It will be called the Orange line: TriMet’s new Portland-Milwaukie MAX light rail line, projected to open in September 2015, will extend from Southwest Fifth Avenue and Jackson Street, at the south end of the Portland State campus, to Southeast Park Avenue in Milwaukie. In addition to a new bridge to carry the trains across the Willamette, the new line will also have 18 new trains.
As one of a series of public forums and hearings on the proposed education urban renewal area, the forum held at Portland State on April 17 was intended to increase awareness and garner public approval. More than 100 people attended the hearing at PSU’s Urban Center to learn about and discuss the proposed plan. Attendees were able to ask questions and voice concerns or comments that were then answered by PSU President Wim Wiewel and Portland Development Commission Executive Director Patrick Quinton.
“Speak English. No Spanish.”
Those were the first words that young Esperanza De La Vega heard on her first day of kindergarten. She had been so excited to go to school with her five older sisters. They all spoke Spanish at home, and English was to be learned at school and outside. But the experience of her teacher raising her voice and yelling at her to speak English stunned her.
Students attending Portland State in 2012–13 will see extensive changes in the student insurance plan. Five years in the making, the new insurance plan is more comprehensive and more similar to a traditional insurance plan, offering benefits well beyond what current students have. However, the new plan, while a significant upgrade, also comes at a high price.
Earth Day is coming up on Sunday, April 22, and in recognition, Portland State’s Environmental Club is hosting Earth Week, a weeklong celebration. Starting Monday, April 23, each day of Earth Week will have its own theme, ending with a final festival on Friday.