These are Portland's best neighborhood bars

Oregon’s Messy Experiment in Decriminalizing Drugs

Esquire takes a look at Oregon’s drug decriminalization effort: “I like the analogy of, you’re cleaning your room,” the article quotes one person as saying. “You could kick everything under the bed, hide shit, and make it look clean for the photo shoot. Or you could really clean the fuckin’ room, and halfway through it looks way dirtier than when it started. I think that’s where we’re at.”

Or you can read the New York Times if you prefer a heart-rending profile of one family’s trauma and tragedy — even if it is light on the context that fentanyl is a problem everywhere in the U.S. [Esquire 🔒, New York Times 🔒, Twitter]

Intel Gets $90M

Intel plans to expand its manufacturing operations in Oregon after receiving $90 million from Gov. Tina Kotek. That’s significant because Intel is the state’s largest private employer and expanded operations elsewhere last year. The funds will come from more than $500 million approved this year by the state Legislature for the semiconductor industry. [Oregonian 🔒]

Food Cart’s Country Brick-and-Mortar

The tasty food cart Chicken and Guns has opted to open a restaurant, not in town but in Gales Creek, near the Tillamook State Forest. They’ve added burgers and veggie sides, not to mention brunch. Road trip for chicken anyone? [Willamette Week]

Fixing Portland’s Emergency Response

Mike Myers, the transition director of the Community Safety Division, talks about what's working with Portland’s ability to respond to 911 calls and get people help, what’s not, and what the future of emergency response in Portland looks like. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Last week we ran a gripe from the youth climate activist Adah Crandall about TriMet’s failing to properly alert riders on when the next bus is arriving.

🚌 Some readers had a different take:

“As a relatively recent Phoenix transplant, I find TriMet to be extraordinary for a (North American) city of Portland’s size — particularly the bus system. However, it and 99% of our transit agencies need to improve vastly and quickly to mitigate the effects of climate change. For mapping I find Transit (transitapp.com) to be the best solution, especially for trips with connections. It uses a combination of TriMet data/timetables and real-time user data, so it can typically tell you if a line is running on time or not.” — Alec Lomas

🚍 Another had a different gripe:

“TriMet has gone downhill considerably. People are losing jobs because the MAX and the buses are completely unreliable. The Better Red project is causing major disruptions. Right now one has to take a shuttle between Gateway and the airport. At first, it was great because they were coming on time. Although there are only five stops between the airport and Gateway, they've started being late again. I believe the drivers figure they're untouchable because of the shortage.” — Kandi Larson

📽️ Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology | Thursday - Sunday | Various

The festival features 110 films from a gamut of genres. Join for the weekend or stop in for individual screenings or a keynote talk from animator Bill Plympton. [Central Eastside, $25+]

👟 Sneaker Week PDX | Thursday - Wednesday | Various

Sneakerheads convene to make connections and learn about the art, technology, and science of their shoes. [$17.85+, Various]

🇨🇳 Chinese Festival | Saturday | 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Celebrate with arts and crafts, dance performances, food, and more. [Free, Downtown]

How to Cool Down on a Sweltering Portland Day

The Portland area has already had another hot, dry summer, and we still have a month to go. Today, on City Cast Portland, Eden Dawn, author of “The Portland Book of Dates” and co-host of the “We Can’t Print This” podcast, shares some indoor and outdoor ways to escape the summer heat.