The Skanner News, one of Oregon's longest-running Black-owned newspapers, closed late last month after 50 years covering Portland's Black communities.

Why it matters: The Skanner was one of the few Black-owned news outlets in Oregon, making its reporting both rare and influential in a state where local media continues to shrink.

Context: The paper was founded in 1975 by husband-and-wife team Bernie and Bobbie Foster and ceased operations after readers and advertisers increasingly moved to social media.

• "This means our community will no longer be informed about news, from an African American perspective, that affects them individually and collectively," Bobbie Foster told KGW.

Catch up quick: The paper saw various iterations over the years — with a Seattle edition briefly appearing in the 1980s — and reached a peak circulation of roughly 75,000 in the 1990s.

• Portland remained the Skanner's primary focus as staff there covered local issues, endorsed ballot measures and sponsored community events.
• In the late 80s, Bernie Foster became a crucial voice in the effort to rename then-Union Avenue as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, penning editorials and inserting petitions into the paper itself, per Willamette Week.
• It was also one of the first news outlets in the state to have its own website.

Between the lines: The Skanner's closure comes as local newsrooms shrink or disappear across the state.

• It highlights a persistent and growing challenge: sustaining community-centered journalism in an era dominated by social media, an increase in questionable AI news sources and declining advertising revenue.

The bottom line: For Bernie Foster, the Skanner's run was a long and fruitful one, something he hopes to see repeated.

• "Each generation should leave the world a little better than it was when they found it," he told Willamette Week. "We know Portland is better than it was 50 years ago. And we hope that the next generation will make it better than it is now."

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NBA All-Star weekend is back — and so is Damian Lillard. Kinda.

Driving the news: Lillard, who is sitting out this season as he nurses a torn achilles, will participate in the 3-point contest on Saturday.

• It will be the first time he's competitively shot a basketball in a Blazers jersey since he was traded to the Milwaukie Bucks in 2023.
• He'll be joined by the Suns' Devin Booker, former Blazer and current Heat hooper Norman Powell the Nuggets' Jamal Murray, among others.

Fun fact: Dame hasn't missed a 3-point shot all season, so he's got to be the favorite, right? Maybe we're biased.

What we're watching: It will also be the first All-Star appearance for Blazers' forward Deni Avdija, who's had a breakout season and is the first member of Rip City to make an All-Star game since LaMarcus Aldrige was selected in 2015.

• All-Star Saturday, which features the 3-point contest, kicks off at 2pm, with the All-Star Game itself tipping off at 2pm on Sunday.
• Both events will be available live on NBC and the Peacock app.

Full schedule

🌺 The Leach Botanical Garden, a 17-acre public park that provides environmental education in Southeast Portland, is in danger of shutting down unless it receives additional funding. (OPB)

🚆 Amtrak previewed its new fleet of Airo class trains — featuring panoramic windows, new seats and onboard wifi displays — which will come to the Cascades line sometime this summer. (The Oregonian)

🎓 Lewis & Clark College launched a new scholarship program to offset the costs of federal student loans that were cut by the Trump administration last year. (Willamette Week)

⛸️ A coalition of ice skaters and community members are pushing for a permanent replacement to the ice rink in the Lloyd Center as the mall is set to close by the end of the year.

• The effort got an endorsement from Olympic figure skater Ilia "Quad God" Malinin who shared support of a permanent rink on Instagram. (The Oregonian)

Plans for the new skatepark under the Steel Bridge are taking shape, but the city wants you to weigh in before they're finalized.

Skate of play: Portland Parks & Recreation will host a community meeting Sunday from 1-3pm at 220 Northwest 2nd Ave on the 6th Floor.

• Attendees will be able to provide input, dine on some light refreshments, partake in a raffle and head out on a walking tour led by the Portland Chinatown Museum, leaving at 1:30pm.

The project, which will convert more than 30,000-square-feet of space under the west side of the bridge into shreddable terrain, is expected to be completed in 2029.