City Cast Portland
🎆 Don’t even think about Portland fireworks
July 1, 2025 · — Rachel Monahan
Good morning! The minimum wage for the Portland area goes above $16 an hour today. Oregon has one of the highest minimum wages in the country, but still just 1 in 25 workers in the state are impacted by today’s pay raise.
What's CITY Talking About?
No Personal Fireworks in Portland
Here’s your seasonal reminder that Portland outlawed fireworks in 2022, after a series of fires. Oregon also has significant restrictions: state law prohibits anything that shoots into the air and all fireworks, period, on state beaches or in state or federal parks. [OPB]
Oregon Gas Prices Rise
Gas prices rose both in Oregon and across the country ahead of the July 4 weekend. Geopolitical turmoil led to the price increase. In Oregon, the average price is $4.05 per gallon — up 7 cents, according to AAA Oregon/Idaho. [KATU]
Water Filtration Plant Construction Resumes
Construction on Portland’s $2 billion Bull Run Water Filtration Plant is back on track after a land use challenge halted work in February. The city needs to complete the project by 2027 to meet a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deadline for limits on the fecal contaminant cryptosporidium. [OPB]
Sponsored Content
Your Local Source For Wild Alaskan Salmon
Kenai-Red Fish Company is a Portland-based, family-owned business that works like a CSA—but for wild Alaskan fish! Reserve your share of our 2025 catch at KenaiRed.com, and stock your freezer with premium, flash-frozen wild salmon to enjoy year-round. Use code CITYCAST15 for $15 off your Salmon Share today!
What To Do
Tuesday, July 1
- 🍹 Portland Mercury Summer of Slushies | various locations
- 🦕 Jurassic World by Brickman® | OMSI
- 🪨 The Birth of Cascadia Geology Talk with Ian Madin | Stelo Arts (Pearl District)
- 🎵 Jonathan Richman | Aladdin Theater (Brooklyn neighborhood)
- 🎵 Wu-Tang Forever | Moda Center
Wednesday, July 2
- 🎵 Jonathan Richman | Aladdin Theater (Brooklyn neighborhood)
- 🍁 Behind the Shoji: Annual Summer Marketplace | Portland Japanese Garden (Washington Park)
- 🦶 Sasquatch: Ancestral Guardians | World Forestry Center (Washington Park)
- 🚲 Bike to Swim in the Willamette River | Crema (Buckman neighborhood)
- 🥽 Lloyd Live: At the Dock | Duckworth Dock (Eastbank Esplanade)
🔥 The executive leading Portland’s upcoming WNBA franchise has been fired, and replaced on an interim basis by a former Nike executive 🏀 At the same time, there appears to be significant support for the team: 10,000 future fans have already put down deposits for season tickets.
Free · Daily