Did Target lie about Portland store closures?

Nightclub Danger

After a 2013 fire at a nightclub in Brazil killed 240 people, Portland passed rules to prevent such a disaster. But this year a popular club, The North Warehouse, has apparently been violating those safety precautions. (For one, venues that admit more than 300 occupants have to install sprinklers.) The city has now shut down the club after a local reporter began asking questions. [Willamette Week]

Portland House Is Now Lego-Famous

The Portland home that became the Cullen House in the movie “Twilight” is already pretty famous. Fans of the vampire franchise search Google for “Cullen House” 12,000 times per month, according to one study. And now Lego will sell a set that replicates the house, including four minifigures of the characters Bella, Edward, Jacob, and Carlisle Cullen. [KPTV]

Northwest Tribes to Control Salmon Funding

Northwest tribes had wanted the federal government to remove the Snake River’s hydroelectric power dams in Washington. That has not happened, but in a major shift, money for salmon restoration will now go to tribes and to states — not be controlled by Bonneville Power Administration, which is conflicted between selling hydropower and saving the fish species. Tribes have had some of the only successful projects in helping salmon. [OPB]

Did Target Lie?

Target stores that stayed open had more crime than those that closed — contrary to the explanation Target offered. Also, Portland has a high-tech security guard: Meet Rob the Robocop. And Portland is limiting candidates’ matching funds. It’s a Friday news roundup. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Nike's Layoffs and Billions in Cuts

In 2020, Nike laid off 700 workers, incurring upwards of $200 million to pay for severance. Now the company is saying layoffs in just this quarter will cost the company $450 million (which means a lot of people are losing their jobs, though the company hasn't said how many yet). The company plans to cut $2 billion in costs over three years.

Portland’s New Robocop, Slashing Candidates’ Matching Funds, and Target’s Big Lie

This week’s news includes the new Robocop patrolling downtown and Target’s failing to tell the whole truth about theft-related store closures as well as the new limits on matching funds for Portland candidates. City Cast Portland producers John Notarianni and Giulia Fiaoni, along with City Cast’s digital strategy director Bryan M. Vance, discuss.