Jack Rushall
Seattle
2000 calories per serving / writer / Big 🏳️🌈 / Gemini
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Articles by Jack Rushall
Portland's Q Center experiences a revival with a new pitch: Inclusivity
By Jack Rushall | For The Oregonian/OregonLive | Posted June 13, 2019 at 07:00 AM The Q Center, Portland's LGBTQ community center, is at 4115 N. Mississippi Ave. (Andrew Theen/Staff) At its lowest point, Portlandâs Q Center was viewed as a microcosm for white-led gentrification overrunning the historically African-American Boise neighborhood in North Portland.
Where to Party During Pride, Based on Your Drink of Choice
If you're drinking: La Croix Portland Pride Waterfront Festival This year marks 50 years since the Stonewall riots, so if you haven't worked out that neon onesie yet, now's as good a time as ever to show up and show out at Waterfront Park. One feature to keep an eye out for on Saturday is the Free Mom Hugs Booth. Real moms will be giving real hugs to anybody, whether you're going through a rough life transition or a literal transition. Those with daddy issues need not apply.
At Downhouse Vintage, Nothing Is Gendered-From the Owners to the Clothing
If you believe your clothes explain you in ways you have trouble articulating, consider letting Downhouse handle your closet. An eclectic online vintage shop, Downhouse challenges gender categorizations within fashion and employs all-queer models—it's also completely queer-owned. "We know because we are queer that it can be intimidating and uncomfortable shopping for clothing, and that a lot of stores are explicitly for 'her' and 'him,'" says Downhouse founder Logan Rhodes.
Former Hansen Shelter reopens, but not for the homeless
Multnomah County is taking down the fence around the Hansen Shelter property and renaming it the Hansen Building. In addition, 55 to 60 Department of Community Justice employees are temporarily moving onto the site. They’ll work out of a series of 14-by-56-foot mobile trailers on the property while their building down the street is being remodeled. Despite the Hansen Shelter being closed for months, it’s still a Mecca for the homeless. STAFF/2018 It’s a tale of two east Portland homeless shelters.
PBOT wants your help to reconstruct east Portland streets
What happens to traffic patterns when changes are made to multiple streets in the same area? Is PBOT sure it’s using the most effective tools to reduce crashes while making sure people can get to their jobs, schools and other destinations on time, whether by walking, biking, taking transit or driving? East Portland Arterial Streets Strategy, or EPASS, seeks to answer these questions.
Construction of Human Solutions’ Gateway site delayed
Construction of the new mixed-use housing site next to the new Gateway Discovery Park has been delayed. Expected to break ground last month, the development means 75 units of new housing (40 deemed “affordable” and the remaining 35 at market rate). The site will offer 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space with 10,000 square feet on the floor above for Human Solutions’ new headquarters.
Property owner of controversial lingerie modeling shop ignores violations
It’s been five months since the lingerie modeling shop Secret Rendezvous popped up in Parkrose. Overnight, it met notoriety as a suspected prostitution ring. On Oct. 16, Sergeant Greg Stewart, present at a Parkrose Neighborhood Association (PNA) meeting, responded to community concerns by suggesting there’s little the police can do unless they catch the business in the act (“Police hands tied over Parkrose lingerie modeling shop,” MCM Nov. 2018). One day later, on Oct.
Donald Trump’s BS Has Inspired a Food Truck
These days, even food trucks are taking sides. On Saturday, a Donald Trump-themed food truck rolled out in Portland, Oregon, offering an edible take on the Republican presidential nominee's BS. Specifically, the PDX-based advertising firm Wieden + Kennedy set up shop in Pioneer Courthouse Square to hawk that BS—in this case, baloney sandwiches—to hundreds of locals hungry for a taste of levity during the most cutthroat election in living memory.
Halsey-Weidler construction stifles holiday business
Things were hard enough for Robbin Martell last September when one of the double doors leading into her shop, Hearts Décor Interiors & Accessories and SOS Moving Management, 10630 N.E. Halsey St., was shattered with a brick. The crime underscored a losing battle between Martell and homeless vandals following a series of strikes. Martell says they defecate on the property every day. She remained optimistic.
Farmland owners eye master plan for property
Metro is funding a grant to create a master plan for one of the largest undeveloped parcels of land in Portland: the 32 acres of farmland at Northeast 122nd Avenue and Shaver Street in the Argay Terrace neighborhood. Split into three parcels, the property is owned by the Rossi, Garre and Giusto families, who have farmed the land for many decades. Al Garre, left, and Joe Rossi, who represent two of the families, are pictured here at a Comprehensive Plan meeting in 2015.
More custom trash cans and benches installed
More trash cans and benches, like these in front of Riverview Bank, are set to be installed in the Gateway area. Sadly, vandals have been at work. STAFF/2018 One man’s trash can is a community treasure. As the curtain closes on 2018, you’ll find more places to chuck your trash around the Halsey-Weidler business district. On Nov. 21, two new trash cans were installed outside Atomic Auto, 610 N.E. 102nd Ave.
Hawg’s 2 owner commissions phat mural for bar building
Larry Olsen, who purchased the Magic Inn bar on Southeast 122nd Avenue near Stark Street, commissioned artist Morgan Young to paint a mural with the new name. STAFF/2018 There’s good news and bad news, and Larry Olsen—the popular neighborhood bar owner of Boss Hawg’s Bar ‘N’ Grill, the Daily Double Sports Bar & Grill and his latest acquisition, the Magic Inn, which he rechristened Hawg’s 2–is often in the news.
Gateway Discovery Park has no friends … yet
Tom Badrick likens political decision-making in east Portland to the Catholic Church. “If you don’t start letting new people in now, you’ll never let them in,” says Badrick. “We need to get new blood going so it’s not the same people on every committee making the decisions.” Badrick considers himself an “old blood” sample. He is one “among four voices” (Arlene Kimura, Linda Robinson, Alesia Reese and Badrick) that ends up speaking to the city for east Portland on most community-related initiatives.
Parkrose High GSA saves homeless donation drive
Parkrose High School is responsible for donating 500 pounds of clothing to Portland’s homeless population each year. This figure, from Parkrose High School’s Homeless Project, is more than a fun fact—for those living on the streets, a little can go a long way. A lot can go much further. But in November 2017, an additional population needed help: the students running the drive. Zachary Melzer, Parkrose High School teacher and Parkrose local, came to the rescue.
Curves owner to sell and retire for good
Karen Hume, a Curves member since 2006, was a retiree from the City of Portland when she decided to buy the franchise in 2012. Currently, at more than 200 members, Hume is looking to sell the business. STAFF/2018 When retiree Nancy Hughes realized something wasn’t right with her arm, she went to the doctor.
Facing new crisis, “Windscape” runs over budget
Renovation of the traffic Jughandle also known as “Windscape” at Northeast 102nd Avenue and Weidler Street is still on track; it’s just been delayed a little. Until renovation is finished, however, it continues to serve as a place for homeless. STAFF/2018 She’ll be coming around the corner when she comes.
Linfield College buys University of Western States campus
University of Western States came to an agreement to sell its 22-acre campus in the Russell neighborhood to Linfield college for $14.5 million last month. COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN STATES If anybody stood by their New Year’s resolutions in 2018, it was the University of Western States (UWS). As previously reported (“University of Western States looks at relocating its east Portland campus,” MCM Aug.
122nd Avenue improvements highlight safety concerns
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is developing a plan for 122nd Avenue improvements to be built in 2020. Potential changes include safety improvements, more crossings, improved bike and bus lanes and signal changes to support frequent bus service along this increasingly busy traffic corridor. COURTESY PBOT 122nd Avenue is among the most dangerous streets in the city. It includes four of the city’s 30 highest crash intersections.
Historic Parkrose executive director moves on
Last month, after more than three years as Historic Parkrose’s executive director, Mingus Mapps, left, pictured with Historic Parkrose Economic Opportunity Coordinator Kate Coenen, took a position with the city’s Office of Community & Civic Life (formerly known as the Office of Neighborhood Involvement). staff/2016 Three and a half years ago, Mingus Mapps was not familiar with Parkrose. Then he took a position that would make him one of the neighborhood’s most influential voices.
Safety Council created to deal with illegal RV camping
A recycling center and a Christian high school might not have much in common, but when the street they share is threatened, they are a force to be reckoned with. Environmentally Conscious Recycling, 12409 N.E. San Rafael St., and Portland Christian Jr./Sr. High School, 12425 N.E. San Rafael St., are two members of an unlikely coalition of businesses with participants representing the area from 122nd to 127th avenues on Northeast San Rafael Street.
Adopting “Windscape” could be the answer
You would be hard-pressed to find anybody more concerned with the state of the “Windscape,” the rundown traffic rounder at Northeast 102nd Avenue and Weidler Street, than Tom Badrick. If you listen to Badrick talk about his relationship with this particular plot of land, it’s akin to hearing somebody in the thick of couples counseling. He’ll do whatever it takes to forestall a separation.
82nd needs millions in improvements before city accepts ownership
By all measures, the initiative to transfer power over the whole of 82nd Avenue from the state of Oregon to the city of Portland has seen unprecedented success in 2018. Everybody is on the same page, but no ending has yet been written. On Oct. 17, a panel discussion entitled “Envisioning the Future: Transforming 82nd Avenue” was held, fittingly, at the Portland Community College (PCC) southeast campus, 2305 S.E. 82nd Ave.
Construction on Halsey-Weidler Streetscape Project continues
The Halsey-Weidler Streetscape Project seems fresh out of surprises. The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT’s) project will revitalize the streets along the Halsey-Weidler business district (or “couplet”) from 102nd to 113th avenues. It was scheduled to begin early this summer and instead broke ground in September, though unchartered delays appear to be a thing of the past.
Police hands tied over Parkrose lingerie modeling shop
Nobody seems convinced that the lingerie modeling shop Secret Rendezvous (10518B N.E. Sandy Blvd.) isn’t a front for prostitution. And though Secret Rendezvous is located .37 miles from Prescott Elementary along a Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT)-designated “Safe Routes to School” path, police say their hands are tied. Making a statement at an Oct. 16 Parkrose Neighborhood Association (PNA) meeting, Sergeant Greg Stewart turned heads.
First authorized street mural hits outer Northeast Portland
There’s another first in east Portland, and this one couldn’t have been done alone. On July 21, at the intersection of Northeast 109th Avenue and Northeast Skidmore Street, the Parkrose Neighborhood Association (PNA), the Parkrose Business Association and Historic Parkrose joined forces with more than a hundred attendees, mostly neighbors, for a block party that introduced Parkrose to its first authorized street mural.
ODOT reveals design for Outer Powell Transportation Safety Project
Few Oregon streets are set for a transformation more dramatic than Outer Powell Boulevard, which spans from the area east of the I-205 to just east of Southeast 174th Avenue. For starters, when all is said and done, it will no longer belong to the state.
“Windscape” renovation plans paused
Despite new hurdles threatening a speedy construction window, Tom Badrick is not backing down on plans to rehabilitate “Windscape,” the traffic roundabout island at Northeast 102nd Avenue and Weidler Street. As the grant writer behind the proposal, he’s determined to make headway on this passion project this fall. But he’ll need help. “Windscape” has fallen on some summertime sadness.
Homeless shelter in Mill Park rouses debate
Shiny new toys, such as Gateway Discovery Park, are attracting foot traffic to east Portland streets. But not all visitors are tourists, and some don’t go home (or have a home). Whether the community is the one paying a price is becoming a point of contention. Before the temporary low-barrier Wy’east homeless shelter, 1415 S.E. 122nd Ave., opened on June 13, it was already raising eyebrows.
Halsey-Weidler construction work more visible in October
After a couple rainchecks, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has hit the play button on the Halsey-Weidler Streetscape Plan. When we last checked in with PBOT (“Halsey-Weidler Streetscape Project starts in September,” MCM Sept. 2018) about the Plan, which is due to modernize the Halsey-Weidler business district––the couplet that runs from 102nd to 114th avenues––an established production schedule was hearsay.
Lingerie modeling shop opens in Parkrose
As they shepherded their kids back to school in August, Parkrose parents discovered more than crumpled Office Depot receipts along one of Portland Bureau of Transportation’s-designated “Safe Routes to School.” On Aug. 1, a lingerie modeling shop called Secret Rendezvous opened for business in the former location of Deanz Greenz at 10518b N.E. Sandy Blvd.
122nd Avenue next street in line for PBOT transformation
East Portland arterials are finally getting the attention they deserve. Next on the docket: the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT’s) 122nd Avenue Plan. Northeast 122nd Avenue from Southeast Foster to Northeast Marine Drive may be the latest major east Portland street to gain updated crossings, lights and signal changes among improved safety features. But alas, like a “Game of Thrones” spinoff, the 122nd Avenue Plan is still in pre-production, with few details squared away. At an Aug.
‘Windscape’ redesign likely to see action this fall
Against the odds, one revitalization effort might be happening sooner rather than later: a $60,000 Prosper Portland grant allotted toward fixing up the “Windscape,” a Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT)-owned traffic roundabout island at Northeast 102nd Avenue and Weidler Street.
Glisan Street lane reductions have neighbors concerned
As early as 2019, you’ll have half as many lanes to choose from on parts of Northeast Glisan Street between Northeast 105th and 160th avenues. Starting next year, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) plans to restripe popular sections of the street, minimizing the current five-lane configuration to three. The city gives two reasons for the change: bicycles and death.
Halsey-Weidler Streetscape Project starts in September
“The Halsey-Weidler [project] is about to go to construction. It’s starting next month,” says Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) project manager Elizabeth Mahon. “It’s needed a lot of love for a long time, and fortunately, we now have the money to do all of it because of all the work everybody has done advocating at the local and state level.” The project has an expected completion date of May 2019.
New benches and trash cans, thought to be long lost, set to appear around Gateway
A $29,106 community livability grant promising six new street trash cans and seven custom benches around Gateway (“Wayfinding signage, new trash cans debut around Gateway,” MCM March 2018) will, in part, see the light of day by the end of August. At least, according to the grant’s author. Tom Badrick, chair of the Parkrose Heights Association of Neighbors, admits the grant saw a couple of setbacks. Initially, PHAN requested $36,000 for implementing the trash cans and benches from Prosper Portland.
University of Western States looks at relocating its east Portland campus
Nowadays, you can get an education just about anywhere: downtown, the Internet, and at east Portland’s University of Western States (UWS), a ballooning institution that specializes in integrated healthcare education. UWS’s aging Russell neighborhood campus, 2900 N.E. 132nd Ave., was built in the 1950s as Marycrest, a girls’ Catholic high school. It was purchased by UWS in 1973 for $1.1 million.
Traffic rounder redesign committee approves final site recommendations
Tom Badrick, longtime Parkrose Heights Association of Neighbors chair, is leading the effort to redesign a local green space that’s currently better known as a notorious eyesore. The roundabout island at Northeast 102nd Avenue and Weidler Street, across from a Kaiser clinic, is a site so infamous that it goes by many names. Even Badrick isn’t sure what to call it. “I don’t really like any of its names,” says Badrick.
Taste of Parkrose draws 3,000 visitors in its fifth year
Much like a five-year-old child, Taste of Parkrose has seen a massive growth spurt since its birth in 2014. In five years, the Historic Parkrose (HP)-founded event––sponsored by Parkrose Hardware, Prosper Portland, Big Green Egg, Rossi Farms and Gateway Brewing––has become Parkrose’s most attended yearly bash, with a “25 percent increase in sales since 2017,” says HP District Manager Mingus Mapps. Taste of Parkrose 2018 seems to have left an impression on both HP and the general public.
Gateway’s proposed “multigenerational community” gains mayor’s eye
Some big names are lining up behind a spendy initiative to build a 10.5-acre mixed-use site at Northeast 102nd Avenue and Pacific Street across the street from the Gateway Fred Meyer and the transit center named the 102nd and Pacific/Generations Gateway Project.
Calendar Categorized Posts
Thursday, Feb. 8, marked the monthly meeting of the Gateway Area Business Association (GABA), which followed up last month’s charged appearance by Commissioner Chloe Eudaly with Mayor Ted Wheeler as the scheduled speaker. “I’m delighted to be here in Gateway today,” opened Mayor Wheeler before reeling off a list of accomplishments and plans for...
“Windscape” redesign hosts second open house
Parkrose residents will have a say in the remodeling effort for “Windscape” –– the roundabout island at Northeast 102nd and Weidler Street––after all. At least, this is what appeared evident at the project’s latest, and likely last, open house held Thursday, June 21. As previously reported (“Updates to ‘Windscape’ roundabout draw strong reactions,” MCM February 2018), the project’s impromptu first open house came as a surprise.
Ayomide Njo Wants to Dismantle the Fallacy That There Are No People of Color In Portland’s Yoga Classrooms
When you picture someone doing yoga, certain stereotypes come to mind. Ayomide Njo, co-founder of Yoga Bilingüe, wants to dismantle at least one of them—the fallacy that there are no people of color in Portland's yoga classrooms. Yoga Bilingüe's mission statement is to "decolonize and decapitalize" yoga.
Mixed-use community proposed for 10.5-acre site in Gateway
If you ask developer Ted Gilbert about the future of Gateway, he’ll remind you that the east Portland transportation hub was given its name with reason. Preceding the construction of the I-84, the region was brainstormed to evolve into Portland’s “front door” to the west and “gateway” to the east. And if Gilbert has anything to say about it––which he does––it’s not too late. “Growing up, the Willamette river was like a moat,” says Gilbert.
Hipster cocktail lounge set for summer opening in Parkrose
A guy walks into a bar … to find a photo booth, a rotating crop of up-and-coming live musical acts, craft cocktails, karaoke and shuffleboard tournaments. The punchline? This bar is in the Parkrose commercial district.
Old Country Sausage closing paves way for Filipino BBQ opening
The American dream is alive and well in the food industry. When Old Country Sausage (10634 N.E. Sandy Blvd.), a German-immigrant founded European deli, shut its doors this spring after 40 years, the same doors opened for an immigrant from the Philippines with a brawny ambition to open a brick-and-mortar location for her Filipino barbecue restaurant Fork & Spoon Food House.
Daniel Girón Is Teaching Portland How To Vogue-and Carving Out a Space For Queer People of Color in America’s Whitest City
It looks like a fight is about to break out. Or at least a rap battle. Two competitors—one dressed in a denim vest and hot-pink tank, the other in a black skater shirt and baseball cap—stand facing each other, encircled by onlookers in what looks like a small dance studio. A beat begins to thump. The guy in the tank, his hair pulled into a tight bun, starts to twirl. He strips off his vest, tosses it to the ground, steps over it and shimmies down into it like a genie sinking into a bottle.
Halsey-Weidler Streetscape Project breaks ground
2018 will see the introduction of numerous city and Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) efforts designed to improve safety for bikes, cars and pedestrians east of 82nd Avenue. Many of these improvements are part of the Fixing Our Streets (FOS) initiative, of which, the first two FOS east Portland-associated projects have officially broken ground as of late May.
Ringside Restaurant replaced by hipster brewery
East Portland will soon become home to Portland’s only craft beer designed specifically for golfers––and yes, it’s set to be brewed on a golf course. The Pearl-based brewery Von Ebert Brewing is opening a 9,000-square-foot second location on the Glendoveer Golf Course in the former location of the dearly departed Ringside Grill (14021 N.E. Glisan St.). If you’re wondering how one of Von Ebert’s founders, Tom S.
Taste of Parkrose returns for year five
Since launching five years ago, the summer social extravaganza that is Taste of Parkrose has earned its red-carpet treatment. It’s now the neighborhood’s biggest yearly event, reporting more than 2,000 visitors in 2017 and a projected 25 percent increase in attendees this year.
Next open house date for Windscape makeover set
Last January, east Portland residents had plenty to say about a surprise open house dedicated to enhancing an infamous plot of local land.
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