PORTLAND DRIZZLE

🪇Tuesday fine okay whatever. Happy Cinco de Mayo. Low 69, mostly sunny- ideal for standing outside at Tom McCall with a margarita. The MAC investigation continues as the driver's identity and motive come into focus. Sidenote: when I was searching “MAC attack” I found this website for a Hillsboro ghost kitchen called MacAttack and Wingz, and I just thought that was interesting. Also: the old Chuck E. Cheese on Powell is becoming a pickleball club, and yes, they're keeping the sign.

The Chuck E. Cheese on SE Powell has been empty since October 2020, vacant, graffitied, and very much a vibe. That ends this summer. Project manager Loan Nguyen has signed a 10-year lease on the 12,000-square-foot building at 9120 SE Powell and is converting it into Rose City Pickleball: five courts, a pro shop, beer and wine, and a small cafe serving acai bowls and banh mi. Nguyen, who also owns Takara Sushi in the Pearl, discovered pickleball after back pain ended her tennis days. Construction is underway. Target opening: July. And yes, the old Chuck E. Cheese sign frame stays on the building. The mouse is out. The logo is in. KGW

Court records show Bruce Whitman had been threatening the Multnomah Athletic Club for years. As far back as 2022, the former MAC bartender threatened to destroy the building and showed up at the homes of six different members, according to Multnomah County Circuit Court records. At a press conference Monday, Portland police officially confirmed Whitman as the driver who died when his rental vehicle — loaded with approximately 20 propane tanks and improvised explosive devices — crashed through the club's front entrance early Saturday. Most devices failed to detonate. The MAC remains closed. Restoration crews were on site Monday. No timeline for reopening has been given. OPB

Oregon's forests are heading into another brutal season. The state forestry department warned Monday that trees — particularly Douglas firs — are already showing signs of drought damage from last year, with dead tops and weakened root systems visible across the region. A historically warm winter left snowpack well below average, and forecasters expect another hot, dry summer that will compound the stress. Drought-weakened trees are more vulnerable to beetle infestations and wildfire. The first wildfire of the season near Sisters already burned 40 acres in the Deschutes National Forest this past weekend. Foresters say the damage accumulates year over year — trees that survive one drought are less equipped to handle the next. Flash Alert Portland

Portland Cinnamon Rolls: Do you love cinnamon rolls? So does Uwe La Rog. That’s why he set out to eat, rate, and review every single cinnamon roll in Portland as a public service to the town he loves. I think the website is a few years outdated so double-check a place is open before you take his recommendation. It’s things like this that make me love this place. WEBSITE

May 5, 1945: A Japanese balloon bomb exploded near Bly, Oregon, killing six picnickers. The only WWII combat deaths on the US mainland.

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by Michael Simpson Contact: [email protected]