The Crag Rats, the nation's oldest search and rescue team, are marking 100 years of helping stranded, lost and injured adventurers on Mount Hood and beyond.

Why it matters: Oregon's outdoor bounty — from crowded trails to icy alpine routes — keeps the all-volunteer Hood River team busier than ever.

Flashback: It started in 1923, when a group of climbers in Hood River were called upon to help look for a boy who had gotten lost on Mount Hood, per the group's website.

• Three years later, they again joined a rescue mission looking for a lost child, who was found safe after several days.
• They weren't yet a formal organization, but when a reporter asked them what they were called, one of them remembered the moniker their wives used to describe them: the Crag Rats.
• By the late 1950s, they were charter members of the Mountain Rescue Association and had gained both regional and national recognition for their dangerous and daring rescues.

State of play: The group, which still sports the signature black and white checkered flannels they adopted in the 1920s, is certified in technical rope and avalanche rescues.

• Last year was one of their busiest yet, with 54 days on rescue missions, second only to 2022, when they were called out on 60 days, per KOIN.

The big picture: It's not just Mount Hood where people get into trouble.

• Most Crag Rat rescues occur in the gorge, Crag Rat volunteer Hugh Brown said in a video celebrating their 100th anniversary.
• "It's very rugged terrain; there's lots of long, steep trails and lots of waterfalls and cliffs," Brown said.

What they're saying: Christopher Van Tilburg, an emergency room doctor and Crag Rat volunteer for more than 25 years, said technology is quickly becoming both their most valuable asset and one of their biggest challenges.

• "People go deeper, farther, higher into the mountains with better climbing equipment and better navigation equipment," he told The Mountaineers.

Keep reading

In the two years since The Paper Bridge opened in Portland's Central Eastside, the Northern Vietnamese-style restaurant has received a handful of national accolades, cementing its popularity and uniqueness.

The big picture: The buzz is rooted in commitment. Co-owners Quynh Nguyen and Carlo Reinardy hand-make their rice noodles daily and the 14-page menu provides the cultural history of each dish — informing diners of the long tradition behind their chosen plate.

Zoom in: Here you'll find a little of what you may already know and more of what you may not. Yes, there are bowls of steamy, fragrant pho with bone marrow-rich broth, thinly sliced beef, roasted duck leg and grilled pork.

• But there's also puffed Dungeness crab fritters, crispy salt chicken and cháo lòng (rice porridge made with pork offal), a street food staple.
• Pro tip: If the menu is overwhelming, have your server guide you. I simply asked for something crunchy, something fried and spicy and a bowl of noodles with a delicate broth.

Best bites: Always order a salad. The lemongrass chicken and pomelo salad on the specials menu cured my craving for something fresh — the sweet, zingy citrus and bright herbs were so delicious it disappeared from the table in seconds.

• But the shining star was the bún chả mai dịch, a five-spice tilapia and fish cake noodle dish, which was peppered with dill, mustard greens and pickled garlic and provided a unique bite each time.

Tell a friend

🎬 A new documentary offers fresh perspectives on the 1988 murder of Mulugeta Seraw, an Ethiopian immigrant who was killed by white supremacists, highlighting how racism has occurred even in the Pacific Northwest's most liberal cities. (OPB)

🏟️ Mayor Keith Wilson and all 12 city councilors sent a letter to state lawmakers in support of a bill to allocate hundreds of millions in city, county and state funds to renovate the Moda Center. (Willamette Week)

👀 The Trump administration has opened an investigation into Portland Public School's Center for Black Excellence after a conservative group filed a complaint that accused the district of racism. (The Oregonian)

The share of Portlanders 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher rose from about 40% to 43% between the 2015-2019 and 2020-2024 periods, according to new census data.

Why it matters: A rising share of college-educated adults can help reshape a metro area's economic trajectory, workforce and competitiveness — a much-needed boost the Portland area could use right now.

Between the lines: Nearly 90% of metro areas saw an increase in the share of adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher, per the Census Bureau's latest 5-year American Community Survey estimates.

• A given metro's share can increase if more residents get their degrees, or if more people with degrees move into town.

Follow the money: The median annual earnings for a college grad in Portland is a little more than $76,000, compared to just over $45,000 for workers whose education stopped at high school.

Ding, ding, ding! Joby was hanging out in the John Callahan Garden at Legacy Good Samaritan, which opened in 1875.

Zoom in: The garden, named after the influential cult cartoonist and Portland native, is near the corner of Northwest 21st Avenue and Marshall Street and features dozens of his works in a comic strip-like installation.

• Callahan was a quadriplegic with limited use of his arms, the result of a car accident when he was 21. His cartoons often poked fun at his own disability and addiction as a way to challenge cultural taboos and "tasteless" humor.
• His memoir "Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot" was made into a movie directed by Gus Van Sant.

👏 Congrats to readers Lisa P., John D., Wendy A. and Barbara B. for knowing their stuff!

Here's a few of our favorite comics from the garden: