KATU Portland and SW Washington

Get-out guide for the Memorial Day weekend

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Memorial Day weekend is here and for a lot of folks that means it's time for a campout, family barbecue or just relaxing at home and enjoying an extra day off. Before we get into some of the helpful information we've pulled together for those of you who are still making plans, we ask that everyone take a moment to remember what Memorial Day is really about. Don't forget while...

OAJC Luncheon Lecture -- On Being Black in Portland and in America -- Pre- and Post-Trayvon Martin

oregon Area Jewish Committee (OAJC) hosts Kathleen D. Saadat to speakOn Being Black in Portland and in America- Pre and Post Trayvon Martin.Kathleen Saadat is currently the Diversity Development/Affirmative Action Manager for the City of Portland. Prior to coming to the City, Kathleen worked at Cascade AIDS Projects. Kathleen has also served as the State Director of Affirmative Action, Assistant...

Parents - 'Take 25' for Missing Children's Awareness Day

From the Oregon State Police:May 25, 2012 is "Missing Children's Awareness Day" in Oregon. To help raise child safety awareness during the month of May, families are encouraged to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety and abduction prevention as part of the Take 25 national child safety campaign.25 safety tips for parents (pdf)As of April 25, 2012, Oregon's Law Enforcement Data...

Largest solar array in state shines at PCC

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The largest solar array in the state is at Portland Community College.The college introduced the 35,000-square-foot, 2,000-panel solar array, based at the Rock Creek Campus (17705 N.W. Springville Road), to the public, and state and local officials on Friday, May 18. The project's construction was funded by dollars from the 2008 bond measure and is expected to produce nearly 10...

City Council votes to raise residential garbage and sewer rates

PORTLAND, Ore. – Residents of the city of Portland will pay more for garbage and sewer services after the City Council voted Wednesday to increase both. Despite vocal opposition, city commissioners approved the rate hikes, but they decided to hold off until next week to decide a water rate hike. Starting July 1, the average family will pay $1.20 more each month for garbage and recycling...

What is the City Council talking about this week?

Every week on Wednesday, the City Council gets together to talk about city business and make decisions. This week's topics include:Garbage ratesGun turn-in eventEmergency preparednessSky bridgesView the entire agendaCity Council meetings are held on Wednesdays and can be viewed online afterwards.Who is on the council?Mayor Sam AdamsCommissioner Amanda FritzCommissioner Nick FishCommissioner Dan...

Top bike magazine ranks Portland the No. 1 cycling city

PORTLAND, Ore. - Bike-friendly Portland has risen to the top of the rankings in a list of bike-friendly U.S. cities, according to Bicycling magazine. "Always quick to embrace cyclist-friendly innovations, Portland was the first city in the United States to implement bike boxes at intersections and elementary-school bike commuting trains," the magazine said on its website. "It's...

Applications for Youth Conservation Crews will be accepted through June 1

From Portland Parks & Recreation:The Portland Parks & Recreation Youth Conservation Crew provides summer employment opportunities for a diverse population of Portland-area youth, ages 14-18. Crews protect, restore, and manage Portland's parks and natural areas while developing essential job skills. In 2011, YCC employed 56 teens to:save 398 treesmaintain 575 newly planted treesmulch and...

Thinking of lighting up the fire pit? Here's a refresher on the rules

From Portland Fire & Rescue:Summer is a great time to gather around a backyard fire pit in the company of friends. PF&R encourages you to have fun this summer, but to make sure to always be safe. Backyard fire pits and other recreational fires can ruin your evening if not properly maintained and monitored. Below are some important rules and reminders from the Fire Marshal's Office (FMO)....

Police: Driver was going 90 mph before fatal crash

PORTLAND, Ore. - One person was killed and another was injured when a speeding car slammed into a power pole, careened down a street and ended up in a yard. The crash, which left a trail of destruction in its wake, happened just before 2 a.m. near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside Street. Only one car, a 2012 Chevrolet Traverse, was involved. "Speed was a major factor," an...

Photos: Legendary Portland animator gets his very own day

Get-out guide for the Memorial Day weekend

Photos: The 106th annual Multnomah County Fair at Oaks Park

Police locate mother after three young children are found in shed

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland police said Friday they have found the mother of three children who were discovered abandoned in a shed. After a flurry of media reports, Portland police spokesman Lt. Robert King said investigators received a tip from someone who knew the mother. Police are interviewing her, he said. "The mother of the missing children has been located and we thank everyone...

SUV slams into building in SE Portland, one person hurt

PORTLAND, Ore. - An SUV left the roadway in Southeast Portland Thursday night and slammed into a building, injuring at least one person. The Ford Explorer jumped a curb and hit the building, part of which houses an electrical business, late Thursday night. One person was seen being taken away in an ambulance. The Explorer punched through the wall of the business, located at SE 85th...

OAJC Luncheon Lecture -- On Being Black in Portland and in America -- Pre- and Post-Trayvon Martin

Parents - 'Take 25' for Missing Children's Awareness Day

Largest solar array in state shines at PCC

Multnomah County Fair starts Saturday at Oaks Park

What: Enjoy this first county fair of the season, with rides, petting zoo, entertainment, pig racing, exhibits and more.When: May 26-28.Where: Oaks Amusement Park at 7805 S.E. Oaks Park Way.Cost: Admission and parking is free. There is a charge for the rides.For more details

City Council votes to raise residential garbage and sewer rates

Get-out guide for the Memorial Day weekend

OAJC Luncheon Lecture -- On Being Black in Portland and in America -- Pre- and Post-Trayvon Martin

Parents - 'Take 25' for Missing Children's Awareness Day

Largest solar array in state shines at PCC

City Council votes to raise residential garbage and sewer rates

What is the City Council talking about this week?

Top bike magazine ranks Portland the No. 1 cycling city

Photos: It's pugs gone wild!

PORTLAND, Ore. - It was pug mania outside a local tavern on Sunday as folks and their lovable little pooches got together to have a little fun and help out the Oregon Humane Society. The annual Pug Crawl attracts hundreds of pug lovers every year. MacTarnahan's, located at 2730 Northwest 31st Avenue, hosted this year's event. All of the proceeds from the crawl (admission was $10) will directly...

Applications for Youth Conservation Crews will be accepted through June 1

Police: Bridge robbery suspects caught ... on bridge

PORTLAND, Ore. – Police caught two men they said robbed a pedestrian on the east side of the St. Johns Bridge then tried to flee westward across the bridge. Sgt. Pete Simpson with the Portland Police Bureau said the suspects took off across the bridge after the armed robbery. But before they made it to the other side, officers intercepted them and arrested them at gunpoint. The robbery...

Shooting lands man in the hospital, suspect flees

PORTLAND, Ore. - A man was shot in North Portland on Saturday and police are on the hunt for the suspect. The shooting happened around 2:25 p.m. at North Beech and Vancouver. The victim, who has not been identified, was rushed to the hospital. The extent of his injuries is unknown at this point. Police quickly set up a perimeter and began searching for the suspect, a black male in his 20s who...

Get-out guide for the Memorial Day weekend

OAJC Luncheon Lecture -- On Being Black in Portland and in America -- Pre- and Post-Trayvon Martin

Parents - 'Take 25' for Missing Children's Awareness Day

Largest solar array in state shines at PCC

City Council votes to raise residential garbage and sewer rates

Two arrested in connection with North Portland shooting

PORTLAND, Ore. - Two men are under arrest in connection with what police believe was a gang shooting. Elijah Emil Passon, 22, and Ranell Vincent Buen, 19, were taken into custody on Tuesday after a short traffic pursuit. The two are accused of being involved in a shooting on May 9 at North Ivanhoe Street and St. Louis Avenue. Witnesses told police they saw a passenger in a car shoot at another...

What is the City Council talking about this week?

Victims say home invasion suspects stole TV, gun safe

PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland police are looking into a home invasion robbery that the victims said took place early Tuesday morning in North Portland. No one was hurt. Police said they responded a call about an armed robbery at a home in the 10200 block of North Central Street just after 1 a.m. The victims, a woman and her three teenage sons, told police that two or three unknown men wearing...

Top bike magazine ranks Portland the No. 1 cycling city

Get-out guide for the Memorial Day weekend

OAJC Luncheon Lecture -- On Being Black in Portland and in America -- Pre- and Post-Trayvon Martin

Parents - 'Take 25' for Missing Children's Awareness Day

Largest solar array in state shines at PCC

City Council votes to raise residential garbage and sewer rates

Sorry drivers, but nicer weather means more road work

PORTLAND, Ore. - Summer construction season is about to begin here in Portland and there is a long list of projects that crews will be working on throughout the city. "I know that motorists aren't happy to see us," said Sabine Shepherd, a maintenance worker for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). "When you see us, it may mean delays." One of the bigger projects is...

Police search for suspect after car is shot at on Hwy 217

BEAVERTON, Ore. – “I was on my way to Nike and I didn’t make it,” Karen Sempert said with a laugh. Sempert may be laughing now but it was a different story Tuesday morning after police said the driver’s side window of her BMW was shot at and shattered while she was driving on Highway 217 near the Allen Boulevard exit in Beaverton. “It just went...

What is the City Council talking about this week?

Feds chip in $745 million to push Milwaukie MAX line ahead

MILWAUKIE, Ore. - The federal government announced Tuesday it will pay $745 million towards construction of the new MAX light rail line to Milwaukie. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) dollars will cover half the expected $1.5 billion cost of the Portland-Milwaukie light rail project, also known as the PMLR. Mary Fetsch with TriMet said the funding will push the...

Top bike magazine ranks Portland the No. 1 cycling city

Portland man pulls off fun musical marriage proposal

PORTLAND(ia), Ore. - Yes, you could say it's something right out of that snarky TV show about a certain city we know and love and the creative folks that live there. In the video, Isaac Lamb, 31, who says on his Facebook page that he lives in Portland and is a member of the Third Rail Repertory Theatre, pulls off an elaborate production called a "lip dub" involving friends and...

Get-out guide for the Memorial Day weekend

It's Rose Festival time!

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Rose Festival is officially here - just in time for the holiday weekend. On Friday, CityFair opened to the public at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland and folks were already showing up for the rides, the booths and of course, the food. Admission is free Friday night and after that it'll be $5 to get in (for those 7 and older). Kids 6 and under, and...

OAJC Luncheon Lecture -- On Being Black in Portland and in America -- Pre- and Post-Trayvon Martin

Parents - 'Take 25' for Missing Children's Awareness Day

Largest solar array in state shines at PCC

City Council votes to raise residential garbage and sewer rates

What is the City Council talking about this week?

Top bike magazine ranks Portland the No. 1 cycling city

Applications for Youth Conservation Crews will be accepted through June 1

Get-out guide for the Memorial Day weekend

OAJC Luncheon Lecture -- On Being Black in Portland and in America -- Pre- and Post-Trayvon Martin

Parents - 'Take 25' for Missing Children's Awareness Day

Largest solar array in state shines at PCC

What is the City Council talking about this week?

Upcoming in-store performances at Music Millennium

Video: Radiation City From Music Millennium (all in-store performances are at Music Millennium 32nd & E Burnside): ALEXA WILEYWednesday, 5/23 - 6 PMThe incomparably fallible Alexa Wiley returns with Poet of Empty Spaces, her latest album on the Red Newt label. Poet of Empty Spaces overflows with metaphorical wisdom and a musical energy honed through years of live performances...

Surveillance video may shed light on fatal Burnside crash

PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland police say that video taken May 16 by surveillance cameras at the Max platform at Northeast 162nd and Burnside will hopefully shed new light on what led to a fatal crash. Police say the video shows a white SUV with driver Shelby Lynn Williams and passenger Cleveland Nelson. Williams died in the crash. On the video someone approaches the passenger side. A spokesman for...

Top bike magazine ranks Portland the No. 1 cycling city

Applications for Youth Conservation Crews will be accepted through June 1

Woman bolts from her mother's home, disappears

PORTLAND, Ore. - Police are searching for a woman who disappeared and may be a threat to her own safety. Alexis Koyama, 32, was last seen Thursday night at her mother's home in the 3100 block of Northeast 11th Avenue. Her family called police to the home because they were concerned for Koyama's welfare but she fled on foot before officers arrived. Police searched the surrounding neighborhoods but...

Sheriff's deputy seriously injured after crashing car

FAIRVIEW, Ore. - A Multnomah County sheriff's deputy sergeant suffered serious injuries Friday night after losing control of his car on wet pavement while responding to a call in Troutdale. According to Lt. Steve Alexander with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, the sergeant was responding to a report of a fight with weapons and was driving with his lights and sirens on when he crashed...

Reynolds strike is over, it's back to class on Tuesday

TROUTDALE, Ore. - Reynolds School District students will be back in the classroom on Tuesday after teachers and administrators reached a deal to end a week-long strike. "We are thrilled that we have a tentative agreement with the teachers union," Superintendent Dr. Joyce Henstrand said in a news release. "Schools will be re-opened on Tuesday, May 29 with a two-hour late...

Get-out guide for the Memorial Day weekend

OAJC Luncheon Lecture -- On Being Black in Portland and in America -- Pre- and Post-Trayvon Martin

Parents - 'Take 25' for Missing Children's Awareness Day

Bus service for special needs students suspended due to strike

FAIRVIEW, Ore. - The Reynolds School District teachers strike is affecting students in another district as some parents blame the teachers in the picket line for stopping bus service for their special education students. Bus drivers say the picketers made the kids feel unsafe after teachers pushed on the bus Thursday morning as they came into Reynolds Middle School, scaring them and the students...

Clackamas County invites public to celebrate the Trolley Trail on June 2

The public is invited to celebrate the completion of the Trolley Trail – a six-mile multi-use trail which follows a historic streetcar line from Milwaukie to Gladstone through the heart of Oak Grove – from 10-11:30 a.m. June 2 at Oak Grove Elementary School, 2150 S.E. Torbank Road, Milwaukie.“The completion of the Trolley Trail project is a model of regional cooperation. It is the product of a...

Four arrested after dog is dragged through truck stop

TROUTDALE, Ore. (AP) — Troutdale police say they've arrested four people on charges of dragging a dog leashed to their vehicle 600 feet through a truck stop, tearing off most of the animal's foot pads and nails. The police said the suspects appeared to be living in the 1992 Jeep Cherokee and told officers Monday they'd forgotten the dog was tied to the passenger side. Bystanders told police...

Thinking of going solar?

What: Solar Gresham is hosting free solar workshops at the Gresham Public Library in historic downtown. Led by the nonprofit Solar Oregon, the workshops will cover the basic technology, benefits and cost of solar. Imagine Energy will be available to answer questions about installation and products. Umpqua Bank will also be on hand to share information on financing opportunities. The workshops...

Reynolds teachers strike; negotiations to resume Wednesday

GRESHAM, Ore. - Reynolds School District teachers went on strike Monday morning after rejecting an offer from school district officials. Talks have now broken off until Wednesday. Officials made the offer to teachers and were hoping to prevent a strike Monday morning, but when the deadline arrived after an all-night bargaining session, there was still no agreement and teachers headed...

Get-out guide for the Memorial Day weekend

OAJC Luncheon Lecture -- On Being Black in Portland and in America -- Pre- and Post-Trayvon Martin

Parents - 'Take 25' for Missing Children's Awareness Day

Clackamas County invites public to celebrate the Trolley Trail on June 2

Feds chip in $745 million to push Milwaukie MAX line ahead

North Clackamas Schools is offering summer childcare

From the North Clackamas School District:Families seeking summer child care when the school year ends will find a quality, affordable program as close as a neighborhood elementary school. This summer, North Clackamas Schools will run summer child care sites at Happy Valley Elementary and View Acres Elementary for children age 5 and up who will be elementary school students in the fall.The...

High school students are getting ready to graduate

From the North Clackamas School District:After 13 years in school, hundreds of graduates from North Clackamas High Schools will cross the stage to get their diploma, prepared for the next step in their journey. Looking ahead, 89 percent of these students plan to attend either community college or a four-year university. Graduation ceremonies are scheduled as follows:Clackamas High School7 p...

'School Days Cruise-In' coming up

From the North Clackamas School District:Ready for weekend fun? Come check out the School Days Cruise-In. The event features a cruise-in, food booths, and spa services for the ladies.Registration for the cruise-in event is $15 per car. Manicures, pedicures, and facials are $10 each. All proceeds will benefit the school's career-technical programs for high school students in North Clackamas, from...

Exchange student program seeks host families for the summer

From the North Clackamas School District:ANDEO International Home stays, a Northwest-based non-profit, is welcoming over 300 French, Spanish, German, Japanese and Chinese teens to the Northwest this summer and we are looking for great host families who are interested in hosting for about 3 1/2 weeks.The visiting teens are age 14 - 18, speak English, and are excited to learn more about American...

Clackamas County to close Barlow Road May 29 to Oct. 1 for road, bridge repairs

Clackamas County will close Barlow Road at Rock Creek (Long Bridge) from May 29 through Oct. 1 for road and bridge repairs.The 24-hour-a-day closure, which will extend from Highway 211 to Bond Road, is needed to repair the failing northbound lane and guardrail, replace tow bridge timber pile caps and rehabilitate the stream bank.Because one part of the project will require jacking up the bridge's...

Get-out guide for the Memorial Day weekend

OAJC Luncheon Lecture -- On Being Black in Portland and in America -- Pre- and Post-Trayvon Martin

Parents - 'Take 25' for Missing Children's Awareness Day

Clackamas County invites public to celebrate the Trolley Trail on June 2

Clackamas County to close Barlow Road May 29 to Oct. 1 for road, bridge repairs

Enjoy the sun, but stay safe... especially on our waterways

OREGON CITY, Ore. - Plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures sure are making this feel like a summer weekend and that might prompt some folks to head to local waterways to cool off, which could be dangerous. The water is still pretty cold and the currents are strong. At High Rocks, a popular summertime swimming hole on the Clackamas River that has claimed lives in the past, there aren't any...

'Stamp Out Hunger' today

PORTLAND, Ore. – If you’re feeling charitable, you can help "stamp out hunger" on Saturday. “Stamp Out Hunger” is the annual food drive by the Oregon Food Bank and Oregon State Association of Letter Carriers. Postal carriers in Oregon and southwest Washington delivered 1.5 million yellow, biodegradable bags to homes this week. If you would like to donate, simply...

Grand opening ceremony for Boring Station Trailhead Park set for May 19

Make your way out to the Boring Station Trailhead Park at 11 a.m. May 19 for its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony.The Boring Station Trailhead Park was a stop and shipping location during streetcar operation. Clackamas County Parks purchased nearly seven acres from the Union Pacific Railroad in 1999, from SE Dee Street to 1/3 mile south of Highway 212. Community organizations have...

You can now pay your court fees online

From the Clackamas County Circuit Court:Residents and the public who have business with Clackamas County Circuit Court will now be able to pay most citations, make monthly payments, and pay on many court cases, without having to travel to the courthouse and wait in line, mail in a check, or pay by phone.Clackamas County Circuit Court will offer the Oregon Judicial Department's on-line service,...

Where are you headed for Cinco de Mayo?

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Cinco de Mayo is an annual tradition that is once again upon us. Several events throughout the Portland-Vancouver area are happening in the days leading up to Cinco de Mayo, along with a variety of activities on the day itself. Know of a Cinco de Mayo event that's not on the list? Email it to us and we'll put it up. May 2 Culinary Passport -- Cinco De Mayo Where:...