City Cast Portland
Why Portland won't get a WNBA team 🏀
November 2, 2023
Good morning, Portland! I’m watching the teachers strike with interest. How did it get to this point? How’s it possibly going to resolve?
What's CITY Talking About?
The Meaning of the $200M in the Teachers Contract
Curiously, there were no bargaining sessions scheduled yesterday to resolve the differences between Portland Public Schools and the Portland Association of Teachers, meaning a strike is sure to continue through a second day. Also, the $200 million that the teachers are demanding for raises and other improvements would require the district to cut "the equivalent of 288 teachers from somewhere in the budget," the Oregonian reports. [Oregonian]
No WNBA for PDX
The WNBA came close to awarding Portland a new team, but despite being deep into the process, the league has backed off. The problem was a scheduled Moda Center renovation for consecutive summers. The decision was confirmed in a letter to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who has been cheerleading the effort. [Oregonian]
City Actually Removes a New Bike Lane
The news site Bike Portland has identified a bike lane that the city plans to remove. A similar plan to remove a protected bike lane on Southwest Broadway was canceled and caused a scandal at the Portland Bureau of Transportation and for City Commissioner Mingus Mapps, who oversees the bureau. [Bike Portland]
- Related: Biking 101: How to stay safe in Portland. [City Cast Portland 🎧]
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What To Do
📖 Viet Thanh Nguyen | Saturday | 10 -11 a.m.
As a special add-on Portland Book Festival event, the Pulitzer-prize-winning novelist will be discussing his work, including "A Man of Two Faces," a new memoir of being a refugee in America after the Vietnam War. [Portland Book Festival pass + $5, Downtown]
💰 Michael Lewis | Saturday | Noon - 1 p.m.
As another special add-on Portland Book Festival event, the best-selling author is talking about his latest book, "Going Infinite," which profiles the rise and fall of one-time crypto billionaire (and current federal defendant) Sam Bankman-Fried. [Portland Book Festival pass + $5, Downtown]
🐘 Oregon Zoo Half Price | Saturday - Nov. 10 | 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The zoo pun-meisters are calling it "Paws and Relax" — a chance to get into the zoo at half the usual cost. [$12, Washington Park]
Today on City Cast
Why Hiking in the Rain Is Actually Kind of Awesome
Hiking during the rainy season can be a tough sell because let’s be real: No one likes getting soaked outdoors. But going for a hike in the rain comes with some perks you won’t get at any other time of year. Norther Emily of Wild Solitude Guiding has tips for how to stay dry(er) and some picks for where you should visit when the rain falls.
If you get into a situation where you, I don’t know, fall into a creek (which has happened to me), it’s time to jog.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
— Rachel Monahan
Edited by John Notarianni and copy edited by Giulia Fiaoni
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