🔥 Why unhealthy air quality is expected in Portland

A Record-Breaking Wildfire Season

A record amount of Oregon has burned this season — more than 2 million acres. So far wildfire season hasn’t been as harmful or deadly as some past years, with fewer homes burned. But thousands of people have had to evacuate. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

• Portland’s air quality declines: Smoke from wildfires is expected to impact air quality in western Oregon, possibly through Thursday. AirNow has updates that may be useful before any outdoor activities. The smoky air arrives as a heatwave begins: Temperatures are expected to be in the upper 90s for the next three days. [City Cast Portland 🎧 / National Weather Service]
• Feds’ reversal on aid: After public pressure, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reversed course over the weekend and approved emergency aid for the Row Creek Complex fire in Central Oregon. FEMA officials initially determined that three other fires qualified as potential major disasters. A fifth fire — East Evans Creek Complex — remains a matter of dispute. [Oregonian]
• Request for quick help? In a letter to federal officials on behalf of Oregon farmers and ranchers, Gov. Tina Kotek asked for the “Utah clock” — referring to quick assistance given after July fires in the Republican-led state. During his second term, President Trump has approved few than a quarter of requests for disaster aid from blue states compared with 90% from red states, according to an analysis from the news site Politico. [Oregon Capitol Chronicle]
• Warm Springs update: As of Sunday, thousands had been without power and clean water for nearly a week on the Warm Springs Reservation as the Bench Fire continued to burn. [OPB]

Not the Coffee and Dog Pee, After All

Last month, when an Oregonian reporter asked questions about the struggling indoor trees at Portland International Airport, officials blamed travelers for pouring coffee in the planters — and letting dogs pee there. But a local expert on indoor landscaping is now dismissing that explanation as unlikely, saying instead the new airport design doesn't allow the trees to get enough light to thrive. [Willamette Week]

The Opposite of Endorsing a County Chair Candidate

In an unusual move for the city’s generally polite politics, seven current and former Portland Public Schools board members signed an open letter questioning Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards “readiness to serve” as county chair. All seven served with her on the school board and represented a range of political perspectives; just one of her former school board colleagues spoke to the Portland Mercury to defend Brim-Edwards’ record. [Portland Mercury]

• The letter is publicly available. Of the seven school board members who criticized Brim-Edwards, just two have so far endorsed one of Brim-Edwards’ opponents.

Apartments May Replace a Beloved Food Cart Pod

The owner of Rose City Food Park, one of the city’s oldest food cart pods, is now planning to build 158 apartments on the lot. It’s not clear how soon the food carts would need to leave — and not every apartment building planned for Portland gets built, particularly given current economic conditions for developers. But food cart owners, some of whom have been there a decade, say they knew this day would come. [Oregonian]