Cool and damp, high of 53°F — classic early March in the Rose City. AccuWeather shows a high of 53° and a low of 46° today. Pack a jacket if you're headed out tonight. The Oregon Legislature is in its final days, and the Moda Center funding bill is headed to the House. Big weekend ahead.
🚨 THE NEWS
Oregon Wants to Buy Abiqua Falls.
State lawmakers have announced a plan to purchase Abiqua Falls — the stunning, tucked-away waterfall in the Cascade foothills that Oregonians have been sneaking onto private land to photograph for years. The proposal would bring it into public ownership and finally make that Instagram pilgrimage legal. No word yet on whether the state plans to build a parking lot big enough for all the people who are about to show up the moment this becomes official. Details on price and timeline are still being worked out, but for once, Salem is doing something most Oregonians can agree on.
🏀 The Moda Deal Has a Hidden Profit Question Nobody's Talking About Loudly Enough
Oregon's Senate passed the $600 million Moda Center renovation bill this week, and sure, everyone's been focused on the price tag. But buried in the last-minute amendments is a more interesting question: who actually gets to profit from a publicly subsidized arena makeover? The short answer is that it depends entirely on language that was quietly inserted near the finish line. Developers, the Blazers organization, and the Rose Quarter's surrounding commercial interests all have skin in the game — and not all of them are being equally transparent about it. The House still has to pass this thing. Read the fine print before you cheer.
Oregon's Snowpack Is Historically Bad. Wildfire Season Is Already Watching.
It's March and Oregon's snowpack is tracking toward one of the worst years ever recorded. The mountains that are supposed to be storing water for the summer — the same mountains that feed rivers, farms, and reservoirs — are running dangerously low. Fire officials are already war-gaming a brutal summer, and water managers aren't exactly sleeping well either. The dry winter that felt kind of nice in January is looking a lot less charming now that the consequences are coming into focus. Enjoy the rain today, Portland. You might miss it by July.
📚 ON THIS DAY
On March 6, 1915, ground was broken for the Interstate Bridge— the span connecting Portland and Vancouver, WA, which has been arguing about its replacement ever since. Some things never change.
🥳 UPCOMING EVENTS
Well…
That's your Friday, Portland. Wear something you don't mind getting rained on — and if you're headed to the Thorns game tonight, maybe pack an extra layer. Whether you're watching St. Vincent at the Schnitz or watching Chauncey Billups on the courtroom livestream, it's a big weekend. Stay dry out there.
by Michael Simpson