ECONOMY & FINANCE ●Short-terminal. Gov. Tina Kotek unveiled a $40 million plan to maintain operations at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 6, at least in the short term. About a month earlier, the port announced it would cease operations at the beleaguered shipping facility. As part of her deal, Kotek asked the port to increase container volume and reduce financial losses. HEALTH CARE ●World of FLiRT. A new COVID-19 variant has gained ground in Oregon and could drive a summer surge. The so-called FLiRT variant, named for variations of the KP.2 strain, has been less responsive to existing vaccines. REAL ESTATE ●Foot in the door. Fast- growing athletic footwear brand Hoka is expanding its Oregon — ahem — footprint with plans to lease office space in the Canvas building near Portland’s Providence Park. The California-based brand has taken market share from the Swoosh and, with several open positions, could look to hire away top talent. POLITICS ●Primary importance. Janelle Bynum defeated Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the May primary election, winning the right to face Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer in the general election to represent Oregon’s 5th congressional district. And in a race that was the subject of national attention (and big spending), Multnomah County district attorney Mike Schmidt lost his reelection bid to Nathan Vasquez, a longtime prosecutor who pledged to be tougher on crime than his progressive boss. MANUFACTURING ●Sawn dynasty. Oregon mass timber company Timberlab announced ambitious plans including the acquisition of one of its glulam suppliers, American Laminators, with factories in Drain and Swisshome. ●Chips are down. Microchip Technology announced it will furlough the 900 workers at its Gresham semiconductor factory for two weeks at the end of June following another quarter of disappointing revenue. The Arizona-based company did the same thing in March. TECH ●Age in space. In September an astronaut from Oregon will return to space for his fourth NASA mission. Flight engineer Don Pettit, a Silverton resident and Oregon State University alum, is also ●Oregon’s up, Portland’s down. The Oregon Tourism Commission released an economic report showing tourism has returned to prepandemic levels, with travelers spending $14 billion in the state in 2023. On the flip side, Travel Portland reports that occupancy rates and room prices at Portland hotels lag behind those of comparable cities, with bookings down 22% from pre-pandemic levels. ●Springs into action. Oregon’s beloved Bagby Hot Springs reopened to the public four years after closing during the pandemic. Known for rustic wooden soaking tubs and nestled in the old growth of Mt. Hood National Forest, the area now features updated amenities though one less soaking area. FARMS & FORESTS ●Out to munch. Five counties received $100,000 each to combat grasshoppers a year after a historic and destructive infestation. The Oregon Department of Agriculture hopes to relieve ranchers in Baker, Harney, Malheur, Klamath and Lake counties under emergency rules declared in April. The 2023 infestation of grasshoppers or Mormon crickets affected 7.7 million acres. EDUCATION ●School’s out. Trustees of the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine voted in May to close the institution, citing declining enrollment due to crime and homelessness in downtown, and a related drop in the school building’s value. OCOM lost half its student body over the past four years. the agency’s oldest active astronaut at 69. His mission will study the effects of aging in space and other subjects over six months. ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT ●Carb-load. A Silicon Valley startup recently debuted a carbon-sucking direct air capture (DAC) site amid the data centers that overlook the Columbia River near The Dalles. The company, 280 Earth, hopes its carbon- capture technology is commercially successful and can attract outside investment as well as tax breaks. TOURISM & HOSPITALITY ●Back inn business. VIP Hospitality Group purchased Newport’s Sylvia Beach Hotel, known for its stubborn refusal to adopt Wi-Fi or television, from its longtime owners for an undisclosed sum. ⁄Newsfeed⁄ Stepping on some toes? JASON E. KAPLAN Port of Portland’s Terminal 6 on the Columbia River Jigsaw puzzle or cards, anyone? 10
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