PORTLAND DRIZZLE

🤕Happy Thursday! It’s a great day to be alive- my surgery went well, and I’m slowly recovering. Thank you all for the nice messages you wrote to me. You are so sweet. Okay let’s get to it! Warm one today with a high of 79 and chance of rain. Nearby Longview is in the middle of a disaster: two workers are dead and nine more missing after a chemical tank imploded at a paper mill Tuesday. Portland City Council is moving to rename Cesar Chavez Boulevard. And the Jesse Calhoun case just got a fifth count. Congrats to Oregon for being the best state in the country.

The Multnomah County DA's office announced Tuesday that accused serial killer Jesse Calhoun has been charged with a fifth murder, the 2023 death of 22-year-old Ashley Real, whose body was found in a pond in Clackamas County. The announcement came three years to the day of her funeral. "We are dealing with five distinct tragedies tied to one individual," DA Nathan Vasquez said at an emotional news conference attended by families of all five victims. Calhoun was released early from prison in 2021 when then-Gov. Kate Brown commuted his sentence. He was already in custody on other charges when first indicted in 2024. The DA's office plans to try all five cases together. OPB

That’s where Jr Junk Services stands out. Family-owned in Portland, this is the team people call for the jobs others avoid—especially boat and trailer removal. I used Jr’s Junk Services recently, and Jose was great to work with. He showed up on time and made everything so easy for me. If you need something big gone without the stress, this is the move.

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A Portland City Council committee voted unanimously Tuesday to advance a proposal renaming Northeast and Southeast César E. Chávez Boulevard to Campesinos Boulevard, following a New York Times investigation earlier this year detailing allegations that Chávez sexually abused women and girls. The proposal, introduced by Councilor Loretta Smith, would bypass the normal process that requires 2,500 resident signatures. "Campesinos" means farmworkers in Spanish, and backers say the name honors the Latino labor movement rather than erasing it. The full council will now hold a hearing. If it passes, Portland's Bureau of Transportation has six months to replace signs along the seven-plus-mile stretch. Portland renamed 39th Avenue to Chávez Boulevard in 2009. KGW — Sidenote: seems like all the comments I see online are pretty much unanimous: just call it 39th!

A 900,000-gallon tank full of white liquor — a caustic chemical used in papermaking — imploded Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave plant in Longview, Washington, about 50 miles from Portland. Two workers are confirmed dead. Nine others remain unaccounted for, and authorities have shifted from a rescue operation to recovery. Eight more people, including a firefighter, were injured and hospitalized, with some treated at Portland's Oregon Burn Center. The first victim was identified by his family as Gilbert Bernal, a grandfather whose son also worked at the mill. The cause of the tank failure is still unclear, though Nippon had reportedly been cited recently for health and safety violations. KPTV

@pdx.backyardcrittercam I found this Instagram account that says “Urban wildlife in the Portland-area since 2024.” and has some great trail cam clips including this one from last week with a family of cute lil coyote pups playing! If you prefer to follow on Facebook they made a group HERE

May 28, 1926: The Burnside Bridge opened, connecting Portland's east and west sides for the first time. It's been carrying cars, and cyclists grudgingly, for exactly 100 years today.

BTW big congrats to Oregon for officially becoming the best state in the country MORE. Drop Tops all around!

by Michael Simpson Contact: [email protected]