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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Portland in Oregon may see record temperatures topping 90 degrees over next 3 days
Portland, Oregon, in the United States, is expected to experience soaring heat with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit over the next three days. Saturday will reach around 89 degrees Fahrenheit, while Sunday and Monday will be hotter, with highs climbing to 96 degrees Fahrenheit on both days. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Sunday and Monday, warning of temperatures between 92°F and 96°F across parts of the Pacific Northwest. The advisory covers the Willamette Valley, Southwest Washington Lowlands, Columbia River Gorge, and Upper Hood River Valley. A Moderate Heat Risk has been flagged, meaning this level of heat could affect most individuals sensitive to high temperatures. The NWS urges residents to take preparedness actions such as staying hydrated, avoiding leaving animals in vehicles, taking frequent breaks from the heat, and checking on vulnerable individuals. Swimmers are advised to be aware of cold water shock and wear life jackets in local rivers and lakes. KGW, a local television station, quoted meteorologist McGinness as saying that Portland's average first 90-degree day falls on June 18, based on records since 1941. The city typically experiences two days of 90-degree heat each June. In June 2024, Portland had two such days, while in 2015 and 2021, the city recorded nine 90-degree days. Since 1941, there have been 36 Junes without any days reaching 90 degrees.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek supports using $1B ‘kicker' tax returns for wildfire costs
Gov. Tina Kotek has thrown her support for using Oregon's 'kicker' tax refund to infuse $1 billion into fighting wildfires. Lawmakers have struggled for years to come up with a new stream of revenue to pay for fighting the growing number of wildfires that burn each summer. In 2024, the Oregon Legislature held a special session to approve $218 million to cover unpaid wildfire bills from the record-breaking season. At a news conference May 19, Kotek opened the possibility of withholding a large part of next year's $1.65 billion 'kicker' to help cover wildfire costs in future years. 'I do think this conversation — on a one-time basis — of supporting rural Oregon by potentially using a portion of the kicker tax break would be a beneficial approach," she said. "I think that's the right conversation to be having, and I would urge legislators to continue with that.' Kotek later clarified, through a spokesperson, she only supported holding back the piece of the kicker that would go to 'high income earners.' The kicker is a quirky part of Oregon tax law. It is triggered when income taxes in a two-year budget cycle come in at least 2% higher than lawmakers projected when setting the budget. In those cases, the extra money is given back to taxpayers. Lawmakers have generally been loath to use it for anything other than sending it to taxpayers, but in the absence of other options, it appears to have started gaining support in the Oregon Legislature. Kotek's statement was a de-facto endorsement of a bill — Senate Bill 1177 — authored by state Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, that would use 'surplus revenues (the kicker) for wildfire funding.' Golden told KGW how the bill would work. "My number one priority is passing a bill to redirect the income tax kicker one time — it only happens once — into a permanent wildfire trust fund, where you never spend the principal. You only spend the interest earnings," Golden said. "Using rough estimates and figures that would provide us every biennium ... about $165 million, which is about half of what we need for wildfire. "If we do it this one time that will keep generating that fund, we'll keep generating that interest 'til long after I'm gone." Oregon Republicans, however, balked at the idea. "Republicans do not support taking the kicker for this purpose," House Republican Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, said in a statement. "Oregonians are struggling under the weight of the cost of living in this state. And the kicker absolutely supports them, absolutely helps them. And there are a lot of ways to fund wildfires in Oregon." To use the kicker for wildfire costs, lawmakers would need a two-thirds majority vote. Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 18 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@ or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors and BlueSky at This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon kicker tax return could cover wildfire costs under bill
Business Journals
28-04-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Mercy Corps to sell downtown Portland headquarters
International relief nonprofit Mercy Corps has put its Old Town Portland headquarters for sale for $17.6 million as it faces drastic federal funding cuts and a dispersed workforce. International relief nonprofit Mercy Corps has put its Old Town Portland headquarters up for sale for $17.6 million as it faces federal funding cuts and a dispersed workforce. Mercy Corps renovated the property at 45 S.W. Ankeny St. in 2009 for $37 million, according to Business Journal media partner KGW-TV. The organization, Oregon's 11th-largest nonprofit, provides international food, medical and other humanitarian assistance in more than 40 countries around the world and had revenue of $522 million, according to recent tax filings. But funding for its programs has been targeted by the federal Department of Government Efficiency program led by billionaire Elon Musk. Mercy Corps said it received notice termination notices for 40 of its 62 federally funded programs, KGW reported. The nonprofit also said that a shift toward remote work and more dispersed workforce left the headquarters only 12% occupied, according to KGW. "Mercy Corps' U.S.-based team members are now more distributed across the U.S. than they were five years ago," Mercy Corps said in a statement. "Prior to the pandemic, Mercy Corps primarily hired U.S. team members in its Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C., offices. During and since the pandemic, the organization has hired more remote staff across the U.S." The organization still plans to maintain a presence in Portland, according to KGW. The Old Town headquarters property is listed by Commercial Real Estate NW. It is 83,000 square feet and consists of the 1892 Parker-Scott building and 40,000-square-foot modern addition. Mercy Corps is also Portland's largest public benefit nonprofit, reporting more than twice the revenue of the next largest, Goodwill Industries. It reported $283 million in assets and 642 employees, according to Business Journal research. The List: Metro-area public benefit nonprofits Most current revenue in last 3 years Rank Prior Rank Name / URL 1 1 Mercy Corps 2 2 Medical Teams International 3 3 Energy Trust of Oregon View this list
