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Rose Quarter I-5 closure will end early

Southbound lanes will reopen Wednesday night, more than a week early.

News

All lanes of southbound <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Interstate 5" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/09/08/i5-southbound-closure-rose-quarter" data-vars-content-id="8119599d-5f39-4777-82f9-bfae69d57868" data-vars-headline="Rose Quarter I-5 closure will end early" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/09/08/i5-southbound-closure-rose-quarter" target="_self">Interstate 5</a> through Portland&#x27;s Rose Quarter will reopen Wednesday night, more than a week ahead of schedule.Why it matters: Reopening will restore a major route through central Portland.<ul><li>The closure was expected to last five weeks. Construction was helped along by good weather and drivers seeking out alternative routes, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per KGW" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kgw.com/article/traffic/odot-interstate-5-rose-quarter-update-reopening-southbound-traffic/283-34dfe1f7-426c-4262-b9c6-70dd46c7bbec" data-vars-content-id="8119599d-5f39-4777-82f9-bfae69d57868" data-vars-headline="Rose Quarter I-5 closure will end early" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kgw.com/article/traffic/odot-interstate-5-rose-quarter-update-reopening-southbound-traffic/283-34dfe1f7-426c-4262-b9c6-70dd46c7bbec" target="_blank">per KGW</a>.</li></ul>

Bare Knuckles is having a banner year

The label is winning over fans with its obsessively considered fits and worn-in basics.

Chart-topping country singer Shaboozey, K-pop star J-Hope and &quot;Love Island&quot; winner Bryce Alakai have all been spotted wearing Portland menswear brand Bare Knuckles this year.Why it matters: Nearly a decade in, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bare Knuckles" data-vars-click-url="https://bareknuckles.co/" data-vars-content-id="5ba18251-20cc-4d3a-9e18-8b8e5869a79b" data-vars-headline="Bare Knuckles is having a banner year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://bareknuckles.co/" target="_blank">Bare Knuckles</a> has quietly grown from a side project between the two longtime Portland retail pros into a fashion-world favorite.

Oregon flu season gets an early start

Flu activity is rising weeks before its usual winter peak.

Winter may be months away, but <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="flu season" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/12/09/flu-season-oregon-h3n2-2025" data-vars-content-id="3f225dba-112c-4537-8a80-0b5a2e8f6659" data-vars-headline="Oregon flu season gets an early start" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/12/09/flu-season-oregon-h3n2-2025" target="_self">flu season</a> in Oregon doesn&#x27;t seem to be waiting.The big picture: Oregon&#x27;s respiratory illness season appears to be getting an early start, with flu activity rising weeks before its typical winter peak.

New love story puts Southeast Portland on the big screen

He trades restaurants for filmmaking in a romance filmed at familiar local haunts.

Fall in Portland is romantic. Prolific restaurateur turned independent filmmaker Josh Loeb knows this. Why it matters: His debut feature, &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="In Spite of Ourselves" data-vars-click-url="https://www.inspiteofourselvesfilm.com/" data-vars-content-id="d21d2aa4-0bb0-4928-b1f3-294be312674a" data-vars-headline="New love story puts Southeast Portland on the big screen" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.inspiteofourselvesfilm.com/" target="_blank">In Spite of Ourselves</a>,&quot; takes place against the backdrop of the city&#x27;s vibrant tree-lined streets, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="cozy cafes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2023/11/14/best-coffee-shops-work-from-home" data-vars-content-id="d21d2aa4-0bb0-4928-b1f3-294be312674a" data-vars-headline="New love story puts Southeast Portland on the big screen" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2023/11/14/best-coffee-shops-work-from-home" target="_self">cozy cafes</a> and acclaimed eateries — capturing Portland at its most rom-com-esque.

Kozha Numbers' Bag Club draws Portland's trendy creatives

Kozha Numbers founder Ilóna Gerasimov is hosting parties at her studio.

Things to Do

Ilóna Gerasimov&#x27;s got the recipe for a good party down to a T.<ul><li>There&#x27;s ample natural wine from the Willamette Valley, vintage Porsches parked outside, a DJ spinning &#x27;80s dance records and dozens of stylish people milling around one Southeast industrial block — enough to make anyone wonder where all of these fashion-forward Portlanders have been hiding.</li></ul>This is Bag Club, a monthly get-together for creatives Gerasimov started hosting this summer inside the studio where she makes every one of her cult-favorite <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Kozha Numbers handbags" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/09/15/kozha-numbers-it-bag" data-vars-content-id="2d25a41b-a61c-4dcb-bbc5-3a7b2c85e618" data-vars-headline="Kozha Numbers&#x27; Bag Club draws Portland&#x27;s trendy creatives" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/09/15/kozha-numbers-it-bag" target="_self">Kozha Numbers handbags</a>.

Why Portlanders don't visit Seattle more often

Putting aside <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the rivalry" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/02/28/portland-vs-seattle-centuries-history-feud" data-vars-content-id="fa5b2b51-d553-4aa5-86ca-32695e007047" data-vars-headline="Why Portlanders don&#x27;t visit Seattle more often" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/02/28/portland-vs-seattle-centuries-history-feud" target="_self">the rivalry</a> between Portland and Seattle, the majority of Axios Portland readers appear to have a favorable view of our bigger northern neighbor. They just don&#x27;t want to make the trip.The big picture: Portlanders&#x27; issue with Seattle isn&#x27;t about Seattle, though. It&#x27;s about <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Tacoma traffic" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/report-seattle-has-second-worst-congestion-third-worst-traffic-nation/WF3VJXLPPFCDHIDN4KKGRR5BFI/" data-vars-content-id="fa5b2b51-d553-4aa5-86ca-32695e007047" data-vars-headline="Why Portlanders don&#x27;t visit Seattle more often" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/report-seattle-has-second-worst-congestion-third-worst-traffic-nation/WF3VJXLPPFCDHIDN4KKGRR5BFI/" target="_blank">Tacoma traffic</a>.

New Portland concert venues could reshape live music scene

New major venues could reshape where artists play and how audiences spend their money.

Portland&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="live music landscape" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2024/05/06/best-live-music-venues-polaris-hall-lollipop-shoppe" data-vars-content-id="d1d0ddd4-0bb7-4e78-aa8d-e054ee3daf40" data-vars-headline="New Portland concert venues could reshape live music scene" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2024/05/06/best-live-music-venues-polaris-hall-lollipop-shoppe" target="_self">live music landscape</a> is poised for a major shakeup in the next year, with two new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="hotly debated concert venues" data-vars-click-url="https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2024/09/live-nation-monqui-aeg-music-venue-portland" data-vars-content-id="d1d0ddd4-0bb7-4e78-aa8d-e054ee3daf40" data-vars-headline="New Portland concert venues could reshape live music scene" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2024/09/live-nation-monqui-aeg-music-venue-portland" target="_blank">hotly debated concert venues</a> expected to open within months of each other.The big picture: The new spaces could help the city land acts who currently skip us because they&#x27;re too big for indies like Mississippi Studios but too small to fill Moda.

Portland's coolest art shows vanish overnight

If you miss the show, you miss the moment.

Some of the buzziest art shows happening in Portland right now are taking place far outside traditional gallery walls or <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="revered institutions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/11/14/art-museum-reopens-expansion-rothko-galleries" data-vars-content-id="ed03155d-ca4b-4d5b-a15a-93f938a1d74a" data-vars-headline="Portland&#x27;s coolest art shows vanish overnight" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/11/14/art-museum-reopens-expansion-rothko-galleries" target="_self">revered institutions</a> — and if you don&#x27;t hear about &#x27;em in time, you&#x27;re SOL.The big picture: A growing number of one-night-only, pop-up art exhibitions are tapping into something inherent in this city&#x27;s DNA: supporting local artists, DIY community building and, crucially, throwing a party where people want to show up and show out.

Meet the volunteers who keep Peninsula Park pristine

Their quiet work keeps a 113-year-old garden growing year after year.

Three days a week, year-round, dozens of volunteers fan out across Peninsula Park&#x27;s 32 rose beds with shears and a bucket to get to work on pruning plants and deadheading dried-up blooms.<ul><li>For some, it&#x27;s a solitary activity — headphones in, head down. For others, it&#x27;s social — they bring a friend, chat and share baked goods. Either way, everyone tends to walk away feeling full.</li></ul>

Portland faces a defining theater decision

City projections favor PSU, but Keller supporters say renovation would cost less.

Portland leaders are preparing to take up one of the city&#x27;s biggest cultural and development decisions <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="in years" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2024/10/21/portland-performing-arts-scene-in-for-big-boost" data-vars-content-id="5a638a75-dd41-413e-b69c-f200cbeec2b7" data-vars-headline="Portland faces a defining theater decision" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2024/10/21/portland-performing-arts-scene-in-for-big-boost" target="_self">in years</a>: whether to build a performing arts venue at Portland State University or reimagine the aging Keller Auditorium.The big picture: The debate comes as several prominent performing arts organizations <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="are fighting for survival" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-looks-regain-control-performing-arts-venues-despite-budget-concerns/283-f89d3545-0cb3-4272-9ce9-c6bf2c761719" data-vars-content-id="5a638a75-dd41-413e-b69c-f200cbeec2b7" data-vars-headline="Portland faces a defining theater decision" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-looks-regain-control-performing-arts-venues-despite-budget-concerns/283-f89d3545-0cb3-4272-9ce9-c6bf2c761719" target="_blank">are fighting for survival</a> because of smaller audiences after the pandemic and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="rising maintenance costs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.koin.com/news/portland/downtowns-performing-arts-venues-will-require-up-to-335m-in-upgrades-by-2055/" data-vars-content-id="5a638a75-dd41-413e-b69c-f200cbeec2b7" data-vars-headline="Portland faces a defining theater decision" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.koin.com/news/portland/downtowns-performing-arts-venues-will-require-up-to-335m-in-upgrades-by-2055/" target="_blank">rising maintenance costs</a>.

How Street Books meets readers' broader needs

The nonprofit is now working to expand its collection of LGBTQ+ books.

Street Books launched nearly 16 years ago as a mobile library for homeless Portlanders. But as the city&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="homelessness crisis grows" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/01/22/oregon-homelessness-shelter-growth-2025" data-vars-content-id="9f6f1f6f-4ad6-4d3c-b1bc-e23a1e29a5de" data-vars-headline="How Street Books meets readers&#x27; broader needs" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/01/22/oregon-homelessness-shelter-growth-2025" target="_self">homelessness crisis grows</a>, its librarians now distribute overdose-reversal medication, sanitary supplies and sleeping bags alongside novels.Why it matters: The nonprofit is increasingly filling gaps far beyond its original mission statement — something its leaders say was inevitable.

Portland council set to vote on foie gras ban

Councilors are poised to decide whether foie gras can still be served in Portland.

Culture

The days of finding foie gras on Portland menus may be numbered as city councilors get ready to vote on banning the fatty liver delicacy Thursday.The big picture: Proponents of the ban say force-feeding poultry to produce foie gras amounts to animal cruelty, while restaurateurs say it&#x27;s largely performative and would create yet another hurdle for local businesses.