As first reported on Blogtown, West Burnside's Rocco's Pizza suddenly shuttered Sunday, March 6. The iconic by-the-slice joint was a people-watching institution and greasy-food standby for 18 years in a neighborhood that's gone through a lot of changes—chiefly that its real market property value has almost tripled. But it seems that money woes and personal problems at the family-owned business led to its surprise closing. "They just kind of closed silently, boarded it up," says Danny Belrose, who worked at the Rocco's bar, which opened in 2010. He was given only two days' notice that he would be out of a job. A statement from the family of owner Nicola DeNicola blamed "challenging financial times" and "unforeseeable family challenges." SARAH MIRK

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A new study by a Swiss researcher who's never even visited Portland says the city's 2030 Bike Plan will pay for itself by 2032 thanks to citywide savings on health care and fuel. Researcher Thomas Gotschi's cost-benefit breakdown of the bike plan, first reported in the Portland Tribune, shows that if Portland actually hits its mark of spending $605 million to get 25 percent of citizens riding bikes, Portland will save $594 million on health care and $218 million on fuel. The cost of the bike network came under major criticism when Portland City Council unanimously approved the long-range plan last spring. SM