Bye bye Burnside Bridge

Back 2 School

Students were back in class yesterday after the Portland Association of Teachers reached a tentative deal with the district over the weekend. Both the teachers and the PPS board still need to ratify the deal, which is expected to happen today. Students and teachers are looking ahead to a number of make-up days — including half of the upcoming holiday break — but many people were voicing relief yesterday: “I think it took longer than it needed to get done but I’m really glad it’s here,” one parent told KOIN. [KOIN]

Burnside Bridge Is Closing Down, Closing Down, Closing Down

Get ready for your commute across the Willamette to become a lot more frustrating: The Burnside Bridge is set to close for five years, likely beginning in 2027, for a seismic rebuild. The nearly 100-year-old bridge has long been at risk of collapsing during a major earthquake, which the planned $895 million rebuild hopes to avoid. Fingers crossed the new bridge will reopen by 2031. [OPB]

Mt. Tabor’s Reservoir Getting Refilled

Water is finally coming back to Mt. Tabor Park’s iconic Reservoir 6, the giant pool facing SE 60th Ave. It’s sat empty since 2021 when the city became concerned about “voids” underneath the reservoir where the earth supporting its concrete bottom had been washed away. The park’s reservoirs provided drinking water for more than 100 years until they were disconnected from the public water system in 2015. The city expects to spend $4 million on the repairs. [Willamette Week]

• Related: Getting to the Bottom of Oregon’s Sinkhole Problem [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Two weeks ago, we ran the photo of this “Alice in Wonderland” inspired-mural, which lives on the side of Books with Pictures at SE 14th Ave and Division in Ladd’s Addition. We recently featured the shop’s owner on the City Cast Portland podcast, with her recommendations for fall comic book reading. The store recently won the title of best comic book store in the world; a well-deserved honor according to reader Steph Routh, who wrote in saying ”they are swoon-worthy!”

Congratulations to Stephen and everyone else who correctly identified the photo, including Nicole Chaplin, Brian Finlayson, and Mark McClure.

This week, we’ve got a notable feature from a dearly departed Portland bar, but in a new home. Bonus points if you can name both!

⛄ Sleigh Love | Ongoing through Jan. 1 | Various Times

Beginning this evening, tropical-inspired cocktail bar Hey Love goes into full-on tacky holiday mode, with drinks and other treats inspired by the season, like their “A Festivus for the Rest of Us” hot buttered rum and “Noggy By Nature” slushie. [Free Admission, Buckman]

📚 Thomas A. Dodson | Tuesday | 7 p.m.

The short stories author’s new collection “No Use Pretending,” was awarded the Iowa Short Fiction Prize. Its stories, ranging from realistic to fabulous, focus on everything from fracking to drone warfare. [Free, Pearl]

🎄 The Benson’s Gingerbread Masterpiece Unveiling | Wednesday | 5:30 p.m.

The hotel will unveil its annual holiday masterpiece, created by Chef David Diffendorfer from over 150 pounds of gingerbread, along with live holiday music, wreath wreath-making workshop, children’s crafts, sweet treats, beverages, and more. [Free, Downtown]

Drunk History with Portland’s Bar Historians

On today’s episode, we’re revisiting a conversation we had with the “History by the Glass" podcast hosts Nathan P. Gale and Alfredo Moreno. They’ve been drinking their way through Portland’s historic taverns and are sharing some unexpected history from a few of their favorite watering holes.