Your Daily Guide

How To Help During Peak Spring Migration Season

We’re in peak spring migration season for birds as they head north for the warmer months. More than a million birds are over the Oregon skies at night right now. Want to help? Here are some things you can do: [KNKX via OPB / Cornell Lab of Ornithology]

• Turn off outside lights: Lights from homes and buildings can disorient birds that migrate at night. Advocates for our avian friends recommend keeping your curtains or blinds closed at night during migration season to avoid unintentionally attracting birds. Longer-term, you can fix outdoor light fixtures to make sure they don’t point skyward. “Select warm LED bulbs that are under a 3,000 Kelvin rating,” advises the Bird Alliance of Oregon. You can also take their Lights Out! pledge. [Bird Alliance of Oregon]
• Protect birds from windows: Add a sticker to windows — translucent dots work — so that birds can actually see windows and avoid them. [KNKX via OPB]
• Keep cats indoors: Windows are a leading cause of bird death. Only cats kill more. So the advice is: Keep the felines inside. [KNKX via OPB]
• Celebrate: Saturday is World Migratory Bird Day, and the Bird Alliance of Oregon is celebrating with a bird watching party: Whitaker Ponds Nature Park, 7040 NE 47th Ave. Beginners and experts are all welcome. [Bird Alliance of Oregon]

Whitman’s Complaints Against the Multnomah Athletic Club

Bruce Whitman, the man who attacked the Multnomah Athletic Club over the weekend, filed two civil rights complaints — in 2015 and 2019 — with Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries against his former employer. The complaints offer some insight into Whitman’s grievances against the club. BOLI determined that Whitman had been subjected to sexual harassment by his MAC manager, but the state agency didn’t take action, because the incidents were then outside the statute of limitations. [Oregonian]

• Related: A BOLI manager also documented in 2015 that Whitman’s behavior had been “sufficiently abrasive … to cause the investigator significant distress.” MAC general manager Charles Leverton said at a press conference earlier this week that Whitman had been fired “for cause after a repeated, well-documented series of agitations and aggressive behavior.” [Oregonian]

PlayDatePDX Is Closing

An indoor children’s play space that’s been a popular site for birthday parties is closing its doors after 15 years. PlayDate PDX’s landlord has declined to renew the lease, and the last day will be May 31. Other kid-friendly spaces have closed recently, including the Portland Children’s Museum in 2021. [Oregonian]

Waymo Coming to Portland

There are mixed reactions to self-driving cars coming to Portland. Waymo, the company, already has its electric cars in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta, and Austin. It’ll be a few months yet for Portland, and Waymo still needs approval from the city. Plus, City Council members are cleared of an ethics violation, and a new steakhouse is sparking some attention. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Each week, we include favorite local spots and organizations picked by City Cast Portland Neighbors. It’s a member benefit, but it’s also a great way to get to know our city:

• “Foster Theater, the newly refurbished space boasting an art deco interior and lighting up the streets in neon.” — Nathan B.-R.
• “I love the Portland Visitor’s Center on Southwest Harvey Milk Street. It’s got everything! The staff is very friendly and always happy to help you find your next adventure!” — Ramona Z.
• "Hollywood Theatre & Movie Madness! Metropolis Cycles! Also Portland Food Forest Initiative – Edible landscaping, permaculture design, regenerative urban farming." — Discopawl O.

Become a City Cast Portland Neighbor today to share your own shoutout in this newsletter and on the podcast!