Culture All roses look pretty, but not all roses smell pretty. Any schmuck can admire the petals, but those who want to enjoy the sweet smell have to be a little more strategic about things. Portland is   More

Headout Today, the national debt standoff finally hits us where we live: boinking sailors. The annual Fleet Week celebrations—the docking of the U.S. Navy with all available Portland orifices—has be   More

Q & A In Joyce Goodman’s day, every girl in Portland dreamed of being crowned queen of the Rose Festival. That...   More

News Jeff Joslin, a former city land use manager for urban design, design review, and landmarks review, "retired" earlier this year. Over at Portland Architecture, a bizarre thread of comments followed his announcement when a number of anonymous Portlanders criticized Joslin online for exercising what they called undue power during his 15-year reign at Portland's Bureau of Development Services. But ...   More

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News Does Portland's City Council still feel guilty about its duct tape ban for the Rose Festival? We'll find out Wednesday when the council considers a proposed ordinance [PDF] that would give the 2010 Rose Festival a $19,650 grant to help with parade amenities. It would be the third year in a row the Rose Festival received a grant to improve restroom facilities and sidewalk accessibility along ...   More

News No, it's not what you think. This morning, to celebrate making the Rose Festival "the official festival of the City of Portland," Royal Rosarians, Grant High School's Rose Festival Queen and a handful of real clowns showed up at City Hall. It's a wonder our mayor (who is willing to don an orange jumpsuit for a photo op about potholes) didn't get more in the spirit of things this morning. Perhaps ...   More