feet but he’s also not afraid to create for himself — perhaps a result of the lack of shooting on the current roster able to navigate pick and rolls admirably and generally knowing where to be His size does allow him to guard multiple roles but unfortunately that physical prowess still isn’t enough to make him a lock down defender Banton is average in most facets of the game using a combination of guard skills and forward length to serve his team across the gamut of basketball categories Banton has carved out a role as Portland’s third-string point guard who can serve as a microwave scorer off the bench He has been promoted up the rotation when injuries have hampered the Blazers backcourt But I’d be reluctant to play him consistently given his below-average shooting the Canadian averaged 8.3 points on 32.4 percent three-point shooting diming on 21.1 percent of teammate makes and fifth in block rate swatting 1.6 percent of opponent attempts His size has given Chauncey Billups choice playing him as a guard in ultra big lineups or as a frontcourt body when they go small Earlier in the season he was also used as a fourth quarter specialist highlighted by his November 4 performance against the New Orleans Pelicans Banton was called on in the fourth and delivered finishing with a +21 and leading the Blazers to a convincing 118-100 win The exclusive late-game contribution proved not be sustainable but it was an interesting lever the coaching staff pulled to change the trajectory of a game this season proved the Banton belongs in the NBA even if he see the bench more than the court If the Blazers decide to bring Banton back I think he’s done enough to at least register some interest from other teams Banton has the game and body type to help most teams The Blazers hold Banton’s Early Bird Rights which means their maximum offer could be 105% of the 2024-25 average salary So while the Blazers don’t need to use an exception to re-sign him let’s use next season’s projected free agent exception levels to gauge what he could get on the market He’s probably not worth the Non-taxpayer ($14.1 million) Room ($8.8 million) or Taxpayer Mid-Level Exceptions ($5.7 million) But I could definitely see another franchise offering him the Bi-annual amount of $5.1 million I’d advise them not to offer more than $5 million you give him three years in order to secure those full Bird rights perhaps with a team option or a non-guarantee on the final season $15 million deal seems reasonable for a 10th or 11th guy who can actively help a team to two-or-three wins a season he’s about to embark on his third NBA contact just four years after being selected with the 46th pick out of Nebraska in 2021 While he’s been able to carve out a role with the Blazers it’d be a stretch to suggest that he’s the type of player worthy of a deal that pays him more than $6 million a year Regardless of what General Manager Joe Cronin decides to do I think there’s an argument to suggest he should re-sign Banton as an end-of-the-bench facilitator A break-glass-if-necessary option who can be called upon to create a little offense We have no idea what the front office has planned over the next three months but if Banton is back on the roster at an acceptable number