PORTLAND DRIZZLE

Friday Freaky Friday 80 degrees and overcast coming into a cooler weekend. Should be perfect for the Thorns game Saturday. Today we have some big grant money offered to Portland entrepeneurs, there’s a delayed tax hike (for once😋), and a ride mishap at Oaks Park that left riders "screaming for their lives, throwing up, crying, passing out, and praying to God for 25 minutes until the ride was finally lowered to the ground,” There’s some compensation at least.

OOPSIE: So yesterday I told you about the East Portland Plant Club. I did such a poor job editing that I made it sound like it was my project. It’s not. This is run by Chris Musser.

A Multnomah County jury awarded $275,000 each to two teens left dangling upside down on Oaks Park's AtmosFEAR ride in June 2024. Xitlali Gomez-Salais and Evie Yannotta, then 13 and 14, were among 28 riders stuck about 100 feet in the air for 25 minutes when the pendulum ride malfunctioned. Both Oaks Park and ride maker Zamperla admitted fault a week before trial, after more than two years of denying it. Jurors voted 10-2 to award the $550,000 total, well under the $2 million the teens sought. Oaks Park called the case now resolved. Willamette Week

“Real passion for animals”. Nate's Hot Dogs Pet Care clients are loving his attention to dogs of every personality, including reactive pups who need extra patience. Walks come with genuine communication before and after, so you always know how your dog's day went. Services: dog walking, drop-in visits, pet sitting, and pet portrait photography. BBB accredited, Portland-based, and available.

Call 949-532-9072 to book Nate today.

Portland is putting $800,000 in taxpayer money toward filling empty storefronts. Mayor Keith Wilson launched the Vacant Storefront Grant this week through Prosper Portland, helping businesses cover costs of moving into vacant street level spaces. The city will reimburse up to 75% of eligible buildout costs, with caps ranging from $25,000 for retail to $100,000 for grocery stores. Businesses need at least three years left on their lease, and the money won't cover rent, payroll, or inventory. It's reimbursement based, so businesses pay first. Funds go first come, first served until the $800,000 runs out. KATU

Multnomah County commissioners are on track to delay a scheduled tax increase for Preschool for All, pushing a planned 0.8% hike from 2027 to 2029. The county's technical advisory group recommended the delay after updated birth and migration data showed fewer children will likely need publicly funded preschool by 2030 than projected. Chair Jessica Vega Pederson says the move keeps the program fiscally responsible while preserving the option to raise the tax later. Commissioners finish voting on the proposal Aug. 27. Preschool for All is funded by a tax on the county's highest earners. Willamette Week

Annual Guide to Getting Kids Back to School, by Willamette Week, has some great info on different schools and extracurriculars.

Two Northeast Portland restaurants made The New York Times' new list of 41 great Mexican restaurants nationwide. Ki'ikibáa, on 82nd Avenue, earned praise for its Yucatecan cooking, especially panuchos and salbutes topped with cochinita pibil. Mis Tacones, on Killingsworth, was loved for it’s most excellent 100% vegan menu. Take that, LA.

On Aug. 21, 2017, the first coast to coast total solar eclipse in 99 years crossed the country, its path of totality passing right through Oregon, just south of Portland.

Get your blackberries picked and frozen before it’s too late by Michael Simpson Contact: [email protected]