PORTLAND DRIZZLE

🦜Happy Monday. The heat wave breaks a little — high of 75° after yesterday's scorcher. Which, given what happened Saturday morning on SW Salmon Street, feels like the city could use a deep breath anyway.

Early Saturday, a man drove an explosives-laden car through the front entrance of the Multnomah Athletic Club around 3 a.m. and died in the resulting fire. Police and FBI investigators spent the better part of the day using robots to remove incendiary and improvised devices, some already partially detonated, from the building. The Metro Explosive Disposal Unit called it the most complex scene their bomb tech had worked in 13 years on the job. A law enforcement source told FOX 12 the driver was a 49-year-old former MAC employee named Bruce Whitman, who the club had been warning members about since 2022 after he approached members at their homes. The club sustained "significant but contained" damage. No members, staff, or guests were injured. Police said there's no evidence of terrorism and believe it was an isolated incident. The medical examiner has not yet formally identified the driver due to ongoing safety concerns at the scene. OPB

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Multnomah County DA Nathan Vasquez is sounding the alarm about proposed cuts to his office in the county's 2026–27 budget. County Chair Jessica Vega Peterson's plan would slice about $3.5 million, roughly 5, from the DA's $55.1 million budget, potentially eliminating up to 20 positions, including eight to ten deputy district attorneys. Vasquez called it "the single largest defunding of the district attorney's office in the history of Multnomah County." He warned it could kill the auto theft and burglary task forces and a pre-trial monitoring program serving about 450 people. Vasquez said homicides have dropped from a high of more than 100 countywide in 2022 to 66 last year and called this a critical moment not to blink. The county board is set to adopt a final budget on June 4. KGW

Portland City Council gave a first reading last week to Councilor Sameer Kanal's "Right to Know" ordinance, which would ban face coverings for local officers and direct Portland Police to investigate and document any masked agents operating in the city. Mayor Keith Wilson sent a memo urging council to drop it, citing a Ninth Circuit ruling that struck down a similar California law, and warning that the federal administration "is hungry for a win in Portland." Kanal pushed back, arguing the ordinance doesn't regulate federal agents but directs city employees to document encounters — a legal distinction he says survives the court ruling. The city's police union added another wrinkle: they say any changes to officer protocols must be collectively bargained before the ordinance passes, not after. It's the kind of fight where everyone is technically right and nothing gets resolved. KPTV

Portland Nursery has been helping Portland grow since 1907 — with two SE locations on Stark and Division, monthly gardening tips, and classes all season long. This month’s tips include: smart watering, mulching, and pond prep. HERE

May 4, 1923: Benson High School launched Portland's first public radio station. A century later, kids are just on their phones in class. Progress.

The bomb squad called it the most complex scene in 13 years. The rest of us just wanted to use the pool.

by Michael Simpson Contact: [email protected]