PORTLAND DRIZZLE

☄️Wednesday and loving it! Sunny and 70 today. Portland's top public safety official is out- abruptly, with no real explanation. Also, the Waterfront might get a sexy little makeover, and a skeleton found in 2004 has finally been identified. A heads-up for drivers: Broadway Bridge closed yesterday for emergency repairs and might not yet be open today, even for the streetcar.

Tom McCall Waterfront Park was born from a picnic. In 1969, a few hundred Portlanders staged a "consciousness-raising" lunch on a strip of land wedged against Harbor Drive to protest the freeway. It worked. The road came down in 1974, the park opened in 1978, and Portland patted itself on the back for fifty years. Now comes the harder question: why is so much of it empty? The central lawn — designed as a blank canvas — mostly just hosts geese. Metro Chamber president Andrew Hoan, who runs there daily, says it looks like a Canada goose landing strip. Portland Parks & Recreation has a $750,000 Metro grant to run a national design competition for the Bowl south of the Hawthorne Bridge — think terraced seating, an outdoor stage, market kiosks, even a beachfront. Semifinalists this fall, a final report to council in late 2027. No construction timeline, no committed funds yet. PDX Monthly

Some things in Portland are complicated. A clean home shouldn’t be one of them.

Em-Maculate is a local boutique cleaning service founded by Emmy — a one-woman operation turned heart-led team. Recurring cleanings, deep cleans, move-in/move-out, commercial spaces. New clients start with a thorough deep clean so every visit after stays consistent. First-time customers get $25 off. Emmy has been cleaning my house for a few weeks now and literally she is the best. She’s punctual, she’s easy to work with, and it’s the little things with her, like things I wouldn’t even think to clean. Five stars from me! Book online at emmaculatecleaningpdx.com.

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Robert Lee Horton moved from Hawaii to Portland in 2004. His family couldn't reach him. Mail piled up. Then nothing, for 21 years. In December 2004, two people exploring a wooded area near Riverview Cemetery in Southwest Portland found fully skeletonized remains, a fabric lean-to, cooking pans, and some clothing. The cause of death was never determined. DNA testing went nowhere for years. The case was reopened in late 2025, and by April 2026, a DNA sample from Horton's elderly mother came back at 100 percent probability. The family was notified. His mother died shortly after. Horton was 47 when he disappeared. Police Chief Bob Day called it a commitment to providing resolution for families. Which it was, just barely in time. KVAL

Bob Cozzie, the deputy city administrator who oversees Portland's police, fire, and emergency communications bureaus, is leaving the city on May 18. City Administrator Raymond Lee announced the departure Tuesday morning with no explanation. Cozzie has been in the role for just 11 months. He was brought in last June after his predecessor also left. Before that, the Portland Housing Bureau director resigned abruptly. The Bureau of Emergency Management director resigned unexpectedly in February. Lee said he'll oversee the public safety bureaus himself while conducting a national search for a replacement. That's more than 2,200 employees and a $611 million budget under temporary leadership, during an active budget crisis. Cozzie will receive a year's salary, $275,808, upon departure. Portland Mercury

From Portland Monthly: “9 Picture Perfect Wildflower Hikes Within 90 Minutes of Portland.” I posted this a month ago and people liked it so I’m sharing it again while the blooms are still blooming and our legs are still working.

On May 6, 1905, the Wallowa National Forest was established in northeastern Oregon. 2.2 million acres of Hells Canyon country that somehow survived being turned into farmland.

How many cinnamon rolls did you eat yesterday?

by Michael Simpson Contact: [email protected]