🐕 A delay in warning about algal bloom

Delay on Algae Bloom Warning

Advocates alerted the state last Friday that the Willamette River had developed a harmful algae bloom, but the Oregon Health Officials didn’t get a warning out to the public until Monday night. Willie Levenson, of Human Access Project, called the delay a reminder of “a total bureaucratic failure.” The Legislature considered but did not approve $1 million toward ridding the river of its algae blooms. [Oregon Capital Chronicle]

• Related: As of Wednesday, the algae bloom warning extended from Kelley Point Park to the Ross Island lagoon. As a reminder, the algae can be deadly to dogs, and it’s recommended that humans stay out of the water near a bloom, too. [Oregonian]

5% Unemployment Rate

Unemployment across the country rose in July, and in Oregon, the state’s unemployment rate hit 5%. That’s higher than it's been in four years, when the economy began to recover from the pandemic. [OPB]

$1.2M Crash House Lawsuit

On the Friday news roundup, city officials nicknamed a Northeast Portland home the Crash House after multiple drivers proved unable to manage the 90-degree turn at Northeast Weidler Street and 24th Avenue. The property owners are suing the city and the gas company for failing to prevent a fiery crash last December, even as the Portland Bureau of Transportation has begun making changes to Weidler to bring it down to a one-lane road. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Portland is a city filled with tiny plastic horses tethered to iron rings at the curb — much the same way that real-life horses were when they were still a mode of transportation. (It began as an art project and took off.)

But at Northeast Klickitat Street and 62nd Avenue, one Portland home has a life-size horse statue gazing over the fence.

“This home put a life size horse sculpture next to an identical toy one!” writes reader Annie B. “I just saw this while biking to Pickathon last weekend. Had to snap a photo of course, er, of horse,”

“In my neigh-borhood!” writes reader Amy S. “I walk past there all the time, it's just a couple of blocks from my house,”

“Go Portland Women's run club runs by there, and it is a favorite for selfies!” writes reader Victoria B.

“There is a mosaic ‘HORSE’ sign on the fence. Just in case you weren’t sure,” writes reader Jane B.

A shoutout to them — and the other readers who knew the right answer: Lynnac, Spoon, Paul Diener, Alec C., and Phil Wagar.

Where is this smile?

Please click here to send me the location — and anything you know about it.

If you’re new to the newsletter, there’s a scavenger hunt (almost) every Friday. Please send me the location if you know it — and for unofficial bonus points, anything you know about it. In next week’s newsletter, I’ll shout out the first 10 readers who respond correctly (and reveal the answer).

📸 Want to submit a photo? Please email me a snapshot of somewhere in the Portland metro area, and we’ll consider it for an upcoming “Where Is It?” segment!