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Southwest Community Connection
Caution urged as temps remain high through middle of next week
Meteorologists urge caution: Make sure the things sizzling this weekend are on our barbecues, not dry grasses around misplaced fireworks, or the fair skins of Oregonians eager for a little sun. High temperatures are expected to hover in the upper eighties for Independence Day, but should climb into the upper 90s on Friday, July 5. The heat could stick around through the middle of week. Some parts of the metro...
Our TV picks for Friday, July 5: Lingo; Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Lingo KOIN 8 p.m. Love word games? Good things as host RuPaul will have contestants’ tongues tied unravelling words in a race against time. Guess wrong, but have another letter from the right word, they go again. If not, the challenger gets a chance to win. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives FOOD 9 p.m. Where there’s smoke, there’s something heating up. Guy is on the road in Boulder, Colo., checking out a pizza place that knows how to spice things up. Then, Mesa, Ariz., offers tantalizing turnovers, while a BBQ joint in Memphis, Tenn., fans the flames.
Oregon Parks seeks public comment on proposed adjustments to rates charged to visitors
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is seeking public comment on a proposal to adjust the ranges of rates that parks can charge for camping and other facilities in state parks starting in summer 2025. Parks officials say regular adjustments to rate ranges are necessary to respond to increases in utility costs, operations and maintenance needs, plus inflation. Currently the rate range for tent campsites, for example, is $17 to $22 per night (plus any local lodging taxes). Rates vary by park and season. The proposal...
Watch out for these poisonous backyard plants
Spending time in the backyard can be restorative and relaxing. Is it any wonder that homeowners are increasingly improving their homes to blur the lines between the indoors and outside and enjoy more recreational moments in nature? Part of what makes a landscape inviting is the bevy of plants dotting suburban landscapes. Individuals may take painstaking pleasure in mapping out landscapes that are both functional and appealing. When selecting foliage, it’s wise for homeowners to familiarize themselves with certain plants that may not be very...
New plan keeps thousands on Oregon Health Plan coverage
Up to 30,000 people now, and 100,000 people eventually, will continue under state-supported health insurance for low-income households as part of a new Oregon Health Plan extension announced this week. The extension is known as the OHP Bridge Plan. It was announced Monday, July 1, by state officials, the top federal official for Medicaid — the joint program of health insurance for low-income people — and the chief executive of Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, which serves low-income people through 18 clinics in Washington and...
Our TV picks for Thursday, July 4: 2024 Copa America; Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives; A Capitol Fourth 2024
2024 Copa America KPTV 6 p.m. The cream always rises to the top as the best of Copa America have reached the quarterfinals. The United States hosts the tournament at NRG Stadium in Houston. Which teams will advance to the semifinals, hoping to earn a trip to the final? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives ...
Exploring Portland middle housing at the NW Natural Street of Dreams
Today, many Oregonians face high housing costs because the supply of diverse housing is so low. For a variety of reasons, the construction of more traditional housing types like single-family homes and apartment complexes has remained the primary form for any new housing built in the last several decades. However, given the growing housing crisis, Oregon became the first state in the nation to re-legalize another form of housing, often called “Missing Middle Housing.” ...
Oregon Democrats join 40 federal lawmakers urging rehearing on landmark youth climate case
More than three dozen Congressional Democrats, led by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, are hoping to help revive a landmark lawsuit against the U.S. government by 21 young Americans — including 11 Oregonians — over continued federal support for fossil fuel production and a failure to urgently mitigate the worst effects of climate change, violating the plaintiffs’ right to a livable environment. The case, Juliana v. United States, was first filed in the U.S. District Court in Eugene nearly 10 years ago. At the time, the...
Readers Respond: "Light fireworks responsibly"
It’s fireworks week in Oregon—exciting! But with the rising heat, Oregonians must remember to keep fireworks safe this year. Your Oregon News asked readers about their fireworks usage habits, and whether they support stricter regulations. Here’s what you said. About 85% of reader respondents said they support stricter regulations on the sale and use of fireworks in Oregon, in order to reduce wildfire risks. About 7% said they are neutral...
Anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim acts spur surge in reported hate incidents in Oregon
Hateful acts directed at Oregonians because of their religion drove an increase in reported bias-related crimes and non-criminal incidents over the past year, according to a report released Monday, July 1, by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. Oregonians in 2023 reported nearly 3,000 incidents of bias to a confidential state hotline, and about 20% of those incidents were related to the victim’s religion -- most targeted at Jewish people. As it has since the commission began collecting data in 2020, race remains the largest motivating...
Our TV picks for Wednesday, July 3: The Price Is Right; MasterChef; Reginald the Vampire
The Price Is Right KOIN 8 p.m. Celebrating active-duty military, veterans and their families, this Fourth of July special episode welcomes The Band of The Golden West from Sacramento, Calif., performing with airmen-musicians under the command of Lt. Col. Cristina Moore Urrutia. MasterChef ...
Democrats back cities limiting camping on public property
At least two Democrats say they want to revisit a 2021 law requiring Oregon cities to adopt “objectively reasonable” standards when they regulate the place, time and manner of camping on public property. The calls by Rep. Paul Evans of Monmouth and Sen. Mark Meek of Gladstone echo those made by the Republican minority leaders in the House and Senate on Friday. All did so after the U.S. Supreme Court...
Former Ida B. Wells students involved in fatal stolen vehicle crash
Two former Ida B. Wells students were killed and another seriously injured in a June 25 stolen vehicle crash. Portland Public Schools notified school families that Brasky and Jayden Rolon-Ekis died in the crash. The two were sophomores who had recently transferred to Portland Community College. The third student was not identified. According to the...
Oregon expands free Medicaid health insurance to tens of thousands more people
After two years of planning, Oregon is officially expanding its Medicaid program to provide tens of thousands of more people access to the free health insurance program. The Oregon Health Authority announced on Monday, July 1, the launch of its OHP Bridge Plan to those who earn more than the federal limits for traditional Medicaid. The Oregon Health Plan, the state’s version of Medicaid, currently covers 1.4 million Oregonians who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level, or nearly $21,000 per year for...
State council proposes new literacy requirements for teacher training and licensing
Oregon teacher colleges, plus future and current teachers hoping to get hired at public elementary schools in the state soon could be required to demonstrate a much more robust understanding of how to teach reading and writing than is currently required. Gov. Tina Kotek’s Early Literacy Educator Preparation Council — made up of K-12 and staff from Oregon teacher colleges, as well as literacy experts, an indigenous language expert and bipartisan state legislators — shared its final recommendations last week for overhauling literacy training for...
2024 BMW Z4 M40i keeps the traditional sports car spirit alive
When I was young and foolish, I owned a 1958 Triumph TR3 convertible sports car. It was beautiful, unreliable, and taught me what a sports car was supposed to be – a two-seat visceral driving experience slung low to the ground with the wind in your face, enhanced by a manual transmission that maximized your control of the engine on winding roads. Fast forward more years than I want to admit and there are not many convertible sports cars with manual transmissions anymore. The most...
Oregon reactions continue to pour in following U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Grants Pass homelessness case
Oregonians continued to speak out after the Friday, June 28, news that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a homelessness ordinance in Grants Pass, Oregon, saying the city’s prohibition on outdoor camping does not violate the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The ruling could pave the way for stricter rules on homelessness in every Oregon community, and the ripple effect could reach across state lines. ...
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The Southwest Community Connection has served the 17 neighborhoods of suburban Southwest Portland since 1994.
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