City Cast Portland
🚨 Alarm bells about Portland’s economy
February 24, 2025 · — Rachel Monahan
Good morning! Portland-based Bonneville Power Administration is just one of the federal agencies where fired workers are being offered their jobs back.
What's CITY Talking About?
Doom and Gloom about the Portland Economy
Economists are raising the alarm: In the past, Portland grew when the national economy grew. But over the last 12 months, Portland’s job growth has been near the bottom of the 50 largest metro areas in the country. [Oregonian]
Dropped Charges for 6 PSU Protesters
Six of the people arrested during the 2024 protest at Portland State University had all their charges dropped last month after prosecutors failed to follow basic rules and turn over all available evidence. A defense attorney obtained an exculpatory video with a public records request to the city, which the Multnomah County district attorney’s office says they were wholly unaware of. [OPB]
It created not just resentment, but outrage to the extent that there were a group of citizens that lived out there in the early ‘80s that wanted to create a new city.
Why East Portland Is Built Different
Randy Leonard, a former state legislator and Portland city commissioner, first moved to East Portland in the ’80s. He explains the history of that area, the politics that led to its lack of infrastructure, and how those issues might factor into the coming election. [City Cast Portland 🎧]
What To Do
Monday, Feb. 24
- 🤓 Oregon's Black History (history pub) | 7 p.m. | $5 | Kennedy School
- 🎻 Bach & Mendelssohn | 7:30 p.m. | $34+ | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
- 🎶 Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble | 7:30 p.m. | Free | PSU’s Lincoln Recital Hall
- 🎵 Jeremie Albino | 8 p.m. | $26.02 | Aladdin Theater
- 🎶 Jimmie Herrod (Portland Jazz Festival) | 8 p.m. | $36.50 | The Old Church (Downtown)
Tuesday, Feb. 25
- 🔨 Intro to Electrical: Safety and Simple Repairs | 5:30 p.m. | $95 | ReBuilding Center (North Mississippi Avenue)
- 🎥 I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (Black Film History series) | 7 p.m. | $10 | Clinton Street Theater
- 📚 One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This | 7 p.m. | Free | Powell’s City of Books (Pearl District)
- 🎶 Rogê (Portland Jazz Festival) | 8 p.m. | $45.30 | Mississippi Studios
- 🎵 Little Stranger | 8 p.m. | $36.41 | Crystal Ballroom
Wednesday, Feb. 26
- 🦢 Wednesday Morning Bird Walks | 8:15 a.m. | Free | Tryon Creek
- ✏️ Sit Down, Shut Up, and Write (writing group) | 5:30 p.m. | Free Admission | BOLD Coffee & Books (Goose Hollow neighborhood)
- 🎵 Women Composers of the Great American Jazz Songbook | 7 p.m. | $5+ (pay what you can) | Lincoln Hall (PSU)
- 🎶 Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto (Portland Jazz Festival) | 8 p.m. | $46.25 | The Old Church
- 🎶 JD Simo (Portland Jazz Festival) | 8 p.m. | $48.25 | Alberta Rose Theatre
🗞️ An Old Town store called Chess Club sells more than 400 magazines from around the world. (No chess is involved, but it’s a memorable name.)
Free · Daily