Feature Stories

By Nancy Tannler The iconic old building that faces Hawthorne Blvd. at Mt. Tabor is now reinforced in case The Big One hits. Despite the commotion of the deconstruction and

By Don MacGillivray Portland used to be a distant second to the likes of Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and even New York City. In many areas we still have

By Midge Pierce Seventeen street capsigns featuring the likeness of Ethiopian Exchange student Mulugeta Seraw (murdered 30 years ago near Laurelhurst Park) now stand in the Kerns neighborhood as lasting

By Brandon Spencer-Hartle City Planner This winter, the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability  (BPS) partners with the University of Oregon Historic Preservation Program to conduct a historic resource survey

By John Palmeri, Branch Manager, OnPoint Community Credit Union Hawthorne Branch As the holiday season approaches and the spirit of holiday giving takes hold, it’s a good time to take

By Wesley Ward, Portland Neighbors for Diesel Action Clean-air construction on public sites in seven years?! Is that the best we can do? Our City Council and County Commission are

By Midge Pierce As SE Portland’s commercial corridors grow and change, so too do the eating habits of residents. Cavier, GrubHub and even Amazon are the future of Portland’s food

For the third time in eleven years, La Bamba Restaurante, 4908 SE Powell Blvd. received a 100 percent score from the Multnomah County Health Department. This perfect score is a

Flute in hand, I untwist the wire, ease the cork, tip the bottle and slide this pale gold (or pink) offering down the side of its next to last container.

By Representative Rob Nosse The election and what comes next Wow. What a difference two years makes. I still remember Election Night in 2016: leaving a party a little hopeful

By Nancy Tannler The iconic Andy & Bax Outdoor Store has been in business since 1945 when two army buddies, Edgar Baxter and Andy Anderson started selling WWII army surplus

By Jack Rubinger SE Portland’s Not-Your-Average Joe Mishkin remembers performing magic shows for the neighborhood kids in Indianapolis when he was seven years old. He started doing restaurant table magic

By David Krogh Media estimates put the homeless count in Portland at +/- 5000 with increases around 10% per year. Portland has become a draw for the homeless population from

By David Krogh Note: The conference identity was inadvertently edited out.  It was the annual conference of the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association held the first week in October

By Nancy Tannler The Lone Fir Cemetery’s Tour of Untimely Departures will not be taking place on Halloween this year, but fortunately for story lovers, Bettie Lennett Denny got the

By Don MacGillivray The history of housing affordability in Portland is complex. Thirty years ago, inner city neighborhoods were affordable for low-income tenants. Over time, these areas slowly increased in

By Midge Pierce Self-taught Eastside artist Laurel McSpadden takes no short-cuts crafting a personal approach to her customized paintings. “I want my painting to feel like receiving a handwritten letter

From indigenous American tribal gatherings to the privations of early Portland pioneers; through roaming cougars to the formation of pig farms and grand estates; from picnicking along Sullivan’s Gulch Creek

By Nancy Tannler After dealing with a lifelong weight struggle, Tammy Salvato eventually found a solution at a gym in NE Portland. It was here she met Mary Drinkhouse, a

By Midge Pierce Despite the City’s long-standing promise to establish a nearby recreation and community center, inner SE lacks city-funded resources comparable to other parts of the City. As that

By Karen Oehler At a special luncheon in August, NorthStar Clubhouse, a mental health recovery community, received checks totaling $6000 from 100 Women Who Care, an organization that donates money

Sunday, August 26; 11am – 6 pm Celebrate 35 years with neighbors and friends! Whether you bike it, walk it or drive to it, join Hawthorne Merchants, local non-profits and

By Emily Puro On the west side of SE 12th Ave. between Hawthorne and Madison, sits a black concrete building that, like so many other buildings in inner SE, appears

By Midge Pierce For transcontinental cross- Canada cyclist Katie Spillane, SE Portland was the mid-point, time-wise, in her solo bike trip from Quebec to Colorado. With the most grueling mountain

Summertime… and the singing is easy. From farmer’s markets to backyard barbecues, hearty voices raise in song. At a patio in Colonial Heights, SE Portland-based PDX Vox marks summer with

YAY SUMMER!  The short, sublime, Pacific Northwest summer is at our doorstep and there just are not enough days to do it all. Decisions must be made! Here’s a plug

By Allen Field On the morning of June 16, approximately 100 orange-vested volunteers fanned out from Central Christian Church on SE Cesar E Chavez Blvd. walking to Hawthorne Blvd. and

By Jack Rubinger As a saxophonist, I’ve played in unusual combinations, but I’ve never jammed with two cellists before and I’ve never heard two cellists trade fours. That’s the kind

Safe and Sane Sparklers Mother Liberty turns 242 years old this week and what better way to salute her than with a Safe & Sane Sparkler.  While she probably deserves

60 Vendors, lots of Food and Farms We are located in the Central Christian church parking lot at 1844 SE Cesar Estrada Chavez Blvd portland 97214, Tuesdays from 4pm to

The new oak and elm trees gracing Cesar Chavez and Lincoln are thanks to a BES city program that encourages businesses to plant trees. All Weitzer Company had to do

By Nancy Tannler The City of Readers [Roses] lost one of their dearest book lovers when the owner of Longfellow’s Books, 1401 SE Division St., Jon Hagen, died last winter.

By Jack Rubinger The pig in the blue sports car spoke to me from a small canvas located in a spacious art studio at the Tabor Heights Community Education Resource

By Jack Rubinger A thousand exclamation marks can barely contain the enthusiasm, excitement and energy Liz Campbell feels since she’s gotten a new kidney, courtesy of Emily Lighthipe, who read

By Jack Rubinger Woody Wheeler and his business partner, Prescott Allen, first got involved with the Laurelhurst Theater in July 1999. They took over the business and converted the venue

By Leah Fisher, SE Uplift Planning Program Manager Looking for a way to make a difference in your community? Neighborhood Association (NA) elections are around the corner and with that

By Michelle Frost If you have not been to Whitewood Gardens Residential Care, then you have not seen how vital and unique senior living can be. This retirement and assisted

Dr. Vino (Rory Olson) is the proprietor of Portland Wine Merchant located at 1430 SE 35th just off Hawthorne Blvd. I recently ran into one of our Westside competitors at

By Midge Pierce The beloved Belmont Goats need to find a new batch of clover. The herd’s current lease at SE Harold and 92nd expires in June as plans shape

By Nancy Tannler   Just as we are waking up, we sometimes catch a glimpse of our neighbor Larry Kirby returning from his daily exercise – riding his elliptical bike.

By Nancy Tannler All the canine/feline and pet lovers of SE Portland will be happy to know there’s a new vet in town. Dr. Val Johnson recently opened the Buckman

By Michelle Frost The buzz in fashion this spring is a new mix-up of streetwear and art. Whether it’s shoes, casual wear or evening gowns, people are ready for styles

In times of trouble, a nest is a perfect place to rest. Best done in the fetal position, we’re told –unless, of course, you’re a bird or a kid taking

By Jack Rubinger From his studio in the 21-story Yard apartment building on the corner of Burnside and NE 2nd, Stuart Coates enjoys unbeatable views, an easy walk to downtown

By Tom Senkus Walking into TaborSpace’s Bell Tower Coffee (5441 SE Belmont St.), lead barista Kjirsten Tornfelt is casually educating a customer about the newest trend in coffee: oat milk.

By Jack Rubinger Ever wonder who is living in the new apartment buildings in your neighborhood? As Portland continues to grow, the number of more citified apartment buildings has grown,

By Matthew Galaher Helping to sustain neighborhood integrity and character while stemming the tide of demolition, one home at a time Recently on a drive to a client’s home our

Ever since the City completed the $1.4 billion Big Pipe project in 2011, discharges of untreated sewage into the Willamette River have largely dissipated. The stretch of river passing through

By Nancy Tannler The League of Women Voters held an informative discussion this month that put a face on those who are houseless for those in attendance. Four panelists who

By Don MacGillivray Oaks Bottom is one of the few natural areas remaining along the Willamette River area in the Portland region. Probably the largest and most complex natural area

By Nancy Tannler Meeting the lucky people who find passion in their work is a consistent theme of local business owners here in SE Portland. Terre Phillips, owner of Portland

  We have no doubt that many of you suffer from these reactions and don’t dispute that reactions can be caused by some red wines, but the premise of this

By Maruska Lynch Being able to get to a medical appointment or to the grocery store should be easy, but many older adults and people with disabilities in our community

By Tom Senkus Take a book, leave a book. Maybe you’ve seen them on walks or bike rides, but Little Free Libraries (LFLs) are everywhere in SE Portland. Perhaps it’s

By Michelle Frost Since its founding in 1951, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has conserved more than 119 million acres of land, protected 5,000 river miles worldwide, and now operates 250

By Don MacGillivray Earthquakes seem to be the disaster on people’s minds in Oregon. The Big One is overdue and expected in the not too distant future. If it is

By Don Mac Gillivray Yes, Portland is in a housing crisis and yes, affordability is a problem for many residents. Portland has always had an affordable housing problem for those

By Don MacGillivray A year ago, the Portland City Council voted unanimously to adopt the 2017 Electric Vehicle (EV) Strategy in hopes of increasing EV awareness, expanding access, adding chargers,

By Jack Rubinger What are two things we know about Portland? Everyone drinks coffee. Everyone has a bike. Even though neither of those are entirely true, Rhona Mahl is combining

By Elizabeth Margolis Peter Za, senior at Cleveland High School, spent Tuesday afternoon as he usually does, studying with the other members of his homework club at the Kateri Park

By Jack Rubinger The recent news that China is banning imports of plastic from the United State for environmental reasons is frustrating to some and angering others. Still, there is

While you may see Port wines for sale at your local grocery store from Portugal, California, the Pacific Northwest and even New York City, all ‘True’ Port comes from northwest

By Michelle Frost Hiding in plain sight, Pottery Fun is nestled between antiques, beer, yoga, and movies at 7821 SE Stark St., across from Flying Pie Pizza. “People come in

By Deirdre Shepherd Got plans for the Saturday following Thanksgiving? What if you could start your holiday shopping, support the small, local businesses that make this city unique, and have

By Representative Rob Nosse One of my roles in the Oregon legislature is serving as vice-chair of the House Health Care Committee. That means a lot of my work in

Beaujolais is a wine producing region in the southern end of France’s Burgundy region just northwest of the city of Lyon and exclusively employing the Gamay Noir grape variety for

By Don MacGillivray In recent years, the concept of loneliness and social isolation has become an important issue that affects us all. It has always been with us, but its

By Jack Rubinger Elizabeth Campbell from Kids at Heart Toys is celebrating her store’s 30th year on Hawthorne Blvd. “Thirty years on Hawthorne sure went fast,” she said. “My son

By Michelle Frost Hiding in plain sight at the corner of SE 28th and Ash streets is Sidestreet Gallery. Part gallery, part eclectic gifts, the gallery was established 13 years