Tag Archives: City of Seattle

Portland’s fentanyl crisis looks like Seattle’s, but approach veers

Last month, Oregon’s elected leaders declared a temporary state of emergency for downtown Portland, which has been among the hardest hit by the fentanyl crisis. The 90-day emergency declaration, in part, directs city, county and state governments to closely work with first responders to connect those with fentanyl addictions to treatment, housing and other resources. […]
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Portland’s fentanyl crisis looks like Seattle’s, but approach veers

Last month, Oregon elected leaders declared a temporary state of emergency for downtown Portland, which has been among the hardest hit by the fentanyl crisis. The 90-day emergency declaration, in part, directs city, county and state governments to closely work with first responders to connect those with fentanyl addictions to treatment, housing and other resources. […]
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Summer tourism flops for Swift-less Portland; Seattle enjoys ‘really good’ year

“Summer tourism did not happen.” The Portland City Council unanimously voted not to sunset the city’s 1% “Tourism and Hospitality Recovery” tax first imposed on hotel room bookings in 2021 to fund the post-pandemic recovery of Portland’s travel and tourism industry. The decision was made after recent economic data showed that Portland’s tourism industry “flatlined” […]
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Landslide forces cancellation of Amtrak travel between Portland and Seattle

The rain that’s swamping the Pacific Northwest has now shut down a major rail corridor. All Amtrak train service between Portland and Seattle is canceled through Thursday morning because of a landslide, the company announced Tuesday. The cancellation doesn’t impact trains running between Portland and Eugene or Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. The company says it’s […]
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It now takes at least 6 figures for a family to get by in Seattle

New studies show how Seattle’s economic pressure cooker is intensifying. The cost of basic necessities for a family of four just went up by $16,000, or 18%, in a single year. The other morning, down in the Chinatown International District, the line outside the door was 200 long, snaking around the cul-de-sac at Eighth Avenue […]
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Some Seattle tree advocates oppose ordinance aimed at managing the city’s urban forest – OPB’s Think Out Loud

A Seattle tree ordinance passed earlier this year has frustrated some tree advocates in the city. Onlookers say developers played too big a role in helping craft the policy. The city’s own Urban Forestry Commission, a panel that provides expertise on tree policy and regulation, says it didn’t have enough time to review the proposal. […]
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Seattle, hit by tech cuts and pandemic, tries to reboot 

State Library Ed. Note: If you cannot access this story via the link below, state employees can access this Washington Post story HERE via the State Library’s subscription to the US Newstream database. Alternatively, state employees can contact us for access: LibraryHelp.SLO@slo.oregon.gov or 503-378-8800. The city, which has sustained rapid tech growth, is looking for its next act. A florist in […]
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Seattle schools sue tech companies over mental health crisis affecting young people – OPB’s Think Out Loud

Seattle Public Schools is suing the parent companies behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat. The complaint alleges that social media has played a major role in the mental health problems faced by young people and that the district has needed to allocate more resources to combat the crisis. The lawsuit joins other complaints that […]
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Poor and diverse areas of Portland and Seattle offered slower and more expensive internet

CenturyLink customers in Seattle and Portland receive wide-ranging levels of service for the same price, with poorer residents and people of color more likely to be burdened by slow speeds, according to a new analysis of digital inequities in U.S. cities. Seattle had the worst disparities among cities examined in the Pacific Northwest. About half […]
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Seattle and Portland mired in poor air quality as wildfires smoke up sky

Seattle, Portland and other cities of the US north-west are experiencing some of the worst air quality in the world as numerous wildfires burn nearby, choking residents and casting an eerie haze across the skyline. In the Seattle area, home to about 4 million people, the sky was brown and the air was difficult to […]
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