ON WEDNESDAY, March 6, city commissioners were once again warned that the city's assets are losing value. Repeating earlier claims made by city employees, auditors from the private firm Moss Adams told Portland City Council that the city's infrastructure and possessions are wearing out faster than they're being replaced: things like parks and roads, and equipment such as trucks and other vehicles. Over the past decade, this loss has amounted to a more than $1 billion hit in the city's net worth. The biggest loss comes from the miles and miles of city roads that need repaving. NATHAN GILLES

_____________________________________________________________

Ever since a five-year-old girl was struck and killed on SE 136th, a growing chorus has been urging Mayor Charlie Hales not to cut funding for a nearby sidewalk project. That long-slated work—just blocks from where Morgan Maynard-Cook was hit on February 28—is in jeopardy after the Portland Bureau of Transportation proposed axing it to help pay for road maintenance. Active transport types and East Portland advocates aren't having it. Two letters—one from advocacy organizations, one from state legislators—have urged funding, as well as an online petition, which has garnered more than 640 signatures. Hales' spokesman says the mayor hasn't decided whether to support the project. DIRK VANDERHART