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Portland Business News
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Sports Bra owner named Rose Festival parade grand marshal
Nguyen will be feted at an event she fondly remembers attending as a child.
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Seattle Times Opinion
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Unshackling research on guns, marijuana
The first step in solving any problem requires understanding it. |
NYT Politics
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In South Texas, Henry Cuellar’s Case Stirs an Old Feeling: Distrust
The Laredo congressman faces bribery charges, and some voters and party leaders worry that his legal troubles could dampen Democratic turnout.
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The Chronicle - Centralia
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Are home sellers on strike in Washington state? Realtors speculate on the market
Springtime typically sees increased buyer and seller activity when it comes to houses. But in Washington state, “Sellers are on strike,” according to Jeff Smart, president of Washington Realtors. “Stuff is moving,” he told The Center Square. “I mean, everyday homes go on the market and go off the market, so the real estate transaction continues, but there just aren’t as many. We need more houses to sell.” Nevertheless, he’s still optimistic about the market. “I’m a second-generation realtor, and I grew up with a dad running the brokerage in the 80s when interest rates were at 17-18%, and houses were still selling then,” he explained. Smart said the flood of refinancing during the COVID-19 pandemic is now the reason many homeowners are stuck even if they want to move. A Realtor.com survey from last summer found that 82% of potential sellers expressed feeling "locked in" by their current low mortgage rates. “You got a lot of people who got into their homes with that super low rate, the COVID rate we call it,” Smart said. That translates into people not being able to afford a comparable house elsewhere with rates higher than what they have today. “The chief economist for the National Realtors Association recently said there seems to be a decline in the divorce rate, and he’s attributing that to people deciding they’d rather stay than give up that good rate," Smart explained. “People are sitting still because they got this great rate, and they won’t get it again." Mike Wilkerson teaches a real estate class at Portland State University and is the director of analytics at ECOnorthwest, a Portland-based economic consulting firm. “Housing has traditionally been more affordable – that is, boiled down to the price of a home relative to someone’s income,” he said. “And then today, we have more extenuating circumstances ... like the inability to save for a down payment because rent is much higher than incomes and interest rates are so high.” He says that even making a lateral move is problematic unless you have no debt. “It’s really challenging,” Wilkerson noted. “Some recent studies have shown for every interest point that you have as a differential in buying a new home, you are 18-20% less likely to buy a new home,” he continued. “If you’re looking at the market today, you’re saying I’m at maybe 3% and going to 7%, that’s like an 80% chance that you’re not going to sell your house.” According to Wilkerson, research shows that the fastest-growing sector of listings year over year is those without a mortgage – those with a paid-for home. “Of the top 50 markets, Seattle has the lowest share of people with no mortgages, so that’s kind of adding to the constraints on the market,” he said. He says the share of people here without mortgages is lower, which is decreasing the number of listings. “Today we are in the three-month range for homes to sell,” Wilkerson said. “Historically, unless you have six months or more of supply, that’s where you tip into being a buyers-market with price drops, but when you’re in this three-month range, we are squarely in a sellers-market.” Both experts suggest there are other factors to consider, like whether you are a first-time homebuyer or are in the market to sell your home. |
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Signature gathering begins for Washington ballot measure to repeal natural gas phase out
A court challenge over the title of an initiative to the ballot concerning the natural gas phase out in Washington has ended. Supporters of the measure to repeal House Bill 1589 have been unable to gather signatures for their effort that hopes to qualify for the fall ballot, because opponents challenged language of the initiative title and summary explanation that will go to voters. After a Wednesday hearing in Thurston County Superior Court, a judge ruled that most language in the title will remain the same. "The voters got a big win because what came out of the court is an accurate reflection of what the initiative does and that is what it’s supposed to be. A voter should be able to read that ballot title and summary and understand the impact of the ballot measure and we got a great result and voters will be able to understand," said Greg Lane, vice president of the Building Industry Association of Washington, backing the measure. “We’re disappointed that this delayed us 2 weeks, but that was their intent so we couldn’t start the process, but ultimately the voters won and we can start the signature gathering process.” Initiative 2066 is the measure to repeal the phase out of natural gas. “I think the public is on our side on this and now I have no doubt we can get the signatures in time,” Lane added. Lane concedes the time frame for gathering hundreds of thousands of signatures within seven weeks is a challenge. He said some signature gatherers were already out Wednesday evening. By the weekend, Lane said Washington voters would see petitions across the state. The Center Square did not receive a response from the petitioners at time of publication. |
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Oregon coast spot named one of the 10 best state parks in the U.S.
There’s a new list ranking the best state parks in the country and an Oregon coast destination snagged the No. 8 spot. Time Out, an international travel website, compiled the list and Ecola State Park is the only park in the Pacific Northwest that made the cut. Between Cannon Beach and Seaside, Ecola encompasses 9 miles of coastline with plenty of striking ocean views along with hiking, tidepooling, surfing and wildlife-viewing options. The park is no stranger to accolades. Last year, Outside magazine picked it as one of the best state parks in the U.S. and in 2018, Oregonian readers picked it as their No. 5 favorite state park. Time Out is a fan of Ecola after seeing it in movies like “Twilight,” “The Goonies” and “Kindergarten Cop.” The website also likes the park’s views, Indian Beach, the Sitka spruce forest and hiking opportunities like the Clatsop Loop Trail. Other entries from the western part of the country on Time Out’s list are No. 3 Goblin Valley State Park in Utah, No. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in California and No 6. Chugach State Park in Alaska. To get to Ecola State Park, take U.S. 101 to City Center in Cannon Beach. On the north end of town, turn west onto East Fifth Street, then right onto Ecola State Park Road. Follow signs for the park. All cars are required to display an annual or day-use parking pass. Day passes are $5 and can be purchased at the park. For updates on park closures, visit https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=136. ©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. |
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Limited Columbia River salmon fishing reopening for anglers
The lower Columbia River will reopen for spring chinook salmon fishing this weekend and next, then for nearly a week in early June. Oregon and Washington met by phone Wednesday and approved additional angling days in addition to one commercial tangle-net season. Biologists said enough fish have passed Bonneville Dam to slightly exceed the preseason forecast (121,000 to 122,400) and meet a preseason buffer meant to ensure passage for tribal, upriver fisheries and wild salmon escapement. Fishing dates will be this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then May 25-27 and June 12-15. Summer rules will open the river on June 16. Opening dates apply only to the river below Bonneville. Anglers from Bonneville upriver have already met or exceeded their preseason quotas. Rules remain the same; hatchery salmon or steelhead only, just one salmon daily and boat angling from Tongue Point to Beacon Rock, bank angling only from Beacon Rock to Bonneville. The states also approved a 12-hour tangle-net (release non-hatchery fish) season for May 20. ©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. |
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Selfie-seeking Oregonian falls 40 feet from power tower after electrocution -- and survives
An unidentified person in Southeast Portland’s Sellwood neighborhood is lucky to be alive after they climbed a PGE tower to take a selfie, possibly touched a 57,000-volt power line and fell 40 feet into bushes along railroad tracks near Sellwood Riverfront Park on Wednesday, firefighters said. The dramatic events unfolded just after 5 p.m. when one witness said the person fell while trying to take a picture from the steel tower and another witness said they heard a “transformer blow” before the person dropped to the ground. An off-duty paramedic who happened to be nearby later told firefighters the person “was conscious and breathing immediately after the fall.” The person survived, in what firefighters called “a stroke of incredibly good luck.” It wasn’t immediately clear if the person touched the power line or, as firefighters wrote in a press release, the “power line arced and caused the electrocution.” An ambulance took the person to a trauma hospital for evaluation since injuries from an electrocution, including heart arrhythmia, aren’t always immediately visible. The person’s fall appears to have snapped a lower-voltage power line, which then draped across the railroad tracks. Firefighters guarded the area to prevent passersby in the popular park from walking into it. A spokesperson for the Portland Fire Bureau wrote: “We would also like to reminder Portlanders to stay far away from any downed power lines and to always assume any line down is energized and dangerous. If you see a downed power line, carefully back away and call 911.” ©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. |
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Nine new bills filed to reverse Biden administration's Snake River dams agreement
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., has filed a package of nine bills to reverse parts of a new agreement that he sees as the de facto breaching of the lower Snake River dams and to remind the White House who has authority over the dams. "I have consistently reminded the Biden administration that the authority over the lower Snake River dams remains in the hands of Congress," Newhouse said. "This package is not only a staunch reinforcement of that fact, but a testament to our commitment to protect these critical pieces of infrastructure," he said. The package would prohibit breaching the four Snake River hydroelectric dams in Eastern Washington if certain power production replacement goals, including for reliability and consumer costs, could not be met or if breaching would make the river less navigable for barging or increase the cost of moving products on the river. It also would give the Bonneville Power Administration authority over changes to how much water is spilled over the dams rather than used to produce electricity, require acoustic deterrence of sea lions feeding on salmon near the Bonneville Dam and find alternate ways to pay for fish and wildlife programs now paid for by users of electricity from the dams. The agreement announced by the Biden administration in December halts mediation over the Columbia River System Operations, including the lower Snake River dams for up to a decade and provides more than $1 billion for wild fish restoration. The agreement was negotiated behind closed doors by the White House Council on Environmental Quality with the states of Washington and Oregon and four Northwest tribes. The agreement does not call for breaching the four Eastern Washington dams from from Ice Harbor Dam near Pasco to Lower Granite Dam near Lewiston, Idaho. But it mentions breaching 68 times, Newhouse pointed out. That makes clear the goal of the administration, despite Congress holding authority over the dams, he said. Newhouse also is concerned that requiring more water to be spilled over the dams could make the dams functionally useless and cause energy prices to skyrocket. Spill helps juvenile salmon pass the dams unless so much water is spilled that gases in the water — including oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen — kill the fish. The package of bills proposed by Newhouse has cosponsors from several Republican representatives in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana. Various bills in the package also have support from organizations that include the Public Power Council, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Port of Benton, Cowlitz PUD and the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association. Should Newhouse succeed in moving the bills through the House, they could face a tough road in the Democrat-majority Senate. Here are what the bills proposed to protect the lower Snake River dams would do:
The other two bills are resolutions saying that hydropower is vital to energy development and disapproving of the agreement negotiated by the Biden administration. Republican cosponsors for some or all of the bills include Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington; Cliff Bentz of Oregon; Russ Fulcher of Idaho; and Matt Rosendale and Ryan Zinke, both of Montana. ___ (c)2024 Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Wash.) Visit Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Wash.) at www.tri-cityherald.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. |
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UW president calls for cease-fire, criticizes protest encampment
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce called for a cease-fire in the war in Gaza in a public statement Wednesday while also criticizing the encampment protest at the school, saying the language used by some has been "vile and antisemitic." Tensions have risen recently between protesters at the encampment, which was set up about two weeks ago, and other university affiliates and outside demonstrators, including attendees of a right-wing activist's talk and pro-Israel demonstrators led by a Christian church organization. Protesters have clashed, sometimes physically, with counterprotesters. Cauce wrote the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is "heartbreaking" and reiterated, as she initially wrote Friday night, that the university's response to calls for change won't be based on an encampment and urged the members to dismantle. While Cauce has been open about her reluctance to sweep the encampment as other university presidents have done, her statement Wednesday marked her strongest condemnation yet of the encampment. She did not indicate whether she is seriously considering bringing police in to forcibly remove encampment protesters and tents. On Monday, the student-run newspaper The Daily reported Cauce said she does "not want [sweeps] on this campus ... but I can't take anything off the table." Several main campus buildings were vandalized with graffiti overnight into Wednesday, which an administrator referred to as a "major escalation" in an internal email obtained by The Daily. Cauce said in her statement the graffiti, some of which she said was "clearly both antisemitic and violent," created an unwelcome environment for Jewish people on campus. According to Cauce, representatives said "the new graffiti is an intentional escalation to compel the University to agree to their demands." A UW spokesperson would not clarify Wednesday which messages Cauce was referring to as antisemitic. The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle said in a statement Wednesday it is "outraged" by what is happening at UW. The statement called on UW to clear the encampment, "ensure antisemitism is added to the robust DEI offerings at UW" and not stop associating with Boeing or Israel. Sen. John Braun, the Republican minority leader of the Washington state Senate, also on Wednesday called on UW to end the encampment "immediately" due to its "illegal and destructive actions." In her statement, Cauce said the protesters at the encampment represent a "small fraction" of the student population and includes nonstudents. More than 150 tents have been erected on the Quad since the demonstration began. The encampment, called the UW Liberated Zone or Popular University for Gaza, has three core demands: that the university cut ties with Boeing, end repression of pro-Palestinian students and faculty, and divest materially from Israel. The United Front for Palestinian Liberation at UW, one of the groups that organized the encampment, posted Wednesday afternoon on Instagram that Cauce's refusal to cut ties with Boeing amounts to a "relationship with a company that commits genocide." Protesters have repeatedly pointed to Boeing's longstanding relationship with Israel and arms sales to the Israeli government. "While Cauce lies, Palestinians die," the group posted. The United Front also wrote in a statement that Cauce and another administrator canceled plans to meet with the encampment protesters because of the vandalism. "Apparently they would rather cancel on our meeting to address people feeling 'unsafe' than address the actual harms and genocide in Palestine facilitated by our University," the statement said. "They would rather protect buildings than lives, but we remain steadfastly committed to achieving our demands and seeing a liberated Palestine." Protesters at the encampment held a rally Wednesday to mark Nakba Day, which commemorates the mass displacement of Palestinian people after Israel's establishment. Nakba is Arabic for "catastrophe," and refers to when an estimated 700,000 people were displaced from what is now Israel. Encampment leaders and administration members have met several times as the encampment remains up, and Cauce said their conversations have been "cordial" and the two sides have "engaged sincerely and openly." UW has reiterated it does not plan to cut all ties with Boeing. Nor does UW plan to academically boycott Israel, Cauce wrote, saying doing so would run counter to academic freedom. The protesters' demands have increased, according to Cauce, now including: creating a new department to implement an "anti-Zionist" litmus test for faculty hiring; granting a student group oversight of awarding new, religion-based scholarships; and blanket amnesty for all violations of the law and student code, including not solely camping, Cauce said in her statement. "Many of these demands, especially the most recent, are contrary to academic freedom and/or to state or federal law." "There are many ways for voices to be heard that don't require tents, violent rhetoric and vandalism," Cauce wrote. ___ (c)2024 The Seattle Times Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. |
