PORTLAND DRIZZLE

🌎 Wednesday. Happy Earth Day. Portland's getting 52 degrees and rain, which is honestly the most Earth Day weather possible. Mayor Wilson dropped a $160 million budget problem on everyone this week, a firefighter is in jail, and Central Catholic shut down for two days after a baseball player used a racial slur.

Central Catholic High School in Portland shifted to remote learning Monday and Tuesday after a member of the school's varsity baseball team used racial hate speech during a pre-game cheer. School administrators learned of the incident — reportedly used on more than one occasion before games against Lake Oswego and Gresham — when a parent reported it to the head coach. The team forfeited two games, April 16 and 17, and players issued a school-wide apology at an April 17 assembly. The school called the language "offensive, harmful, and in direct conflict with who we are as a school community" and said it's "especially mindful of the harm this has caused to our Black students, families, and community members." Central Catholic enrolls 865 students, 37% of whom are students of color. KATU

Mayor Keith Wilson dropped his proposed 2026-27 budget Monday, and it is not a fun read. The city faces a $160 million general fund shortfall, driven by lagging property taxes, remote work hollowing out downtown real estate, and a $33 million hit from federal tax changes. Wilson's $8.5 billion budget proposal cuts 203 positions while adding 58, for a net loss of 145 jobs. Police, fire stations, and parks stay open — but the PPB takes $21.7 million in cuts, park maintenance loses $3 million, and 911 dispatch gets trimmed. The city is also pulling $27 million in interest from the Portland Clean Energy Fund to plug gaps. City Council holds a public budget hearing today starting at 9:30 a.m. OPB

Portland Fire & Rescue firefighter Andrew Ligatich, 43, turned himself in Monday and was booked into Multnomah County Detention Center on five felony counts — three counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse and two counts of using a child in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators with the Portland Police Bureau's Internet Crimes Against Children unit traced illegal content uploads to an IP address at a Portland fire station. The investigation was initiated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children back in August 2025. Ligatich had been on paid administrative leave since July. He was moved to unpaid leave after a grand jury indictment returned April 16. portland.gov

Portland's Bureau of Transportation offers free bike and walk maps covering the whole city — neighborhood by neighborhood, with greenways, bike lanes, transit stops, parks, and suggested loop rides all marked. Print copies at most bike shops and libraries, or order them mailed to you. Portland.gov has the full collection.

On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day drew 20 million Americans into the streets. The world is crazy and scary sometimes, but there are still people who care.

Happy Earth Day, everyone. Do something that helps the planet. Or don’t- I’m not your mom.

by Michael Simpson Contact: [email protected]