ECONOMY & FINANCE ●Record Low. Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.4%, matching the state’s record low, though manufacturing employment continues to drop. HEALTH CARE ●Urge to Merge. Oregon Health & Science University and Legacy Health signed a nonbinding letter of intent to merge. The deal would make the new health care provider the largest employer in the Portland metro area. ●Care-Free. PeaceHealth announced plans to close Eugene’s only hospital, PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center University District, later this year, citing sunk costs of $2 million a month. ●Right to Access. Gov. Tina Kotek signed House Bills 2002 and 2697, which guarantee abortion rights and access to transgender health care in the state. POLITICS ●Safety in Numbers. Gov. Kotek signed seven public safety bills into law, including bills that raise the penalty for fentanyl possession, make public defenders state employees (as opposed to subcontractors) and establish a juvenile justice policy commission. ●Drawn and Quartered. Portland’s Independent District Commission unanimously approved the final design for the city’s four-district plan, the foundation for a new system that expands the number of people on the Portland City Council and replaces at-large commissioners with district representatives. MANUFACTURING ●Chip Change. Intel announced its Washington County facilities will undergo a “multibillion-dollar expansion and modernization” following a $90 million award from the Oregon CHIPS fund. REAL ESTATE ●Built Up. Oregon Housing and Community Services and homebuilders officially surpassed the state’s 2019 goal of creating 25,000 affordable housing units in five years. ●Rent Dent. Rent prices in Oregon fell 5.66% year-overyear in July, according to a report from Rent.com. FARMS & FORESTS ●Cloak of Smoke. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued quality advisory warnings for Deschutes, Jackson, Josephine, Douglas, northern Klamath and northern Lake counties, due to smoke from fires in Oregon, Northern California, Northern Washington and Canada. ●Cattle Call. Gov. Kotek signed into law SB 85, which requires a multistep permitting process for industrial agriculture. TOURISM & HOSPITALITY ●Putting Off the Ritz. The downtown Portland Ritz- Carlton delayed its Aug. 15 opening, citing supply chain issues for setbacks in the final stage of construction. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ●Showstopper. Portland’s Artists Repertory Theatre suspended production on what was planned as its 2023-2024 season, saying it lacked the critical funds to continue the season. ●Coast to Coast. The Oregon Symphony on Tuesday named Isaac Thompson from the New York Philharmonic as its next president and CEO. ●Smoke on the Water. Indie rock band My Morning Jacket and folk-pop singer Noah Kahan canceled outdoor concerts in Bend due to worsening air quality from wildfire smoke. EDUCATION ●Community Care. Oregon’s 17 community colleges generated over $9 billion in annual economic impact for the state in the 2021-2022 fiscal year, according to an analysis from the Oregon Community College Association. ●Duck/Beaver Break Up. The Big Ten college football conference expanded to include the University of Oregon, leaving Oregon State University as one of four remaining teams in the Pacific-12 conference. ●Cherry Crush. Falling cherry prices led Rep. Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River) to write an open letter to the governor asking her to declare a state of disaster to help the industry. ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT ●Power of the Pump. Oregonians can now pump their own gas after the state reversed its 72-year ban on self-serve gas stations. ●Rhythm and Blooms. A toxic algae bloom in the Ross Island Lagoon contaminated the Willamette River, causing the Oregon Health Authority to issue a health advisory for a large section of the river near downtown Portland. RESTAURANT & RETAIL ●Mom and Pop Pride. Xalisco Latin Cuisine in Redmond earned 9th place in the restaurants category for “America’s Favorite Mom and Pop Shops,” according to Yelp’s list published in Entrepreneur magazine. ⁄Newsfeed⁄ Toxic algae blooms, visible to the right of the barge in this photo, caused the Oregon Health Authority to issue a health advisory for large sections of the Willamette River. JASON E. KAPLAN This should be interesting. 8
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