City Cast Portland
Where Portland police are deploying drones
October 13, 2023
Hello, Friday! It’s still looking cloudy for eclipse-watching in Portland ☁️ But maybe Crater Lake will have a view of the “ring of fire” tomorrow 🌒
What's CITY Talking About?
Portland Teachers Close In on a Strike
The Portland school district and teachers union don’t seem to any closer to a deal on the teachers contract after they met after a month of cooling off: "The district needs to come to the table with real solutions, not just noes," Portland Association of Teachers president Angela Bonilla said. “Not much has changed.” The teachers vote next week on whether to walk out as soon as Oct. 29. [KGW]
Why the Ritz Food Hall Needed $3M
The Ritz-Carlton’s highly anticipated food hall won’t open till spring, even as the hotel is expected to open this month. To help finish the project, Portland City Council unanimously approved a $3 million loan for the food-hall's operator, Leeroy & Kimble LLC. They say the total cost to ready the space will be $8.8 million (or more than $1,000 per square foot) — an astronomical sum for Portland real estate. [Oregonian 🔒]
- Related: Is Portland ready for the Ritz? [City Cast Portland 🎧]
Police Drones in Action
The Portland Police Bureau has begun using drones. So far there’s just data: There have been 22 calls when police have deployed them, 10 of which were east of I-205 and seven of the calls were for “exigent” circumstances. Willamette Week has asked for the drone flight reports, but so far the police are not providing that information. [Willamette Week]
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What To Do
🛹 Friday the 13th Tactics Party | Friday | Various
Start the festivities with open skate at The Courts, followed by a launch party for a new skate deck from skateboard manufacturer Tactics and Dead Guy Bar. Prepare to enter the costume contest too. [Free, Various]
- Related: The most inclusive skate parks in Portland. [City Cast Portland]
🌒 Dark Days Festival | Friday - Saturday | Various
Mark the annular solar eclipse with a sustainable, off-the-grid music festival. [$28.63+, Yachats, Ore.]
🍃 Sitka Art Invitational | Friday - Sunday | 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
An annual art exhibition and sale of work by more than 100 nature-inspired local artists supports the nonprofit Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. [$7-10 suggested donation, Kenton]
🎨 Portland Open Studios | Saturday - Sunday & Oct. 21 - 22 | 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
This weekend and next, artists from all over the city are opening up their workspaces to the public. There are 100 artists participating, including Brett Stern, who'll exhibit his tile art. [Free, Various]
🥟 “Rintaro” (The Cookbook) | Saturday | 3 p.m.
The chef and owner of the San Francisco restaurant by the same name shares his secrets for cooking udon, pork gyoza, and more at home. [Free, Pearl]
📜 Conversation and Community Connections: Celebrating Equity | Saturday | 3 p.m.
Indian classical dancer and choreographer Jayanthi Raman, Black American poet Emmett Wheatfall, and Oregon Poet Laureate Paulann Petersen discuss “the equity practiced among artists of varied socio-economic status and cultural backgrounds.” [Free, Downtown]
🎭 Women and Art in the 20th Century Lecture | Sunday | 2 p.m.
This installment of the lecture series, entitled “Defending the Last Egg," will focus on Surrealist artist and writer Leonora Carrington. [Free, Pearl]
🍦 90 Day Sundaé | Sunday | 7 p.m.
Eat vegan soft serve and paletas (ice pops) while watching the new season of the reality TV show “90 Day Fiancé.” The screenings will continue each Sunday. [Free entry, Hosford-Abernethy]
👻 Oaks Park ScareGrounds PDX | Ongoing | Various
Looking for a scare? Walk through the haunted attractions at the amusement park. [$30.43+, Sellwood]
Today on City Cast
Sinking Hopes for River Ferry, Police Drones, and Alaska Airlines Drops Timbers
It’s the round-up of the week’s news, including police drones in the sky, the proposed Willamette River ferry hitting a snag, and one of the city’s biggest sports team’s breakup with an airline. City Cast Portland lead producer John Notarianni and host Claudia Meza talk with Willamette Week “Dr. Know” columnist Marty Smith
- Related: Would a public ferry system ease Portland's traffic woes? [City Cast Portland 🎧]
I will say this about the Portland Timbers. It's painfully obvious that they were branded during those six months when lumbersexual was a thing.
I hope the clouds clear, and we all get to see the eclipse. But either way, I hope you have a lovely weekend.
— Rachel Monahan
Edited by John Notarianni
Free · Daily