#25

Does Anyone Stand A Chance Against Mayor Hales?

The mayoral election is still 17 months away, but current Portland Mayor Charlie Hales’s campaign is already up and running. After announcing his official candidacy in March, state records show Hales has already collected over $80,000 dollars in cash contributions since January. Without a single opponent challenging him in sight, the race against Mayor Hales appears somewhat decided.

READ HERE

#24

Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: Kate Brown, Allen Alley, Amanda Fritz

Every Friday, GoLocalPDX breaks down who's rising and who's falling in the world of Oregon politics. Check out who made the lists the week of June 5th.

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#23

Beach Blanket Commando: Dos and Don’ts of Oregon’s Nude Beaches

Portland has not one, but two officially designated clothing-optional beaches just a short drive from downtown: Collins Beach on Sauvie Island and Rooster Rock State Park, not far from the Crown Point Visitors Center (but far enough that looky-loos can’t see you with their binoculars). 

Truth is, there are plenty of places where people get naked in Oregon, like Portland’s infamous annual Naked Bike Ride, but that’s a slippery slope of legal rights, civil action and perceived intention that is best left alone when all you’re looking to do is tan your bum. 

READ HERE

#22

Marijuana in Oregon Likely to be Much Cheaper than in Washington

Following a retail rollout in Oregon, marijuana could be half as expensive in Oregon compared to Washington, yetMain Street Marijuana owner Ramsey Hamide doesn’t sound too worried. Located off the first I-5 exit near downtown Vancouver, Hamide sees a lot of Oregonians. 

He estimates about 50 percent of his store traffic is either from Oregon or another state or even country. “We see every ID in the country and probably about 20 to 30 different passports,” he said.

READ HERE

#21

Can Alberta Street’s Last Thursday Be Stopped?

t started as Northeast’s working-class answer to the Pearl District’s bourgeois First Thursday. Galleries or businesses that showed art would open their doors in an attempt to bring artistic unity to the then-blighted neighborhood. 

Vendors, food carts and street performers would follow, while urban renewal transitioned Northeast Alberta Street from “the poor part of town” to the Alberta Arts District, home to commercial shops and pricy real estate.

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#20

How Oregon’s Drone Industry Will Have A National and Global Impact

Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration accelerated approval procedures for commercial drone operators—a move that will propel Oregon’s progress in an industry projected to have an in-state value of $486 million by 2025. 

Though the industry still faces an incomplete regulatory system and public concerns about the technology—especially due to military use of drones and concerns over privacy—in some ways the regulatory agencies are playing catch up to an industry that’s already crossed the starting line. 

READ HERE

#19

Scott Bruun: Oregon’s Cougar Problem

GoLocalPDX's Guest MINDSETTER™ piece received a lot of attention:

“Why don’t you EDUCATE yourself?!”

Spat the young woman, dripping with contempt. Before this, my wife and I had been standing with others on Taylor Street near the library. It was a long time ago, 1994, but if memory serves we were waiting to watch the Rose Festival Parade.

The young woman, wearing a sandwich-board across her shoulders, was slowly making her way down the line of bystanders. On the board were cute color photos of little bear cubs and cougar kittens. She had a clipboard in hand and was, we would learn, collecting signatures to put Measure 18 on the ballot.

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#18

Nike Tied to Three Global Controversies

To say Nike has had a couple of bad weeks is an understatement. It is alleged that the company is funding a team that is illegally doping, the U.S. Department of Justice is looking at the legality of a sponsorship, and one Democratic Presidential candidate is questioning Nike's ethics.
 

READ HERE

#17

Will Portland Be the Next San Francisco?

In the 1990’s San Francisco was cool, hip and so “not Los Angeles.” Today, it is big and expensive.

The impact of the growth and increase cost of living has been profound, In the past three years, the median house price in San Francisco has increased from $665,000 to over $1.1 million, according to Paragon Real Estate Group. Could this be the fate of Portland?

READ HERE

#16

Portland Teachers Balking at Special Education Redesign

Partly to address the disproportion of students of color to white students needing special education services, Portland Public Schools could be moving away from a segregated model for special education services that excludes students from regular teaching—a trend that has some national impetus. 

READ HERE

#15

Ten Floating Restaurants and Bars To Visit This Summer

Denizens of Portland, Oregon sometimes forget that they have the Willamette River and the Pacific Ocean at their beck and call. Fortunately, where there is water, Oregon also provides alcohol and food – through a number of successfully imaginative, and sufficiently kitschy outlets.

If you’re the type who likes to confuse having had one two many IPA’s with seasickness, you might consider dining at one of the following floating restaurants or bars this summer. 

READ HERE

#14

Portland Has the Fewest Commuters in America

The freelance culture that has turned coffee shops into offices for 20 to 30-something graphic designers, bloggers, writers, and start-up types, is no foreign concept to most metros across the nation. 

But in Portland, that culture holds a special place.  

Of the 30 biggest cities in the U.S., Portland has the highest percentage of people who work from home, according to a recent study by Michael Sivak, at the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute,. It’s a paradise for the non-commuter.  

READ HERE

#13

Martinez-Beck Wedding Celebrated in Portland

Two of Oregon’s most influential leaders in the gay and lesbian community were married in a formal marriage ceremony on their 20th anniversary of their first date. Juan Martinez and Byron Beck were married by Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum before 300 family and friends atJacobson Salt Company in Southeast Portland.

READ HERE 

#12

50 Things to Know About Pot in Oregon

Oregon is about to enter a brave new world on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 as it will be the first day you can legally smoke marijuana in Oregon.

No, you will not be able to purchase it - that won’t happen until sometime in 2016, but Oregon residents will be able to legally smoke.

READ HERE

#11

Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade 2015

On a hot, sunny, beautiful Saturday morning thousands of people gathered in Portland's city center and across the Burnside Bridge to watch the annual Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade.

The parade featured clowns, high school bands, cheerleaders, horses and hundreds of thousands of roses. Even Governor Kate Brown and the Oregon Duck "Puddles" made an appearance. 

The Grand Floral parade truly felt like the beginning of summer, as Portlanders from all corners of the city threw on their shorts and sandals and ventured out into the sun to join in the celebration of our great city. 

SEE THE PHOTOS HERE

#10

Party Report: The Goonies Weekend in Astoria, Oregon

The now cult classic film, "Goonies," celebrated its 30th anniversary over the weekend with a plethora of events and activities in the town where much of the film was shot: Astoria, Oregon. 

"Hey you guys!" was just one of the many rallying cries/greetings one encountered in Astoria.

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#9

University of Oregon Students Suffer With Lack Of Diversity

The University of Oregon has expanded greatly over the years, with a new football facility appraised at over $64 million and its student population growing by almost 20 percent since 2004. But within all of the change to its growing campus, the percentage of black students among the student body has failed to surpass 2 percent for decades. 

READ HERE

#8

Oregon’s Football Uniforms No Longer a Joke

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the Oregon Ducks football program must be feeling pretty gratified.

Since the 1995 Rose Bowl, the program and its athletic department have spent countless amounts of time and money making “ugly,” “embarrassing,” and “laughable” uniforms.  At least that’s what outsiders spent the better part of their time writing and telling anyone willing to laugh with them.  But more than 20 years since that Rose Bowl versus Penn State, the Ducks have parlayed that same “ugly,” “embarrassing,” and “laughable” garb into unprecedented success at their university and a level of success nearly every other athletic department in collegiate sport would give their left you-know-what for.

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#7

One Doctor Averages 73.3 Prescriptions Per Day 365 Days a Year

Medicare is big business in Oregon and across the United States.  One Oregon doctor averages 73.3 prescriptions per day 365 days a year.  

GoLocalPDX reviewed data collected by the non-profit, media watchdog group, ProPublica who has been collecting and organizing federal data. The data collected by ProPublica and reviewed and categorized by GoLocalPDX comes from new federal reporting requirements impacting the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS).

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#6

Oregon’s Highest Paid Union Bosses

In the midst of a national decline, membership in Oregon's labor unions is on the rise. Moreover, while membership is thriving, so are the salaries of some of the state's largest union leaders - many of whom are making six-figure salaries, or double or triple the average salary of the workers they are paid to represent. 

READ HERE

#5

20 Fun Things To Do In Portland This Summer

Summer is finally here! With school out and the sun shining there is no better time to go out and explore what the city of Portland has to offer. There's activities ranging from athletic events to concerts to Broadway productions. Luckily for you GoLocalPDX has your entire summer planned out. Make this summer an unforgettable one!

READ HERE

#4

Legal Battle over Besaw’s Building Gets Bigger

Over the past few weeks GoLocalPDX has covered the battle over Besaw - below is one of the best read artilces of the month:

In a legal battle that has spanned for months, the fight over NW Portland’s iconic Besaw’s building keeps getting fiercer. The latest punch to be thrown was by building owner C.E. John, a Vancouver-based development company whose lawyers filed for a temporary restraining order in U.S. District Court on Tuesday against former restaurant operator Cana Flug’s company Tuatara Enterprises.

READ HERE

#3

Top 20 Swimming Holes to Visit this Summer

With summer just around the corner, Oregonians are starting to take trips to their favorite swimming holes. But if you don't have a favorite spot yet, GoLocalPDX has you covered.

Be sure to get out of the house and head to one of these fun swimming spots over the next few months. 

READ HERE

#2

How Expensive is Portland? See How It Compares to its Peer Cities

The increase price of real estate especially for renters is cause for concerns for Portland residents. Many worry that increased cost of livinig coupled with relatively flat wages will make Portland less and less affordable. GoLocalPDX looked at how the city compares to peer cities for cost of living.

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#1

The Ultimate Bucket List in Portland

GoLocalPDX has put together the ultimate bucket list for activities throughout the Rose City.

We have everything ranging from riding your bike down the streets of Portland naked to visiting the Nike World Headquarters.  

We've included activities that will be fun for the whole family, so no matter what you're into we've got you covered!

READ HERE