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| |  | The Centennial Mills warehouse caught fire on Aug. 2. (Chris Walden / reader submission) |
| Centennial Mills Warehouse Fire Aftermath | It's been just over a week since a four-alarm fire broke out at the 116-year-old Centennial Mills warehouse building on the Northwest waterfront, collapsing all eight stories inside the building. Here's what we know about the building and what's happened since then. [Portland.gov] | - Is the area safe?: The Fields Park — directly next to the warehouse — and Northwest Naito Parkway from 9th to 15th avenues remain closed indefinitely while experts work to make sure the area is safe. Late last week, it was reported that areas of the Pearl District tested positive for asbestos, but city officials said the air immediately around the incident "shows a low health risk to the public." Officials caution not to touch suspected debris items — but if necessary, to follow safety precautions. [Willamette Week / KATU]
- What's next?: The city has issued a notice to the owner that the building is dangerous and is working with them on a demolition "in the coming weeks." There is a possibility the building may still collapse on its own due to structural instability from the fire damage and the weight of the rooftop steel water tower. The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but there were no injuries suspected as of late last week. [Portland.gov / KATU]
- Warehouse history: Construction on the building started in 1910 for use as a flour mill, under the name Crown Mills, before it was sold off in the 1940s. The mill was in operation until the late 1990s; the City of Portland bought the building in 2000 and owned it for 24 years. The building's current owner wanted to turn part of the site into a nightclub, but city hurdles prevented them from pursuing it. [KGW]
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| What Portland's Talking About |
| | USA Today Slams Portland Over Trail Blazers Deal | With Portland City Council set to vote on the term sheet for a Moda Center renovation deal later this week, USA Today took the opportunity to rage against everything they hate about us in a good old-fashioned opinion-page smear piece. Conservative pundit Justin Haskins cherry-picks some statistics about Portland's tax rates, froths about riots and political extremism, and then cites the right-wing think tank behind the Trump administration's disastrous Project 2025 policies to make this ludicrous assertion: "Left-wing policies inevitably destroy the economic growth needed to sustain the very communities progressives claim to care about." [USA Today] | | Where To Find Your Favorite Lloyd Center Businesses | The Lloyd Center officially closed its doors this past weekend, but the businesses that called our beloved mall home are on the move. You can find the largest concentration of former Lloyd Center tenants downtown at Pioneer Place, but they're also finding new homes in every corner of the city. The Oregonian has a running list. [Oregonian] | | | PODCAST | Thursday, August 6 |
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| | City Councilor Caught Starting Illegal Fire | Today on the podcast, we’re talking about a proposal to ban right turns on red at certain high-traffic intersections. Plus, we’re looking at a Portland city councilor who was caught burning yard waste during the worst wildfire season on record and sifting through Portland’s biggest online gripes. [City Cast Portland 🎧] | |
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Eater Portland refreshed its list of the 38 best restaurants and food carts in our area last week, adding a few new places to check out, including a couple of sushi restaurants, some neighborhood bars, and an Indian deli. That last one — Apna Chat Bhavan in Beaverton — is at the top of my list. |
| — Giulia Fiaoni | Thanks to John Notarianni for writing today's What Portland's Talking About section. |
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