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Good morning, Portland! Hopefully you got to enjoy a three-day weekend.
Summer vibes are rolling in strong this week, so here’s your reminder to stay hydrated. Today we’re in for a mostly sunny day with a high of 81!
Good Morning, News took a day off yesterday, so there’s plenty to catch up on.
In Local News:
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Five years later: Last weekend marked the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death. ICYMI: The Mercury teamed up with local writer and former Portland NAACP vice president Donovan Scribes, for a special issue to reflect on the anniversary. BlackOut: A 5-year Retrospective is a collection of essays from local Black writers who reflect on the impact of 2020’s racial justice protests, the progress (and lack thereof), and what a future rooted in justice could look like for Portland. Find the issue online and in print tucked inside our Food is Community issue, in hundreds of locations across the city.
On May 25, 2020, 10,000 people staged a “die-in” on the Burnside Bridge to protest the murder of George Floyd. Donovan Scribes reflects on the symbolism, and what it means today in “BlackOut: A 5-Year Retrospective on Portland’s Racial Justice Movement.” Find it in print at 500+ locations citywide.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com)May 25, 2025 at 8:42 AM
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Money problems: In other “things that happened last week that are still very relevant” news, after a grueling, day-long budget session last Wednesday, the Portland City Council approved an $8.5 billion budget for the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year. The path to get there wasn’t pretty. Councillors submitted more than 120 suggested amendments to the budget released earlier this month by Mayor Keith Wilson. They ran into sharp disagreement over key budget issues, like whether to slash part of the increase set aside for the Portland Police Bureau. A controversial plan to divert $2 million from PPB to the city’s parks department found the minimum seven votes needed. It was approved despite outcry from some councilors, who leaned on boogeyman tactics and called the vote a move to “defund” the police (they should really stop throwing that word around aimlessly.) We broke down more key takeaways and dialogue among councilors in this budget recap.
Portland city councilors proposed more than 120 amendments to the mayor’s budget, including a proposal to close 2 community centers, which has since been withdrawn. The path to Wednesday’s budget approval was grueling and contentious.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) May 24, 2025 at 9:47 AM
- Population bump: Portland gained population last year for the first time since 2020, OPB reports. Counts from the US Census Bureau and Portland State University indicate the Rose City gained 1,435 people between July 2023 and July 2024. That leaves the city’s population at 635,750, which is still about 17,000 people less than we had in 2020.
- Wildfire season is the party guest no one invited: The first big wildfire of the year is burning in a remote area about nine miles north of Clarno, KATU reports. The blaze, which is burning in an unincorporated area managed by the Bureau of Land Management reached 3,000 acres Monday night. The cause is still under investigation.
In National/World News:
- Party animals: Why are some cats orange? A researcher in Japan might have found the answer in a genetic mutation (a missing segment of a gene, actually) that causes the bright-colored felines to develop orange coats. The research suggests the Garfields of the world are more likely to be male cats, whereas calico and tortoiseshell fur is more common in females. Popular Mechanics notes orange tabby cats are missing a gene that dictates their hair coloring, noting they possess “a type of deletion mutation, meaning that a segment of a gene is missing.”
- Former cop escapes prison: A former police chief in Arkansas serving concurring prison sentences for first-degree murder and rape used a fake uniform to escape prison over the weekend. Authorities say Grant Hardin, 56, was able to exit the correctional facility through a controlled entryway on Sunday afternoon. Hardin was sentenced in 2017 for the murder of James Appleton, a water department employee in the tiny town of Gateway, where Hardin briefly served as police chief. After his arrest, he was later convicted of raping a school teacher in 1997, after his DNA was linked to the crime. Police say they consider Hardin dangerous.
Be on alert as it is likely that he has already been rehired.
— Sen. Lemon Gogurt (@ugarles.bsky.social) May 26, 2025 at 9:27 AM
- Gaza aid under Israel’s thumb: The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is taking over aid distribution in war-ravaged Gaza, but the organization has already hit a major snag, and lacks support from the UN or other aid groups, the AP reports. GHF is a new organization founded by former American security contractors, military officers, and humanitarian workers. It took over aid distribution in Gaza after Israel demanded a different approach, accusing Hamas of holding back a portion of critical supplies. GHF’s leader, a US military veteran named Jake Wood, resigned Sunday, saying the organization wasn’t going to be able to operate independently of Israel. For months, Israel blocked food, medicine and other critical supplies from entering Gaza, driving the region toward famine, the AP notes. Israel eased its grip on aid to Gaza last week on the condition that GHF lead the efforts.
That’s it for today, but here’s a palate cleanser. (Sound on!)
