🐴 Happy Friday the 13th. Atmospheric river again today, highs around 50°F. The good news: the weekend dries out a bit. We’re kicking off St. Patrick's Day weekend with the Kells Irish Festival at the waterfront.
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🚨 THE NEWS
Portland Thorns Are Back — And They've Got a Point to Prove
The Portland Thorns unveiled their final 2026 roster Thursday ahead of today's season opener, and the expectations are not modest. Coming off a 2025 campaign that ended in a first-round playoff exit, head coach Rhian Wilkinson has retooled the squad with two new international signings and a revamped midfield. Sophia Wilson is returning. Fan interest is running high — the opener at Providence Park is reportedly close to a sellout. The Thorns have always drawn well relative to the league, but this feels different.
PCC Walks Out — And Doesn't Plan to Walk Back In Quietly
More than 2,000 Portland Community College faculty and classified staff hit the picket lines Wednesday in what is officially the first community college strike in Oregon history. After 11 months of failed negotiations, both the Federation of Faculty and Academic Professionals and the Federation of Classified Employees said they'd had enough of the administration's offer of roughly a 0.35% cost-of-living increase — while, the unions point out, the president's office budget grew by $17 million. PCC responded by going fully remote and saying campuses couldn't operate safely without staff. The next mediation session is Monday. 50,000-plus students are in limbo. One worker put it plainly: if they can't afford to live here, they can't afford to work here.
A Torch, a Trash Can, and a Portland Institution in Ruins
The arrest came Wednesday night. Catherine E. Stough, 56, was booked into Multnomah County Detention Center after Portland Fire & Rescue investigators determined she was the person who accidentally destroyed Elephants Delicatessen's flagship NW 22nd Avenue location early Tuesday morning. Stough was using an open-flame torch to peer into garbage cans near the building — which dates to 1947 — when the flame caught combustible material inside. The fire spread fast, punching through the roof and collapsing part of the structure. No one was hurt. Stough faces reckless burning and second-degree criminal mischief charges. The Elephants CEO says he hopes to rebuild.
📚 ON THIS DAY
On March 13, 1781, astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus.
🥳 UPCOMING EVENTS
🌧️ Well…
Wear green this weekend. If you're heading to the waterfront for the Kells Irish Festival tonight, the city's Safe Ride Home program has discounted Uber, Lyft, and taxi rides from 6pm to 2:30am through Tuesday. There's no excuse for a DUI this weekend. Sláinte.
by Michael Simpson Contact: [email protected]