A new unit to police Portland protests

Record High Temps (Now Past)

The last time a Portland March had four straight days of 70-degree weather was in 1994. So, yes, it was unseasonably warm these last few days. But, no, the rain is not over. And gardeners should still hold off on planting anything that will be hurt by a final frost. Usually, that doesn’t happen around here until the last week of March. [OPB]

Preparing for Presidential Protests

Mayor Ted Wheeler is working to create a new police unit to control crowds, in preparation for any protests related to the presidential election. This new unit would replace the Portland Police Bureau’s now-defunct Rapid Response Team, which saw all 50 of its officers resign in 2021 when one of their members was indicted on fourth-degree assault charges. (Charges were dropped after the officer agreed to apologize, and the city settled a civil suit.) [Oregonian 🔒]

• Related: Mayor Ted Wheeler isn’t shy about explaining the personal costs of being mayor. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Phil Knight’s $2M for Republicans

Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, gave an Oregon political action committee $2 million toward electing more Republicans to the statehouse. The donation is the state’s largest political donation of the year and just the latest from Knight to state Republican causes. He’s now given a total of $7 million to the Bring Balance to Salem PAC. Under campaign finance legislation passed by the Legislature earlier this month, Knight and others would be barred from writing such large checks, assuming Gov. Tina Kotek signs the bill into law. [Oregon Capital Chronicle]

It’s been a couple weeks since the last scavenger hunt. The featured restaurant was Luc Lac, which earned praise from readers for midday and late-night dining and cocktails.

A shoutout to the readers who knew the spot: Brianna Brey, Mary Mcgrane, Colleen Morrissey, Molly Maddox, Heather Dittmar, Beth Sethi, Lisa Semling, Amy Starkey, and Lani Jo Leigh, as well as Crystal Ball, who wrote, “Luc Lac is one of Portland's best places to meet people for lunch. It's fast, really good and always consistent.” And Lauren Sende wrote, “Fast service, good drinks, even better food.”

Here’s one for the gardeners and cat lovers:

Have you ever seen this sign before? If so, please email me the location.

How To Actually Go Chasin’ Waterfalls

Majestic waterfalls are a perk of living in the Northwest. Norther Emily of Wild Solitude Guiding talks about all things waterfalls: which make for the best hikes, when it’s okay to go off-trail, and when you should keep an eye out for landslides.