Latest news with #Portlander
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Heat wave, road closures, MAX delays: Portland weekend could be a mess
PORTLAND, Ore. () — A is set to bake the Portland metro area this weekend just as drivers and transit riders face a minefield of closures, delays and detours. Highs are expected to by Sunday, potentially tying a 70-year-old record. But it's not just the sun that could bring the burn. City to pay $7.5M to 'displaced' Black Portlanders Highway 217 southbound will be fully closed from Canyon Road to OR-99W starting Friday night through early Monday as part of a recurring summer construction project. At the same time, westbound I-84 will shut down between I-205 and I-5 from midnight Saturday until 4 p.m. Sunday. Crews will be doing maintenance and graffiti cleanup, forcing TriMet to pause MAX service in the area. Shuttle buses will fill the gaps. Expect another shutdown at Northeast 82nd Avenue, where TriMet crews are building a temporary MAX platform as part of a station overhaul set to last through the end of the year. 'A lot of safety improvements are going to be part of the refurbishment of the station,' said TriMet spokesperson Tyler Graf. 'Just to give it a fresher look to give our riders a better experience.' On Saturday morning, Southwest Naito Parkway and surrounding downtown streets will close for the Grand Floral Parade. Some neighbors are taking it in stride. 'I might go for a hike on Saturday and go to church on Sunday like normal,' said Portlander Bill Sweeney. Victims in Battle Ground double homicide identified Others, like visitor Zane McGee, are playing it safe. 'Staying inside, really,' McGee said. 'Especially being a redhead. I have to make sure to wear sunscreen when I go out.' And for drivers? The forecast isn't just hot—it's potentially heated. 'When it gets too hot, people get angry, disoriented… it's chaos,' said Sandra Kitanga. 'You've got to have patience.' Despite the heat, Multnomah County does not plan to open emergency cooling centers since temperatures aren't forecasted to reach the established threshold. Officials recommend visiting libraries, malls, or other public indoor spaces. Residents can call 2-1-1 for help finding a place to cool off. Kitanga's advice for the weekend? 'It's never that serious. You're gonna have more hot days this summer.' Grocer accused of deceptive prices in Oregon stores The Oregon Health Authority has about preventing heat-related illnesses, including staying hydrated, visiting air-conditioned places and using cool compresses and misting and taking cool showers or baths. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Merkley leads bill protecting LGBTQ from ‘hateful' Trump policies
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – In an effort to protect the LGBTQ+ community from 'hateful' policies under the Trump administration, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) is leading a bill, that he says, will counter anti-LGBTQ+ executive orders. The No Place for LGBTQ+ Hate Act, which Merkley introduced alongside Congresswoman Becca Balint (D-VT), would ensure that executive orders targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and other Americans have no effect while also ensuring no federal funds are used to carry out those orders. The lawmakers said the bill takes aim at several executive orders issued by President Donald Trump, including an order signed on Trump's first day back in office that calls for the federal government to define sex as male or female — and for those sexes to be reflected on official documents such as passports. Class action lawsuit accuses Grocery Outlet of deceptive pricing in Oregon stores As reported by , the order rejects the idea that someone could transition to another gender or could identify as something other than male or female. The executive order states 'Across the country, ideologues who deny the biological reality of sex have increasingly used legal and other socially coercive means to permit men to self-identify as women and gain access to intimate single-sex spaces and activities designed for women, from women's domestic abuse shelters to women's workplace showers.' However, reports that the order is at odds with statements from transgender Americans who say they try to use those spaces to align with their identity and not to ''gain access to intimate single-sex spaces and activities designed for women.'' British man posed as billionaire, tricked Portlander in $1.9 million online romance scheme Merkley and Balint said their bill also takes aim at an executive order to reinstate a ban on transgender people entering the military, an order to prevent transgender youth from receiving along with an order banning transgender students from participating in school sports. 'Freedom is the right to safely live as your authentic self without fear of harassment, discrimination, or violence,' Sen. Merkley said in a press release announcing the bill. 'President Trump and Republicans are attacking our LGBTQ+ neighbors, friends, and family members by rubberstamping discrimination in every aspect of daily life. As we mark Pride Month this year, we say 'hell no' to this hate and honor those who have fought for LGBTQ+ equality by never giving up on the vision of America as a land of freedom for all.' 'Trump cannot take away our rights or our health care just with the stroke of a pen. I'm standing with Senator Merkley and my colleagues to show the Trump administration that their hate and dehumanizing rhetoric targeting queer Americans doesn't intimidate us. We won't back down when it comes to protecting our rights. No matter how much they try to erase us and our history, LGBTQI+ people are valued members of every community across this country,' Rep. Balint added. The bill is co-sponsored by several lawmakers including Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) along with Representatives Maxine Dexter (D-OR-03), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD-06). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon lawmaker proposes penalties for businesses that don't accept cash
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An Oregon lawmaker says some businesses are breaking the rules and turning away cash, shutting out customers who depend on it. Now, a new bill is turning up the heat, with a bold reminder — cash isn't just convenient, it's the law. If it clears, a statewide education campaign could launch later this year. State Senator James Manning (District 7) says he tried to pay for a drink with cash, only to be told the hotel doesn't accept it — Manning helped pass a law in 2022 forcing Oregon businesses to accept cash. 'It does no good to write a bill or a law and there is no accountability portion on there,' he said. Three years later, Manning is back with Senate Bill 1176, pushing the state's labor bureau to teach businesses to accept cash, unless it's online or a big purchase over $100. 'It's not a point of trying to punish anybody. It's the fact that this is America and U.S. currency and cash is still king,' Manning said. The bill also calls for investigating complaints with possible penalties. Contactless payments took off during the pandemic, and some businesses stuck with it to cut costs, reduce theft, and simplify transactions. Manning argues that not everyone has a bank account or credit card. He says about 1 in 25 U.S. households don't use banks, and for many lower-income families, cash is essential. 'We have cash as our currency for a reason, we should be able to use it,' said Portlander resident Matthew Hochhaus. 'it's just nice to have a few bucks on hand if I need it…It could be exclusionary potentially if they have coins that they saved up cash they found around and they're not able to spend that.' There's no federal rule forcing businesses to take cash, unless a state law says so, like Oregon's. The new bill passed the Senate and is now under House review. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wilson: ‘Mission the same' despite higher homeless count
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — When Keith Wilson took over as Portland's mayor at the first of the year, his goal was to have available beds for all who are homeless late in 2025. On Tuesday, Wilson said they are still on track to provide beds and services that are badly needed there are more homeless on the streets than previously thought. 'When we went into this, the expectation was that we have 5000 people or thereabouts living on the streets of Portland,' the mayor said. 'Now, the new information we have is it's nearly 7000.' The City of Portland is adjusting their game plan to address homelessness in the region after population by tracking each person by name and providing real-time shelter availability. AMR just short of Multnomah County's compliance standards after new ambulance model City Councilor Dan Ryan said officials are adjusting their plan because 'we finally have real information.' Wilson said. 'Our focus is to have a bed available for every Portlander by December 1. However, we have to adjust to the numbers, which we will. And our team has already started talking about that.' The mayor's plan breaks down goals of beds to have available by December 1, including city, county and private, on a budget of $28 million. Despite the new numbers, there are no plans to increase funding through the budget, he said. Diver creates GoFundMe to recover presumed Martin Family car from Cascade Locks 'We've had to adjust some of our day centers from four-walled to, perhaps, outside day centers. But they offer the same services through the same hours. Create resources for those in need,' said Wilson. The mayor said they'll announce 2 to 3 new shelters in July, when the money becomes available. And they were notified this week of a private shelter opening that will provide 90 beds. Ryan said providing services with shelters is key to bring down the number of unhoused in the region. 'If we're not moving people into behavioral health, mental health services, if we're not getting people quickly right into the workforce, we're going to see this continue to escalate,' Ryan said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City Councilor: PBOT budget presentation ‘most depressing'
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Olivia Clark has only been on the Portland City Council for four months. But she described Monday's presentation on the budget woes facing the Portland Bureau of Transportation 'the most depressing presentation' she's seen to date. 'If anybody thinks that we're going to be able to address the potholes that are all over town, we're in deep trouble,' said Clark. The City of Portland is facing a $93 million budget deficit. To fill the gap, City Administrator Michael Jordan is proposing to slash roughly $38 million from PBOT. 'Literally every Portlander will be hurt by this,' said Millicent Williams the Director of PBOT of the cuts that would affect road work, lights and jobs. Port of Portland votes to revoke DEI policies to comply with Trump executive order Deputy Director of Finance and Administration Jeramy Patton said the reductions are 'going to seem quite dire, and they are because we're cutting almost half of a lot of those programs or full programs in some cases, as we move forward.' Pothole work is just one of several projects at risk of going away due to the budget constraints. Others include repairs to streets and traffic lights in areas that are not in a high traffic corridor. 'They would go to four-way stops,' said Williams. 'So imagine turning the clock back 30, 40, 50 years on moving around the city safely and efficiently.' It would also mean getting rid of street sweeping and leaf days entirely. 'That's a huge challenge. That affects everything. And it affects, not just as a condition, but, you know, things get into the waterway, and you'll see flooding in the streets. It's really quite the impact,' Williams said. Cutting those programs means an estimated 150 people will lose their jobs. 'If we end up laying staff off, that could impact other bureaus as well because of opportunities for people to bump into other positions,' she said. These recommendations will go to the mayor, the city administrator and the city council for review. Mayor Keith Willson will release his budget proposal on May 5. 'Portlanders have actively shared their priorities for our city's budget by attending listening sessions, calling, and writing to my office about the programs that matter most to them and their families. My budget proposal will carefully reflect this input to ensure we're funding services that align with community needs,' Mayor Willson said in a statement. Clark said the council will 'wait and see' what Wilson proposes. 'And then we, as a council, will have an opportunity to provide feedback and potentially amendments to that budget.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
