An alarming spike in Portland’s overdose deaths

Portland MLB Stadium?

Could the Lloyd Center mall become a Major League Baseball stadium? The Portland Diamond Project, which is seeking to recruit a team to the city, has stumbled multiple times at acquiring real estate for a stadium, but sources tell the Oregonian the group is now in serious negotiations with the mall owners. [Oregonian]

• Related: Lloyd Center has seen new life in the midst of its financial woes. Local vendors have opened smaller, more eclectic pop-up shops, from homemade clothing stores to record shops and communal gaming spaces. Here’s an audio tour of what’s there now. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

New Sobering Center

The city is turning to Legacy Health to provide sobering services after the city’s only sobering center closed four years ago. City Council is expected to approve $335,000 to upgrade a room in Legacy’s psychiatric hospital, where there will be help appropriate for someone coming down from methamphetamine. Advocates say there’s a need for a lot more capacity. The nonprofit Central City Concern turned away 2,000 people from one of its sobering centers last year. [Willamette Week]

Spike in Overdose Deaths

There have been 85 drug overdose deaths in Portland so far this year, a 46% increase over the same period last year. That’s according to Portland Police Bureau data, which also show overdose deaths outnumber homicides by 3-to-1. [KOIN]

• Related: Among the laws blocked in the Republican senators' walkout is an effort to legalize fentanyl testing strips. Dean Shold, the co-founder of the nonprofit FentCheck, talks about how distributing them widely that could save lives. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Last week, we featured the near-unanimous social media thumbs-down that John Mellencamp’s new song, “The Eyes of Portland,” had received in town. The local press have also now panned the ballad.

“Nuance doesn’t make it into Mellencamp’s new ‘song,’” explains the Oregonian. “And I am using quotes here because this song has a very ‘I put a prompt into ChatGPT and this is what came out’ vibe.”

Portland Monthly notes the music video was, curiously, shot elsewhere and that its lyrics aren’t great. “‘Your tears and prayers won’t help the homeless,’” Mellencamp sings, to which Portland Monthly says, “Neither will geographically inaccurate music videos."

I asked readers for their favorite Portland songs last week. And we got a few suggestions:

• Scott Schiefelbein nominated "Portland Bound," by Fruition.
• Amy Schuff wrote, “Loretta Lynn and Jack White: ‘Portland Oregon.’ Duh.”
• City Cast Portland lead producer John Notarianni votes for “Doom Town,” by the Wipers, and "Portland," by Drake — "even though that song has nothing to do with our city, I saw Drake do a surprise performance of it with Travis Scott at Veterans Memorial Coliseum a few years ago."

Vanport Day Proclamation | Wednesday | 10:15 - 10:30 a.m.

City Council is proclaiming May 30 Vanport Day of Remembrance on the 75th anniversary of the Vanport Flood. [Free, Downtown]

SH/FT: A Celebration of Fashion Design | Thursday | 6 - 9:30 p.m.

Drag performers will strut down the runway wearing the clothes of young designers at an event to support Arts for Learning NW. [$20+, Kenton]

Mighty Poplar | Thursday | 8 p.m.

Hear some of the country’s best bluegrass musicians playing together. [$25, Brooklyn]

Where to Take Your Portland Visitors

Now that it’s finally stopped raining, it seems like everyone wants to visit us! Today, we’re talking about where you should take your first-time Portland visitors. Host Claudia Meza is joined by lead producer John Notarianni and audio producer Giulia Fiaoni to share the best places to take friends and family to give them that Portland experience.