City of Portland news release

4 p.m.

The demolition of the burned-out Centennial Mills building is nearly complete. By 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, almost nothing remained of the disused flour mill but a pile of rubble.

Workers took down the building’s iconic water tower on Monday, and made swift progress in the following hours.

“The rapid progress in the demolition of this building has been remarkable, and it is a credit to the skill and professionalism of the experts tasked with this responsibility,” said Portland Permitting & Development Director Eric Kutch.

The main demolition contractor, hired by the property owner, is Staton Companies, based in Eugene. Staton retained DetX to conduct the controlled detonation of the water tower on Monday. The property owner also hired DCI Engineers for engineering support.

In light of the rapid progress, city officials today advised railroad operators that the building no longer poses a hazard to trains near the site.

Built in 1910, the eight-story building was gutted by a four-alarm fire on Aug. 2 that destroyed the roof and all eight floors, leaving behind a charred shell at high risk of collapse.

The city established a safety perimeter around the site, and closed Northwest Naito Parkway and nearby Fields Park. The city asked rail operators not to run trains in the collapse zone, in case rumbling vibrations should trigger structural failure.

The demolition contractor demolished the building’s water tower on Monday with controlled explosions. Then a giant mechanical arm equipped with a shear that cuts through iron and concrete like a scissors, brought down the walls.

Because asbestos-containing materials may remain at the site, the contractor will continue to monitor for their presence throughout the demolition.

“The site remains dangerous, so it is important that people continue to stay away while crews work to finish the demolition safely and efficiently,” Kutch said.

Once hazards have been removed, investigators will search for clues to the cause of the fire.

The three District 4 City Council incumbents have an advantage over Eli Arnold, the Central Precinct bike cop and Sellwood resident who is trying to improve upon his near miss for a seat two years ago.

Olivia Clark, Mitch Green and Eric Zimmerman are in effect campaigning as they do their jobs addressing the topics of the day.

Arnold is honing his positions a step away from the spotlight. Upgrading the Moda Center in a bid to retain the Trail Blazers and preserving Keller Auditorium are two issues he has staked out.

“I believe it is important to put the Moda Center renovation in context,” Arnold told the NW Examiner. “As a city, we’re looking to redevelop Lloyd District, complete the Albina Vision Trust plan and reactive the inner Eastside down to the OMSI District. Moda sits at the intersection of these goals.

“We do not want to lose the economic activity, tourism benefits or the jobs associated with the Moda Center. While securing the best possible deal with public funds is important, moving forward on this project is also crucial,” he said.

Keeping the Keller is also important to him. While he is open to considering the feasibility of a new performing arts center at Portland State University, he remains skeptical that the city can support two downtown theaters, especially in light of two private arenas being built on the inner Eastside.

“I would like some analysis before committing to it,” he said of the PSU plan.

Arnold can be seen at two events this week:

• An in-person appearance at Mother’s Bistro, 121 SW Third Ave., Thursday, Aug. 20 at 5 p.m.

• A virtual town hall will be held Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 6 p.m.

RSVP to lahefele@gmail.com for both events.

Portland Aquarium, 603 SW Broadway, is closing on Sunday, Oct. 4, but there’s still time to visit the artist Mike Bennett’s animal-free cartoon aquarium at the Cascadia Marine Lab.

Expect to discover over 300 sea creatures from aboard this “submarine,” where jellyfish and beluga whales come to life with a bit of imagination.

Using an explorer’s field guide, budding marine biologists can identify and spot various types of stingrays, sharks and sardines as they move through the exhibit halls and peek through the portals.

General admission to Portland Aquarium is $14; kids 12 and under $10; kids 2 and under are free. Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. every day except Tuesday.

A new art-focused Mike Bennett creation will open after the aquarium closes.

Thanks to Emily Davis for this video with an impressive bang, drawing an OMG!

Bottom three videos by Michaela Lowthian.

The city of Portland provided a recap at 5 p.m.

With a fiery blast, a demolition crew today successfully brought down the water tower perched atop the charred shell of the Centennial Mills building, which was gutted by a four-alarm fire on Aug. 2.

Using a controlled detonation, Staton Companies and its subcontractor, DetX, demolished the supports of the tower, which tumbled down inside the building as planned, drawing wild cheers from the crowd that gathered outside the safety perimeter to observe the event.

“We are very pleased with today’s detonation of the water tower,” Portland Permitting & Development Director Eric Kutch said afterward. “The operation was completed successfully, and we are pleased with the outcome.”

Big bang

The air was full of excited chatter as the crowd waited for the big moment. Portlanders snapped selfies with the water tower in the background. Joggers paused mid-stride to take in the scene.

Moments before the detonation, fire trucks sounded blasts on their horns in a postmodern symphony of warning. Tension mounted as the crowd hushed.

“Five, four, three, two, one!” the demo crew leader called out. “Fire in the hole.”

Nothing. Nothing. Then... Ka-BOOM.

A spectacular explosion. A raging inferno. A cloud of smoke. In the blink of an eye, the water tower was obliterated, vanishing into the building’s interior. A halo of dust veiled the ruined structure, now bereft of its rusty crown.

The crowd erupted in applause, cheers and high-fives.

“Oh my GOD!” someone shouted.

“That was the biggest bang I ever heard!”

“That was amazing!”

The staunchest City Council advocate for Keller Auditorium’s future appears to be North Portland’s Dan Ryan. The District 2 councilor supplied the lone vote against an Aug. 11 council committee recommendation furthering plans for a new arts and culture center on the Portland State University campus.

Though the committee stripped the PSU plan of a specific financial commitment, the proposal nevertheless goes to the full council on track to meet its twin targets of a $44 million commitment by Dec. 1.

That wasn’t good enough for Ryan.

“I can see where this is going, and I hope I’m wrong,” he said.

“I’m really concerned that we’re once again moving something forward without any clarity on how we’re going to pay for it,” he said of the motion to consider funding a 3,000-plus seat PSU auditorium.

“I don’t want to take the risk of seeing more blight in downtown Portland [if] Keller goes dark someday,” he said.

The Keller Auditorium and the adjacent Ira Keller Fountain—“the most iconic piece of public art our city has”—are one piece, in his mind.

“What city would take that risk to have the beautiful piece of public art and not make that front and center of that part of town?” he asked his colleagues. “How would we give up on that?”

District 4 Councilor Eric Zimmerman said he did not know if the city needed two auditoriums, “but I do know that we need cranes in the air… I won’t turn down the opportunity to leverage state dollars.

“The future of PSU’s performing arts center does not mean the end of the Keller,” Zimmerman said, calling Keller “a foundational building for the community.”

Bob Naito co-chairs the Halprin Landscape Conservancy, which advocates for remodeling Keller Auditorium. He took the committee’s action as a victory in that it calls for a full feasibility study of PSU’s proposal and detailed expenses justifying its $44 million request, details PSU representatives did not provide at last week’s committee hearing.

Naito does not believe Portland needs to match more modern facilities in other cities, a theme in arguments for remodeling the Moda Center. He noted that only two auditoriums capable of handling Broadway productions have been built in the United States in the past 12 years.

Hearing council members express hope that a major investment in the arts will stimulate growth and vitality in the city, Naito pointed to the ambitious plan for a shoe innovation center in Old Town that collapsed recently despite substantial investments by the state and the city’s development agency, Prosper Portland.

“This is not the field of dreams, though they may want it to be,” he said.

When the Ku Klux Klan took over Oregon politics during the early 1920s, they picked a spot right here in the neighborhood as the headquarters of their anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish, anti-immigrant and anti-Black hatemongering.

Portland’s first Klan recruiter in 1921 immediately set up shop at the Multnomah Hotel. Lemuel “Bragg” Callaway, the Klan’s paid recruiter organizing a local chapter, saw Portland as ripe for the taking, as described in former Portland Tribune journalist Steve Law’s new book “Peddlers of Hate.”

“The second version of the Klan built its following by bashing Catholics, immigrants and other minorities,” Law said, “so this century-old saga remains eerily relevant today.”

At the time of the Klan’s arrival, a fifth of Portland residents were immigrants, and more than one in every 11 Portlanders were Catholic. Anti-Catholic forces had just seized control of the Portland School Board in the spring 1921 election, defeating a four-person slate endorsed by the City Club of Portland and by three of the four daily newspapers.

The Portland Telegram published a banner headline “Portland Invaded by Ku Klux Klan” in June 1921, just five days after Callaway’s arrival, but the article aided the Klan in its recruitment efforts. Callaway was fired, presumably for breaking the Klan’s code of silence, but then two other Klansmen scored a public-relations coup at the same hotel, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and operates as the Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Downtown.

Unidentified Klansmen contacted city and federal law-enforcement officials, along with members of the press, to the Oregon Klan’s coming-out presentation at the Multnomah Hotel. City and federal officials answered the call and arrived to the hotel to be greeted by two hooded Klansmen, later identified as “king kleagle” Luther Powell and “exalted cyclops” Fred Gifford, who was appointed to run the Portland chapter so Powell could focus on opening up others around the state.

Once the photo of hooded Klansmen meeting with Portland officials was published, public curiosity about the hate group skyrocketed statewide. Days before Christmas, the Klan attracted more than 6,000 Portlanders to a paid lecture at a downtown hall now called Keller Auditorium. At the peak of the Klan’s influence, it had captured the governor’s and mayor’s offices and had about 50,000 white Protestant members.

“In its ascent to power between 1921 and 1924, the Klan could command audiences of thousands to attend its rallies, lectures, parades and cross burnings in every nook, cranny, city, town and village of the state,” said Darrell Millner, professor emeritus of Black studies at Portland State University.

“Law documents these events in intimate detail, naming names, dates, locations for all to see. It is a scary story.”

Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., will host a conversation with Law about the Klan at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

The city of Portland laid out plans for demolition of the Centennial Mills flour mill.

At a press conference yesterday, Portland Permitting & Development Director Eric Kutch explained what he called “a complex demolition.”

Staton Companies, a Eugene-based demolition contractor, has been hired by the property owner to dismantle the 116-year-old reinforced masonry structure. The first step will be removing the water tower through a set of explosions.

“Barring any major changes, we expect demolition to begin in earnest early next week, very likely Monday. … Because the building is at risk of collapse, the work requires specialized engineering, equipment, and demolition expertise to protect workers, adjacent infrastructure, the railroad and the surrounding community.

“We expect the water tower removal to be, frankly, loud and may cause fear to vulnerable populations. … A notification will be provided to nearby residents and property owners before the first explosives are detonated. … Windows, doors, ventilation systems, air intakes, utilities and equipment at surrounding buildings will be protected as needed based on proximity to the blast zone and site conditions.

“We realize there is a desire to see this building come down quickly. Safety is our highest priority. … We expect the building to be dismantled to about half of its current height in two weeks’ time.

“Portland Fire & Rescue worked with an engineer to establish a safety perimeter—a minimum of 1.5 times the building height—in the event of a building collapse.

“When the building has been sufficiently dismantled, Northwest Naito Parkway may be reopened to traffic between Ninth and 15th avenues.”

“Materials at the Centennial Mills site tested positive for lead and asbestos. It is possible that a collapse of the building could make particles of these substances airborne in the form of dust or small fibers. Stay inside until dust visibly clears.

“If you must leave your home soon after detonation, use an N95 mask if available, and limit your time outside as much as possible.”

Tips for staying safe as a nearby building collapses.

If Portland charter reform was a big idea, Northwest District resident Mattt Zmuda had a bigger one: Merge Portland and Multnomah County governments into a single entity.

A tech engineer, he read the 1971 state legislation allowing Portland and Multnomah County to merge. Though never attempted in 55 years, he figured it was doable. A initiative petition signed by 22,000 voters would have triggered a two-year process of official analysis and citizen engagement culminating in a referendum decided by a majority of affected voters.

“It would not be that difficult,” Zmuda initially surmised, unencumbered by professional political experience. “That was what I thought.”

That confidence led him to believe an all-volunteer effort might be sufficient, and he liked the purity of that path.

The easy way, he reasoned, would be to raise funds and hire an organization to collect the necessary signatures. The hard way proved harder than he anticipated. He never announced the number of signatures he collected.

“I wanted to do this the right way, which means not tapping into existing power structures and political organizations,” he said. “I could have approached business interests to solicit large donations and gotten a paid signature gathering firm. We probably could have reached that threshold pretty easily.

“But, I think that would have triggered a reaction. … If business interests come out strongly on record for this, you would see the same negative reaction [as we’ve seen to] things like DSA.”

The division engendered by the Democratic Socialists of America bloc on the current City Council is not the kind of reform he had in mind.

“What I found is that this [merger proposal] doesn’t necessarily polarize around political ideology,” he said. “People who reached out were coming in equal parts from what’s called the moderate part of City Council—folks who supported Olivia Clark or Dan Ryan—but also, I have quite a few people from DSA.”

Zmuda made the effort, speaking to about 25 neighborhood groups after a MultNoMo kickoff event at the Lucky Labrador Pub in January.

“Overwhelmingly, people who understood it were supportive and enthusiastic,” he said.

“I showed up prepared to argue that two overlapping governments are one too many, and I almost never had to,” he wrote. “People are already there.

“Their questions start further down the road: How services would be organized, what would happen to tax rates, whether their dollars would finally buy better results. Portlanders want government that costs less and delivers more, and they’re ready for a serious, detailed conversation about the structure standing in the way.”

Turning that support into certified signatures, however, was a bigger task than he envisioned.

“A lot of the plans we had for yard signs, canvassing and organized drives didn’t materialize as hoped,” he wrote on MultNoMo.org.

“I work a full-time job and take my four young kids to school,” he told the NW Examiner. “I’m able to maybe work 10-20 hours per week. That’s not enough.”

The whole process was a learning experience, and he intends to continue that education.

“I’m going to be starting at PSU, doing their executive master’s in public administration program. Every other Saturday, a cohort of folks will get together and nerd out about administrative law,” he said with a smile. “So that should be a fun thing.”

Zmuda recalls another Portland political neophyte who wasn’t ashamed to admit he had things to learn.

“On the Johnny Carson show, [Portland Mayor-elect] Bud Clark told him he was enrolling at a PSU. That was a big laugh line. It was unthinkable that people would have the humility to go to school and try to be the best person they could be.”

Zmuda won’t take this issue on alone again, but he remains optimistic that its time will come.

“I do see this reform as being inevitable,” he said.

A citizen initiative isn’t the only way a merger could be enacted. The City-County Act of 1971 (ORS 199.705-199.795) can also be triggered by a majority vote of either the Portland City Council or the Multnomah County Board. As with an initiative, there would be a two-year period to draft referendum language that would be put to the voters.

Before any future merger campaign, Zmuda believes the enabling legislation needs to be tightened. For example, the complexities related to parts of the county not in any city are not spelled out, he said. He is in touch with state legislators who promise to refine the process.

“I’m in this for the long haul,” he wrote. “Portland is home for my family. My oldest is 8, and when she graduates high school in 2036, I want this to be a city worth coming back to — somewhere safe and energizing, with housing people can afford and opportunity worth staying for.”

Steve Kanter, a Northwest District resident and dean emeritus of the Lewis & Clark Law School, has followed Zmuda’s effort closely.

“I’m strongly in favor of looking at this again,” Kanter said. “People are hungry for a responsive government … and there would be very strong support for it.”

Overlapping governments cloud authority and responsibility, he said, inviting buck-passing on tough issues or the opposite, unilateral action when cooperation is warranted.

Nothing exemplified the unwieldy divide between city and county more starkly than the matter of homeless shelter and services, issues designated for county control under a 1983 intergovernmental agreement. Mayor Keith Wilson’s central campaign pledge—to create 1,500 shelter beds—led the city to cover what should have been a county responsibility.

Kanter takes the merger issue one step further: He thinks Metro should also by brought under the same tent.

How to get involved

Zmuda’s website lists three ways people can help.

• Apply to the Multnomah County Charter Review Committee. Every six years, the county convenes a committee of residents to study the charter and propose amendments for voter approval.

• Invite me to speak. If your neighborhood association, civic group, workplace, or book club wants to dig into consolidation, write to unite@multnomo.org.

• Connect me with candidates. If you’re running for office, or know someone who is, let’s talk. I can say with confidence that consolidation is a winning issue.

The same suspect who allegedly used a knife to slash the tire on a marked city of Portland vehicle on July 20 was involved in an Aug. 12 incident in the Northwest District that resulted in a more-than-hourlong police standoff and a shelter-in-place order for residents.

According to newly released details by Portland police, the suspect on July 20 had opened the Portland Bureau of Transportation vehicle door while holding the knife, before riding away on a bicycle at Northwest 18th Avenue and Thurman Street. The PBOT employee was not injured in the incident.

At 1:55 p.m. on Aug. 12, two officers were conducting follow-up investigation in the case when they spotted the suspect on Northwest 16th Avenue between Overton and Pettygrove streets. According to the official police report:

“They told the suspect he was under arrest, but he ran from them. The officers reported that they saw the suspect had a knife in one hand, described as a large blade hunting knife. Numerous officers responded to assist and contain the armed suspect. Officers saw the suspect running toward members of the public, including a mother and her child. After several blocks, the suspect ran toward a tire repair shop in the 1200 block of Northwest 19th Avenue still armed with the knife. A Portland Police Lieutenant struck the suspect with his police vehicle, causing the suspect to fall down. But he kept running away and did not appear to be injured.”

At about 3 p.m. on Aug. 12, police warned residents near Northwest 18th Avenue and Northwest Overton Street that an armed suspect ran from officers and was hiding in the area. The shelter-in-place alert was lifted by the Portland Police Bureau at 4:44 p.m. after officers arrested an armed suspect.

Following an investigation, and after he was cleared medically at the hospital, Joshua R. Kuras, 33, of Portland, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, burglary, criminal mischief, interfering with a law enforcement animal, attempted animal abuse and escape.

The Portland Police Bureau is investigating multiple police uses of force during this incident per policy. Information about force policy, investigation and review is available on the PPB website.

View full size image of the knife recovered

When the Pearl Patrol launched just a month ago, a NW Examiner reader suggested the group share its early observations. Program manager Linda Witt offers these reflections from the group after the first month of operation, during which more than 50 patrollers completed over 60 one‑hour group walks with 3-5 people on each. Volunteers report that they enjoy the camaraderie, and they appreciate knowing their efforts make a tangible difference. They choose one‑hour walking shifts — morning, afternoon or evening — alongside fellow participants from a wide range of backgrounds: IT, medicine, retail, finance and banking, construction, art, engineering and education, to name a few. What unites them is a shared commitment to improving livability and safety in the district. Many volunteers also help keep the neighborhood clean by picking up trash (optional), and they enjoy chatting with residents and business owners about what’s working and what’s not.

Participants immediately report issues they encounter — whether trespassing, graffiti, tents, drug use or dealing, trash or abandoned vehicles to the appropriate authorities. Some volunteers are also comfortable conducting homeless outreach. As a result, the team has successfully connected individuals with Oasis Day Shelter and other homeless services. The participants have helped people access short‑term housing through close coordination with police, Northwest Community Conservancy, Echelon security services, etc.

Are we making a difference? In at least two cases, our volunteers were able to summon emergency resources that resulted in ambulance transport — these were situations where others had been unable to get a response. In those moments, we believe lives may have been saved.

After a month of walking, observing and comparing notes, here are the key insights we believe the public — and our city and county leadership — should know:

1. Many of the homeless individuals we engage with are recent arrivals to Oregon, coming from states such as South Dakota, Idaho, Indiana and Louisiana.

2. Most of the homeless individuals we meet do not wish to pursue services. We encourage them when appropriate, but the vast majority are simply not yet at a point in their sobriety journey where they are ready to commit to lifestyle changes.

3. The most challenging situations involve individuals in acute mental crisis and drug-induced altered levels of consciousness. Patrollers do not engage directly in those situations — only trained professionals can safely intervene. We call county and city resources, but response times are slow, leaving acutely ill individuals (or people simply passed out) to continue churning on the streets, and/or in a state where they are vulnerable to theft or further harm.

4. Our volunteers frequently witness open smoking of fentanyl and drug dealings on sidewalks and in parks. Our timely reports have contributed to a couple of recent arrests by the police, but law enforcement resources fall far short of the need. Targeted police missions are underway, and we appreciate seeing more officers in cars and on bikes — but much more remains to be done. It appears that the Pearl’s parks — especially Jamison Park — are functioning as waiting areas for Northrup Shelter guests in the early evening and as a day shelter during daytime hours. Our hope is that the Parks Department can restore full use of these spaces to the public once the shelter ceases operation in mid-September.

New volunteers are welcome to join, whether they can do one walk per month or several walks per week. To learn more, email Linda Witt at pearlpatrolpdx@gmail.com.

Drag Story Time is held every Sunday at Darcelle XV Plaza, the park named for Walter Cole, the icon behind Darcelle’s, the West Coast’s longest running drag venue.

Before Story Time started on a recent Sunday, the performer Bolivia Carmichaels listened to a mix that filled the park with Madonna and Paula Abdul hits as she chatted with Downtown Clean and Safe Staff there.

When it was finally show time, she read “My Shadow is Pink” to a small but adoring crowd. “What do you say, should I sing now?” she said, closing the book as her gown twinkled.

Little kids, that’s called a rhetorical question.

Then she belted out “Everything is Coming up Roses” from the Broadway musical “Gypsy.”

A shelter-in-place alert was lifted by the Portland Police Bureau at 4:44 p.m. after officers arrested an armed suspect.

At about 3 p.m. on Aug. 12, police warned residents near Northwest 18th Avenue and Northwest Overton Street that an armed suspect ran from officers and was hiding in the area.

The suspect was seen armed with a knife while eluding police on foot (case number 26-235171). Officers asked anyone inside the police perimeter of Northwest Overton Street to Northwest Northrup Street, Northwest 18^th Avenue to Northwest 19^th Avenue, to stay inside with doors and windows locked. Numerous officers were in the area and using police resources such as K9 units and drones.

Update

6:58 am

View full size image of the knife recovered

Following an investigation, and after he was cleared medically at the hospital, Joshua R. Kuras, 33, of Portland, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, burglary, criminal mischief, interfering with a law enforcement animal, attempted animal abuse and escape.

“Table for three?” the woman running the front of the house at Ling Garden asked as we entered.

“Three generations, in fact,” I replied.

Over her shoulder, she cracked a smile that I took as “don’t be annoying” as she showed me, my mom and my daughter to a table.

Ling Garden remains on the same block where it started, although not in the same building. It launched in an old house but moved to the 21 Astor Building, which replaced it nearly 10 years ago. The old place had a huge fish tank just inside the door. The new place is simple and more spacious, with a few lanterns for decoration.

After a moment settling in, a second Ling sister asked if we were ready to order.

First we had some questions. “How long have you been open?”

“Thirty-one years,” she said with a smile.

“Did you celebrate the 30th anniversary?”

“No, we worked.”

Her own daughter, she added, helps sometimes, “but she doesn’t want to work this hard.”

That drew a wry laugh at the daughter’s expense.

A third Ling sister delivered another order and slipped back into the kitchen.

Then we ordered General Tso’s chicken, vegetable lo mein and pot stickers.

While I worked up an appetite steering the conversation, my mom wanted to talk about world affairs (nope) or how the freight trains by Centennial Mill will create a barrier against its imminent collapse (also a bit intense for our companion) or tennis.

My daughter, who is studying pre-veterinary medicine, didn’t take the bait on any of these topics, but shared a work story about Bandit, a one-eyed dog who stays at Sniff Dog Hotel.

We opened our fortune cookies. Mine said, “Your willingness to take risks will soon be rewarded.”

Briefly

Retropolitan Vintage, 234 SW Broadway, a sprawling vintage mall, opened Aug. 8 in an Art Deco building last home to the Paul Mitchell Beauty School and across from the Benson Hotel. I picked up a set of styrofoam Blitz-Weinhard beer holders and a kitschy little painting. For now, the first floor is filled up with vendors and the upper level will be open soon. A vault on the first floor will serve as a concession stand during events.

Jakarta Bistro, an Indonesian restaurant at 1902 NW 24th Ave., is open weekends 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

The Multnomah Athletic Club leased the corner space at Sawbuck Apartments, 1795 SW Salmon St. “The space provides the club with additional flexibility to host events, meetings and other member activities,” said communications manager Adam Linnman.

A few businesses from the now-closed Lloyd Center have jumped to Pioneer Place. They include Floating World Comics, a Lego store, a magic shop, Kathmandu to You, and Auntie Ann’s Pretzels.

Lucille, a cocktail bar, will open on the ground floor of the Carson Apartments in Slabtown in the former home of Manzanita Wines.

Verdun Fine Chocolates, the longtime Lebanese chocolate shop with beautiful foil wrapping, has closed its Pearl District shop in the Gregory, 421 NW 10th Ave., and headed for the suburbs.

Plans to downgrade the Keller Auditorium while chasing Portland State University’s vision of a performing arts and cultural center dumbfound me.

Yet the PSU plans keeps checking off the boxes, as if by some invisible hand divorced from market forces.

The first clue that something strange was brewing was when a Chicago-based consulting firm, tasked with determining if the city could support two 3,000-seat auditoriums, went beyond its assignment and named PSU as the preferred option.

Two official advisory bodies piled on. The mayor’s ex officio table advised moving forward with the PSU complex and then later cutting down the Keller to half its size, even though maintaining its 3,000-seat capacity would not cost much more. What it would do is remove a potential competitor to PSU for Broadway productions.

This is a terrible time to expand the city’s performing arts venues. Two private arenas are being built on the near Eastside that will pull major music events from public auditoriums. This PSU move is akin to a family building a five-bedroom house just as the youngest children move on to college.

Among the many arguments against short-circuiting the Keller is the death spiral it would bring to the immediate neighborhood. The Ira Keller Fountain is a world-class attraction, but without the adjacent auditorium, it becomes isolated public space; hard to monitor, populate and keep safe. The parking structure next door would become another security headache.

The PSU plan is based on estimates, not detailed plans, as was the case with the Keller option. A commitment to the far more ambitious Portland State University could lead to another kind of death spiral of rising construction costs, unfunded operating costs and insufficient ticket sales.

The City Council City Life Committee will hold a 2 p.m. hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 11. For information, visit portland.gov/council-clerk/testimony-registration?doc_id=62790

Union Pacific Railroad is resuming train operation near the burned-out shell of Centennial Mills in spite of warnings from the city of Portland.

"Passing trains could trigger the collapse of the building," City Administrator Raymond Lee said at a news briefing this morning.

Lee said engineers have advised the city that vibrations from trains could destabilize the warehouse, though conceding that the city’s authority to stop them is "very limited."

Union Pacific advised the city that it has set up a ballast shield train, consisting of train cars filled with rock, standing idle on the rail track nearest to the structure, forming a barrier to protect freight trains passing through the collapse zone.

Amtrak has suspended rail passenger service between Portland and Seattle through Friday, using buses between Seattle and Portland in the meantime.

Demolition of the warehouse is slated to begin Friday, Aug. 14.

The last summer concert of the season will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11 at Couch Park, Northwest 19th Avenue and Glisan Street. Neighbors are invited to picnic on the park’s rolling hills and hear some local performers.

Orofino, an indie oughts cover band, is the first act. The rest of the evening will feature a “surprise whimsical Northwest duo.”

Crows, real and imagined, just keep showing up.

Wildwood: Follow the Crows art trail is a new self-guided public art trail that opened Aug. 7 in downtown Portland.

Crows are main characters in the fantastical adventure novel, “Wildwood,” by Portland’s Colin Meloy and illustrator Carson Ellis, which has been adapted into Laika’s latest stop-action film that opens in the fall.

This summer, download the Follow the Crows app ($1.49 to visit all 30 of the magical creatures, each painted by a local artist. Ellis’ crow is at the St. John’s Library.

In mid-November, the crows will be auctioned off to benefit OHSU Doernbecher’s Children’s Hospital.

Sneaker designer Matt Jones, aka Freaky Footwear, painted the crow in Jamison Square Park.

The event is courtesy of the Portland Metro Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Portland Clean and Safe, and Wild in Art.

The storefront in the Raleigh Slabtown apartment building, 1585 NW 22nd Ave., across the street from Breakside Brewing, has been leased to a new health-conscious business called Ode.

The wellness café and apothecary will focus on everyday wellness, says owner Gail Bolte, who is running the business with her daughter, Laine. Bolte has a background in pilates and gyrotonic expansion exercise programs.

Ode will serve organic coffee, smoothies, as well as gluten- and dairy-free food. Plans call for an opening in early fall.

Yesterday, Portland Fire & Rescue’s Human Remains Detection K9 Teams signaled the presence of human remains in rubble inside the burned-out Centennial Mills warehouse.

Further investigation is tied to demolition of the eight-story masonry structure. Portland Permitting & Development has notified owner Stuart Lindquist to “begin the removal of the water tank and the demolition of the mill as soon as possible and no later than Friday, Aug. 14.”

The city of Portland announced that “preliminary ambient air-quality testing conducted following Sunday's fire … indicates a low risk to the general public from airborne contaminants.”

The public is requested to avoid entering the fire scene while cleanup and investigation efforts continue.

Neighborhood Emergency Team volunteers have been walking throughout the Pearl District distributing informational flyers related to the Centennial Mills fire.

“Although the property owners completed asbestos abatement several years ago, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has confirmed that some fire debris that landed in the neighboring Pearl District contains asbestos,” wrote Brendan Jamieson of the Pearl Neighborhood Emergency Team. “The building also remains at risk of collapse, which could further disturb contaminated debris if that occurs.”

Preliminary testing indicates low risk from debris and air after the Centennial Mills fire

Today, State Rep. Shannon Isadore announced intent to introduce legislation next year to increase oversight of long-vacant, structurally compromised historic properties.