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Susan's Online Guide to Portland Let me Help You Find a Home and a Neighborhood |
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Welcome to my Web site about the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. It is my way of helping you become acquainted with the neighborhoods and communities of the city and to inform you about the Portland area housing market. Your comments and suggestions about my Web site are always appreciated. If you have questions or if you are interested in buying or selling a home in the Portland area, contact me online or call me at (503) 497-2984.
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Portland and Oregon News |
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Heatstroke from traps killed sea lions May 15 − Six sea lions found dead below Bonneville Dam about a week and a half ago apparently died when they overheated inside floating cages set out by state officials on the Columbia River, federal authorities said Wednesday. Investigators looking into the deaths said they still do not know whether the doors of the cages closed inadvertently or someone yanked on ropes to shut them. However, the disclosure of how the animals died raises the possibility that the federally protected sea lions were killed not by foul play, but by a state trapping program gone awry. Read more in The Oregonian... Farmers, families, fishermen in Oregon get help from farm bill May 15 − The U.S. House of Representatives passed Wednesday a $290 billion bill that would offer a boost to Oregon farmers, fishermen and low-income families, if it withstands a veto by President Bush. The bill, which passed with a 318-106 vote in the House, will need a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate today in order to override Bush's promised veto. But skyrocketing prices for corn, wheat and soy are fueling controversy over government subsidies to farmers reaping record profits this year. At the same time, the bill offers about $200 billion to help poor Americans with rising food costs. That would be a $10.3 billion increase over 10 years. Read more in The Oregonian... |
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House and Home |
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Portland developer brings chaos theory to Pearl District May 15 − Patrick Kessi has taken an asymmetrical route to development. His first major project, the fast-developing 937 Condominiums in the heart of Portland’s Pearl District, represents an asymmetrical development for the assiduously planned neighborhood. The design of the 16-story, 114-unit condo tower that’s squeezed on two sides by the Brewery Blocks and the north Pearl District takes its cues from the naturally occurring fractals and organic chaos of the world, according to Kessi. "Everything we’re doing, from a development perspective, is a little unconventional,” he said. Read more in the DJC... |
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Green Zone |
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Foam home May 15 − At the REX Project, we are trying to incorporate as many green building practices as the budget allows. One of my priorities was creating an energy-efficient home, and my research showed that proper insulation is a key to accomplishing that. I decided to work with NW Foam Home, which uses Demilec spray foam. According to NW Foam, the product will never mold or mildew, will always stay in place, stops heat loss in the winter and cuts the cooling cost in the summer. And this foam is supposed to work as a sound barrier, too. But what I love the most is the 30 percent to 50 percent savings I expect to realize in future utility bills. I even downsized my furnace by 30 percent because of the anticipated savings. Read more in The Oregonian... |
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Sports and Outdoors |
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Neighborhood and Communities News |
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East of Eden May 15 − Chuck and Tina Ensign trot down their apartment steps and cut through the parking lot behind a Petco on their daily walk to Tina's bus stop. They hold hands as they cross Southeast 145th midblock, a moment of togetherness before she heads off to her job as an in-home caregiver. Tina spots the No. 4 rolling down Division from around the Hollywood Video. She breaks into a run, hustling across five lanes. "At least you made the light!" Chuck yells over the rumble of idling trucks. The next bus won't come for another 20 minutes. Read more in The Oregonian... New downtown plaza set for construction May 15 − The designs are complete. The parking garage is open. A name has been proposed. And next month, if all goes as planned, construction will start on the $5.5 million stone plaza currently known as South Park Block 5, where diners will eat at a small cafe under a long glass canopy and kids will splash in a water feature similar to the fountain at Jamison Square. The city is finalizing the nitty-gritty with Brant Construction Inc., the general contractor, said Allison Rouse, who is overseeing the project for the Bureau of Parks & Recreation. The plaza, bounded by Southwest Park, Ninth, Yamhill and Taylor, is expected to be complete in late March. Read more in The Oregonian... Condo project 'on ice for a year' May 15 − The empty lot at 1949 S.E. Division St. is going to stay empty for at least another year. Plans for the Seven Corners Condominiums, a proposed mix of market-rate and affordable condos above street-level shops, "have been put on ice for a year or so," says Michelle Haynes, housing development director for nonprofit Reach Community Development. The reason? The condo market collapse. "We have a waiting list for our affordable housing units and don't anticipate any problem selling those. Right now, though, is a bad time to go ahead with building market-rate condominiums," says Haynes. Read more in The Oregonian... |
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Portland and Oregon blogs
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Sources of Pacific Northwest News |
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Oregon Newspapers and Public Radio/TV
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Web Design by |
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Susan Marthens |
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Oregon
candidates use fightin' words May 15 − Congressional candidate
Kevin Mannix dropped a bombshell accusation this week that his opponent,
Mike Erickson, paid for a woman's abortion several years ago -- a brazenly
negative campaign tactic. But the effect has been a new conversation about
the 5th District Republican primary that has voters wondering how Erickson
can continue to campaign as a staunch pro-lifer. Ugly? Yes. Effective? Maybe.
The Mannix example stands as Exhibit A for strategists who swear by the
attack mode. But it's just one of many this election season to give voters
pause, if not migraines, from Barack Obama comparing Hillary Clinton to
gun-toting Annie Oakley, to Jeff Merkley's spokesman likening Steve Novick's
supporters to the "inner circle of the Kremlin."
For
a tired country house, beauty starts on the inside May 15
− Zimri Drive shoots out of a spanking new traffic rotary and up the hillside
carpeted with lush farmland and dotted with sweet clapboard houses. This
area, just minutes from the buzz of Oregon 99, is a step back to a time
when the season's fruit determined the flavor of the pie and neighbors helped
neighbors raise barns. It was exactly what Erin and Nick Methven were looking
for to start their life together. Nick, a dentist with a practice in Sherwood,
and Erin, who keeps the books for the practice, wanted a charming house
with some room to roam. The house on Zimri was the first one they looked
at. While less than lovely, it had good bones and its four-plus acres were
largely flat.
Western
tanagers migrate through Oregon May 15 − If you live in
the Willamette Valley, this is an excellent time of the year to see western
tanagers. They are migrating through, so keep an eye on your backyard feeder.
If you are out birding, note this species prefers riparian and conifer habitats.
The birds’ bright yellows and reds make them easy to see against the new
spring green. Birders at Fern Ridge near Eugene saw a number of tanagers
last weekend—in addition to black-headed and evening grosbeaks and goldfinches.
In Tigard, several western tanagers have been sighted a number of times
over the past week in a mixed deciduous and coniferous stand of trees near
Fanno Creek. The birds’ bright yellows and reds make them easy to see against
the new spring green.
