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Good morning, Northwest.

Portland’s city government underwent its voter-backed transformation over a year ago, tripling the size of City Council and ushering in a host of other changes.

OPB reporter Alex Zielinski looked into how that’s changed the jobs of people who work behind the scenes to keep City Council running. That story starts today’s newsletter.

Also this morning, how the Pacific Northwest became a kiting hotbed.

Here’s your First Look at Wednesday’s news.

— Bradley W. Parks

Top story

The behind-the-scenes players at Portland City Hall adjust to new normal

Portland city government has spent the past year and a half changing the way it does just about everything.

Twelve new city councilors. New geographic districts. New rules about who gets to make decisions.

For Portlanders watching from the outside, the transformation has largely been a story about the politicians at the core of it.

But inside City Hall, there’s another group of people that has had to figure out how to keep the engine of government running amid all this change. (Alex Zielinski)

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3 things to know

• Investigators believe the mass homicide outside Forest Grove over the weekend started as a case of domestic violence that spawned killings, they said yesterday. They said the suspect, Benjamin Parker, confessed his crime to his mother before he killed himself. (Troy Brynelson and Holly Bartholomew)
• At a press conference yesterday in downtown Portland, Republican candidate for Oregon governor Christine Drazan said she refuses to believe the state’s best days are behind it. (Lauren Dake)
• In May, University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced a budget deficit of $65 million, citing anticipated enrollment decreases. And yet, part of UO’s $235 million Next Generation Housing Development Plan, a new seven-story, 800-bed residence and dining hall, is one year from completion. (Julia Boboc, KLCC)

Northwest headlines

• Eugene City Council stays neutral on Clean Energy Fund initiative (Zac Ziegler, KLCC)
• Washington’s newest Fish and Wildlife commissioner dies (Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard)
• Wings clinch final WNBA playoff spot with 96-78 win over Fire (AP)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• How Spokane effectively prepared for wildfire evacuations
• City of North Plains navigating community division and government crisis
• Parent advocacy group drafts revised screen time, AI policy for Portland Public Schools

One more look

Thousands take to the skies in Long Beach for ‘the Super Bowl of kite festivals’

Thousands of kites over the past 45 summers have graced the shores of Long Beach, Washington, flown by enthusiasts from all over the world.

The Washington State International Kite Festival has grown to be one of the most popular events for kiting, purporting to be the largest of its kind in North America.

Harry Osborne, one of the founders, started the event in 1981 to break the world record for keeping a kite continuously in the air, at 169 hours.

In the first year, only a few kiters attended. But from the beginning, the founders knew the festival could grow into a premier event. Indeed, the entire Pacific Northwest has become something of a kiting hotbed. (Joni Auden Land)

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Subscribe to OPB’s First Look to receive Northwest news in your inbox six days a week.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/26/portland-city-hall-new-government-first-look/