Should Portland sex ed include porn?

Heavy Student Debt at Alternative Medicine Schools

Portland was home to two of the most prestigious alternative medicine schools in the country until the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine closed its doors this year. But both OCOM and National University of Natural Medicine shared a problem: heavy student debt. [OPB]

• Data point: OCOM graduates with acupuncture and Chinese medicine master’s degrees often took on well over a hundred thousand dollars in student debt, even as they ended up earning less than the average high school graduate.
• Related: Similar problems face NUNM graduates. [OPB]
• Related: The two schools rank first and third of all graduate schools in the country for highest student-debt-to-income ratio. [OPB]

Porn Missing From Sex Ed

Oregon (along with Illinois) officially have the best sex ed programs in the country. But one thing that’s been missing from the curriculum: a discussion of porn. The state is now working to improve that. [Portland Monthly]

The Largest Grocery Store Merger

On the Friday news roundup, Fred Meyer’s parent company Kroger defends its plan to merge with Albertsons in federal court in Portland. It would be the largest grocery store merger ever. Plus, what’s happening with the strike? And Measure 110 officially comes to an end this weekend. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

This sculpture entitled “Ideals” stands at the corner of Northeast Seventh Avenue and Oregon Street. She elicited delightful art criticism from readers, who knew the location:

“Ick …The best thing I can say about her is that an artist must have been able to pay their rent for a while.” — Marsha Hanchrow

“If I remember correctly, the sculpture is meant to depict values. Although our values cannot be seen directly (invisible body), their weight and impact can be seen (garments draped on the body).” — Luis Alba-Sanchez

“Creepy faceless statue.” — Lisa B

Thank you for those! Here’s a shoutout to other readers who knew the spot: JD Williams, Don Xiong, PR, and Phil Hochstetler.

This week‘s scavenger hunt is for a fountain, to continue with the long summer weekend theme:

Do you know this spot? What do you know about the fountain?