PORTLAND DRIZZLE

🦣Thursday, y’all. Temperatures creeping back to 54° today with just a 20% chance of rain — which in Portland we call "go outside." The Blazers are back in the playoffs for the first time in five years, a Portland influencer died under mysterious circumstances in Zanzibar, and Willamette Week has some uncomfortable questions about what the head of Portland's housing authority was doing in Hawaii.

Ashly Robinson — who posted as Ashlee Jenae and had built a following of over 100,000 on Instagram — died during a birthday trip to a luxury villa at the Zuri Zanzibar resort in Tanzania. She was 31. Her family released a statement last Sunday saying she was found unconscious in her villa and died shortly after being rushed to a hospital. Her fiancé, Joe McCann, was with her. The family says an active investigation is underway, that they have "many questions," and that they're working with local officials to find answers. Robinson was based in Portland and known for lifestyle content. No cause of death has been announced. TMZ

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Home Forward is $35 million in the hole. Units sit vacant an average of 185 days. And while all of that was happening, CEO Ivory Mathews spent over $100,000 in taxpayer money on travel between 2023 and 2025, according to a Willamette Week investigation published Tuesday. That's 45 days a year, on average, hopping to NAHRO conferences, D.C. lobbying trips, and one six-day jaunt to Hawaii that the agency justified because it had formed an insurance company there. A comparable county housing director spent $54 on travel last year. The Home Forward board says Mathews' national networking strengthens the agency. City Councilor Eric Zimmerman, who is not on the board, called the situation "damning." Mathews' salary has grown 59% since she was hired. Willamette Week

Down 11 in the fourth quarter, staring at elimination, the Trail Blazers looked like the same team that spent the last four years breaking your heart on a Tuesday in March. Then Deni Avdija went off. The Israeli forward — first-time All-Star, and apparently a man who runs on drama — dropped 41 points in Tuesday night's play-in win over Phoenix, capping it with a go-ahead layup with 16 seconds left. A Matisse Thybulle strip sealed it. Portland wins 114-110, claims the 7 seed in the West, and now faces the San Antonio Spurs in the first round beginning Sunday. That's Victor Wembanyama on the other side. The good news: Avdija averaged 31.7 points against San Antonio this season. The bad news: Wembanyama didn't play in those games. Still. This city needed something to feel good about. For now, it's this. OPB

On April 16, 1943, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann accidentally absorbed a compound he'd synthesized and became the first person to experience an LSD trip.

😻 OREGON HUMANE SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT

Rothbart is 11 going on fabulous. This social, couch-ready lovebug is looking for someone 😻doesn't mind a little daily medication and a cat who will absolutely take over the good cushion. Hyperthyroidism and arthritis mean he needs some extra care — but he gives extra back. $50 adoption fee. MORE

Bye, Chauncey Billups. We don’t miss you.

by Michael Simpson Contact: [email protected]