City Cast Portland City Cast

Today, we’re starting something new: neighborhood guides where we talk with notable Portlanders about the good, the bad, and the ugly of where they live.
First up: potentially our most controversial neighborhood, Old Town Chinatown. Suzette Smith, from the Portland Mercury, has lived there for nearly a decade and has plenty of reasons why we have Old Town pegged all wrong.
And a note to our ride-or-dies: our midweek roundup will be back next week.
Places mentioned in this episode:


Karaoke From Hell at Dante’s

Sushi Ichiban

Darcelle XV Showplace

Kingsland Kitchen

Little Peacock

Hallway PDX

Deadstock Coffee

Cafe United

Stumptown

Kells Irish Pub

Buranko Cafe

The Society Hotel

The Hoxton

Lan Su Chinese Garden

Sizzle Pie

Voodoo Doughnut

Pine Street Market


Become a member of City Cast Portland today! Get all the details and sign up here. 
Who would you like to hear on City Cast Portland? Shoot us an email at portland@citycast.fm, or leave us a voicemail at 503-208-5448.
Want more Portland news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Portland, and be sure to follow us on Instagram. 
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Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:


McMenamins UFO Fest May 17 & 18 in McMinnville


Cake Hoopla in Tigard


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Despite our iconic forests, mountains, and waterfalls, some Oregonians say the real adventure awaits us in the high desert, east of the Cascades. Out there, you’ll see landscapes unlike anywhere else in the Northwest, remnants of volcanic activity, aromatic brush and desert wildflowers, black-tailed jackrabbits, and a big ole crack in the ground. Today on City Cast Portland, Norther Emily of Wild Solitude Guiding fills us in on why spring is the perfect time to visit the high desert.
Discussed in today’s episode:

Maupin

Lower Deschutes River

Criterion Tract

Smith Rock

Gray Butte

Painted Hills Natural Beef

Christmas Valley

Fort Rock

Crack in the Ground

The Lost Forest and Shifting Sand Dunes

Summer Lake Hot Springs


Become a member of City Cast Portland today! Get all the details and sign up here. 
Who would you like to hear on City Cast Portland? Shoot us an email at portland@citycast.fm, or leave us a voicemail at 503-208-5448.
Want more Portland news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Portland, and be sure to follow us on Instagram. 
Looking to advertise on City Cast Portland? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:


McMenamins UFO Fest May 17 & 18 in McMinnville


Cake Hoopla in Tigard


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re talking about why a North Portland affordable housing development for seniors is sitting empty, which type of homeless shelters are most successful in moving people into permanent housing, and whether Metro should be diverting supportive housing services dollars to buy existing cheap residential properties. Joining host Claudia Meza on this week’s Friday news roundup are KOIN 6 investigative reporter Elise Haas, and our very own executive producer, John Notarianni.
Stories discussed in today’s episode:


Rosemont Court Residents Wonder, ‘What Is Our Fate?’ [KOIN]


Study Finds Motels and Village Shelters Provide Best Outcome for Those Experiencing Homelessness [KGW]


Portland Apartment Buildings Are Selling Cheap. Is That an Opportunity for Local Governments? [Willamette Week]


Inside a Portland Micro-Village [City Cast Portland 🎧]


What’s Working (and Not) in Portland’s Shelter Programs [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Become a member of City Cast Portland today! Get all the details and sign up here. 
Who would you like to hear on City Cast Portland? Shoot us an email at portland@citycast.fm, or leave us a voicemail at 503-208-5448.
Want more Portland news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Portland, and be sure to follow us on Instagram. 
Looking to advertise on City Cast Portland? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On May 21, a primary election is likely to decide whether Mike Schmidt remains Multnomah County’s District Attorney or if instead the job will be passed on to Nathan Vasquez, a prosecutor working in the DA's office. Schmidt has appeared on the show a couple of times, so today we’re talking with Vasquez about why he thinks our city would be safer with him in office.
Events mentioned in today’s episode:

The Portland Night Market


‘Return of the Living Dead 3’ at the Clinton Street Theater


’Avatar: The Last Airbender’ in Concert at the Keller Auditorium


Register to vote in the May primary election

Become a member of City Cast Portland today! Get all the details and sign up here. 
Who would you like to hear on City Cast Portland? Shoot us an email at portland@citycast.fm, or leave us a voicemail at 503-208-5448.
Want more Portland news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Portland, and be sure to follow us on Instagram. 
Looking to advertise on City Cast Portland? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jenny Nguyen is the owner of Portland’s Sports Bra — the first bar in America dedicated to playing only women’s sports. Following this week’s news that The Sports Bra plans to begin opening franchises nationwide, we’re revisiting a conversation host Claudia Meza had with Nguyen about her role in raising the profile of college and professional women’s basketball, in our city and across the country.
This conversation originally aired on May 25, 2023
Become a member of City Cast Portland today! Get all the details and sign up here. 
Who would you like to hear on City Cast Portland? Shoot us an email at portland@citycast.fm, or leave us a voicemail at 503-208-5448.
Want more Portland news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Portland, and be sure to follow us on Instagram. 
Looking to advertise on City Cast Portland? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about a recent report on the health of the Willamette River and our local coastal waters. We also have updates on stories from last week, including Commissioner Rene Gonzalez’s backtracking on Mayor Ted Wheeler’s updated camping ban, and redemption for a maligned executive producer. Joining host Claudia Meza on our midweek roundup is our very own producer, Giulia Fiaoni.
Discussed in Today’s Episode:


Oregon Could Place Limits on River Trash, Ocean Acidification [OPB]


The Portland Spirit Turns 30 Years Old [Willamette Week]


Gonzalez’s Punitive Camping Ban, Unfinished City Projects in SE, and Changing Public School Funding [City Cast Portland]


Gonzalez Pares Back Camping Ban Proposal [Willamette Week]  


High-Visibility Crossing at SE 80th and Stark [Montavilla News]


Become a member of City Cast Portland today! Get all the details and sign up here. 
Who would you like to hear on City Cast Portland? Shoot us an email at portland@citycast.fm, or leave us a voicemail at 503-208-5448.
Want more Portland news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Portland, and be sure to follow us on Instagram. 
Looking to advertise on City Cast Portland? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices