News briefs

PSU Weekend starts on Sunday with piano concert

Portland State will be hosting a piano concert Sunday at Lincoln Hall to begin the university’s annual PSU Weekend celebration on campus.

The “All-Steinway” concert, presented by the School of Fine and Performing Arts, will feature performances by a varied group of PSU faculty members, advanced students and one university alumnus. Performances will range from the more classical arrangements to Chinese selections and jazz.

The concert also celebrates PSU’s friendly relationship with the Steinway & Sons piano company.

The 150-year-old piano maker lists Portland State among its 76 “All-Steinway Schools,” an honor the company gives to colleges that exclusively use Steinway pianos. According to the Steinway & Sons website, PSU is the only school in Oregon to make the list.

The concert will be held Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. in the Lincoln Performance Hall.

–Eamon ffitch

MAX lines shut down during terror drill

The Portland Police Bureau shut down MAX Light Rail access in Northeast Portland Oct. 18 during Topoff, an antiterrorism exercise designed to test the city’s readiness for an attack, after bomb-sniffing dogs led officers to potential explosives.

The area around a parking garage for the Doubletree Hotel Portland, located at N.E. 1000 Multnomah Blvd., was closed off after the dogs led officers to the potential explosives. MAX lines running through the area were shut down for several hours, traffic access was closed and nearby Benson High School went into lockdown mode. Traffic access was reopened three-and-a-half hours after the disruption, and officials say that the dogs were confused by the heavy traffic of military vehicles and ammunition.

The Topoff activities scheduled at the hotel were canceled, though officials say that the rest of the exercise will continue as planned over the weekend.

–Robert Seitzinger