ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ●Lost language. Portland’s KUNP dropped its affiliation with Spanish-language television channel Univision. The move is a consequence of KUNP’s parent company, Sinclair, becoming the new exclusive carrier of Portland Trail Blazers basketball games. ECONOMY & FINANCE ●Growth per Branam. Kimberly Branam has left the helm of the city’s economic development agency, Prosper Portland. The agency’s head of economic development, Shea Flaherty-Betin, was named interim executive director until a replacement is hired. ●Clearance Salesforce. Business-software maker Salesforce will close its Hillsboro office, which employs 150 workers. The San Francisco-based company opened the location in 2013 with help from a state grant. EDUCATION ●Care shares. Lake Oswego- headquartered KinderCare plans to attempt an initial public stock offering after abandoning an earlier attempt in 2021. Founded in 1969, the company is one of the largest early-childhood education brands in the U.S., with more than 1,500 education centers. ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT ●Burn notice. State regulators ruled Pacific Power’s parent company can’t limit how much it pays for the damage caused during the 2020 wildfires that burned 2,500 properties and killed nine people. The subject of numerous lawsuits, PacifiCorp may ultimately have to pay more than $8 billion to parties in Oregon and California. HEALTH CARE ●Over the hill. Oregon Health & Science University and Legacy Health submitted merger plans to the state for official regulatory review, which could take six months or longer. The two hospital systems announced plans to merge last summer and signed a merger agreement in May. ●Heart goes out. A study by physicians at Oregon Health & Science University could improve survival rate for cardiac arrest. An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests placing the pads of cardiac defibrillators on a patient’s front and back to spark the return of spontaneous blood circulation. LIFESTYLE ●Just did it. Nike announced that its CEO, John Donahoe, 64, would retire from the company in mid-October, amid declining share prices and falling post-COVID sales. Company veteran Elliott Hill is set to take his place. ●Pay to play. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will soon raise rates for camping, parking and reservations. Increases of between $2 and $5 are associated with record visitation numbers and rising costs. REAL ESTATE ●Lien times. After coming close to being auctioned off in June, the historic Gordon’s Fireplace Shop building was spared from a bank auction by lenders. The City Council had foreclosed on the property as the owners piled up $150,000 in liens on the decaying building that overlooks Interstate 5 at NE 33rd Ave. and Broadway. RESTAURANTS & RETAIL ●Sweet deals. Spanish fashion retailer Mango plans to open a store in the Pioneer Place mall in downtown Portland. Founded in Barcelona in 1984, the chic fast-fashion retailer is rapidly expanding in the U.S. but has yet to open an Oregon location. ●Dessert Big Apple. Portland ice cream chain Salt & Straw opened two locations in New York City. The Upper West Side and West Village locations offer New York-themed flavors Cinnamon Raisin Bagels & Schmear, Chocolate Babka & Hazelnut Fudge, and Pastrami on Rye (with meat sourced from Carnegie Deli). TECH ●Within PayRange. San Francisco-based private equity firm Ridgeview Partners has acquired PayRange, a Portland mobile-payments software company. CANNABIS ●Joint labor committee. A measure approved for the November ballot will ask voters whether to make it easier for cannabis workers to unionize. Weed-industry workers are often prevented from organizing due to federal prohibition. SPORTS ●Let her Rip City. Portland will get a new sports franchise with the announcement of the Women’s National Basketball Association. The as-yet-unnamed team will begin play at the Moda Center in 2026. ●Yards sale. The Portland Diamond Project agreed to purchase a 33-acre site at Zidell Yards on the Willamette River waterfront south of downtown as a location for a potential Major League Baseball park. FOOD & FARMS ●Skimping on shrimp. A former employee sued Pacific Foods, alleging he was fired after he discovered one of the company’s subsidiary holdings was undercounting the weights of catches it purchased from shrimp boats. POLITICS ●Mistaken identity. The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles caught heat for erroneously registering to vote more than 1,200 people who failed to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. The agency was further criticized for waiting two weeks to notify elections officials after discovering the error. ⁄Newsfeed⁄ The Portland Diamond Project has signed a letter of intent to purchase a 33-acre site at the Zidell Yards as a potential MLB ballpark. COURTESY OF PORTLAND DIAMOND PROJECT 8
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