📉 Good news: unemployment is down

🚨 Ambulances Unavailable 1 Out of Every 10 Times

No ambulances were available in Multnomah County 10% of the time that dispatchers requested them. If that isn’t cause for alarm, I don’t know what is. [Willamette Week]

🎣 False Shoplifting Accusation

An avid fisherman has spent nearly $500 at the North Portland bait and tackle store Fisherman’s Marine in the last two years. But that didn’t stop a security guard from falsely accusing him of shoplifting and even pulling a weapon on him, a lawsuit alleges. Whether it was a handgun or a taser is a matter of dispute. Nguyen Cao, 35, a real estate agent who grew up in Vietnam, alleges racial discrimination and is seeking  $250,000 in damages. [Oregonian]

📉 Lowest Unemployment Rate in a Year

After a slight bump this winter, Oregon’s unemployment rate fell to its lowest rate in a year last month. The May jobless rate was 3.7% — that’s the first time it’s been under 4% since last July. [Oregonian]

🚗 Hawthorne Bridge Slowdown

If you're a regular Hawthorne Bridge user, get ready for a slower commute: The bridge’s electronics aren’t working and traffic jams are likely until it gets fixed, hopefully within the next two weeks. [Oregonian]

• Related: What is it like to watch a traffic jam from a bridge operator’s perspective?

From Soapbox Derbies to Canine Fashion Shows, Portland’s Best Summer Events

Today we’re kicking it off a series of podcast summer guides with Portland events guru Michele Venlee, who is also an actor. She’s helping us comb through all the upcoming summer festivals to figure out which are worth the crowd.

📚 Rose City Book & Paper Fair | Friday - Saturday | Various

It’s an event for lovers of the written word. Find “underground zines, quirky vintage photo albums, antiquarian tomes, or signed first editions of today’s hottest authors.” [$5, Lloyd District]

🦒 Zoo Nights: Grupo Masato | Friday | 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Music, food carts, and don’t forget the exotic animals. [$24, Washington Park]

🍺 Portland Beer Week | Friday - June 25 | Various

I don’t know how to break it to beer festival organizers: A week is 7 days, even though you have 11 to drink beer, eat, and learn about brewers’ techniques at this summer festival. [Various]