💸 Why it’s a hard time for Oregon’s billionaires

Skyrocketing Price Tag for Jefferson High School Overhaul

Portland Public Schools backed away from plans to make Jefferson High School students commute 11 miles to an offsite location during a planned refurbishing of the school. Now the district has released new (and much higher) cost estimates for the construction project — $407 million (up from $287 million). That’s because the new plan will delay the project and also involve demolishing the old building after building a new one. But PPS doesn’t have the money in the current bond for it, so will need to ask voters for more funds. [OPB]

Oregon’s Richest Men Lost a Few Billion

Oregon has three billionaires, according to Forbes magazine’s annual ranking of the world’s wealthiest people. They all lost a bit of money this past year and declined slightly in the rankings. Here’s what they still have:

• Phil Knight, founder of Nike: $40.9 billion
• Tim Boyle, CEO of Columbia Sportswear, which was found by his grandfather: $2.2 billion
• Travis Boersma, co-founder of Dutch Bros: $2 billion [Oregonian 🔒]

The Woes of No Drive-thru

Why did local burger chain SuperDeluxe close its Pearl and Lake Oswego locations? The company, which has filed for bankruptcy, attributes it to one key reason: the lack of drive-thrus at those locations. [Willamette Week]

• Related: “Simpsons” writer Bill Oakley’s Portland fast food picks. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Naturally, a building this distinctive has a name: the Burnside Rocket.

It’s the creation of developer Kevin Cavenaugh, whose iconic buildings include the Tree Farm (previously featured as one of these scavenger hunts). Cavenaugh also made headlines recently for losing a couple of buildings to foreclosure as the pandemic killed off a good deal of office work and some real estate value with it.

Besides having paintings hung on the exterior, the Burnside Rocket is also notable for being among the first highly sustainable buildings in the state.

A shoutout to the readers who knew the spot: Susan K. Roberts, Christine Stroud, Love Jonson, Mark McClure, and Hannah.

Do you know where this tree is? (Bonus points for sending in photos and/or location of other plants dressed up as humanoids.)

Earthquake Preparedness for Non-Preppers

Scientists say we’re long overdue for a devastatingly large earthquake. The Big One could bring down most of Portland’s bridges and cut off electricity and water for weeks. And after recent high-profile quakes in Taiwan and New Jersey, experts are reminding anyone who will listen that Portland is not ready for The Big One. Today science journalist Erin Ross is updating us on experts’ latest Cascadia earthquake predictions and sharing tips on how to keep you and your family safe.