The Portland Fire's first season will start on time after the WNBA and the players' union came to a tentative labor agreement early this morning.

Why it matters: A delay would have disrupted the Fire's launch and slowed momentum as the WNBA builds on surging fan interest.

The latest: WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and Terri Carmichael Jackson, executive director of the players' union, told reporters a verbal agreement had been reached just after midnight local time, per ESPN.

• Neither side released exact details of the agreement, which has yet to be ratified.
• But training camp, scheduled for April 19, and the start of the season, with the Fire opening May 9 at the Moda Center, are expected to take place on time.

What they're saying: Jackson said the agreement came down to two words: "player empowerment," per ESPN.

• "They never forgot it, and they have taken it, like they always do, to the next level."
• Engelbert hailed the agreement as a "shared commitment to the continued growth of the game.
• "The progress made in these discussions marks a transformative step forward for players and the league," she said.

Yes, but: The Fire's tip off is just 52 days away.

• Between now and then, the team must hold an expansion draft to select players from existing teams, as well as a regular draft and free agency to build out their rosters.
• By contrast, the league's last expansion team, San Francisco's Golden State Valkyries, held their expansion draft Dec. 6, 2024, more than five months ahead of their first game.

The bottom line: An agreement that avoids a delay to the season should be seen as a victory for both sides, as the league is surging in popularity and players could get a bigger share of the WNBA's rising revenue.

• The deal is "going to build and help create a system where everybody is getting exactly what they deserve and more," said players' union vice president Brianna Stewart.
• "Just excited that we can tell our fans that we're going to be back."

Tell a fan

Many Portland Community College classes remain remote as Oregon's first-ever community college strike continues into its second week with no deal in sight between the school and its unions.

The big picture: Roughly 30,000 PCC students face ongoing disruption with no clear return to normal classes.

• The outcome of the strike, which began last Wednesday, could also set a precedent for how Oregon colleges handle pay, equity and union negotiations with staff and faculty in the future.

Catch up quick: More than 2,000 unionized faculty and staff are still on strike as of yesterday after entering into contract negotiations nearly a year ago.

• Mediation sessions on Sunday and Monday between PCC administration and the two unions were unsuccessful as the parties continued to be millions of dollars apart on pay proposals — especially cost of living increases — as well as ratification bonuses and broader equity concerns.
• Mediation will continue today.

What they're saying: Representatives for the unions previously argued PCC's proposals don't keep up with inflation and would amount to pay cuts for some workers. Some employees said they struggle to afford to live in Portland and have to juggle multiple jobs.

Meanwhile, PCC said its raises are competitive when factoring in experience-based "step" increases and ongoing budget constraints amid declining enrollment.

Zoom out: Several students told the Oregonian that the strike has had a large impact on their day-to-day lives, creating uncertainty around grades, financial aid and campus jobs — though many say they still support their instructors and blame the administration.

Tell a neighbor

💰 The projected cost of replacing the Interstate Bridge connecting Oregon and Washington ballooned yet again — this time to $14.4 billion, according to officials. That's nearly double previous estimates. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

✍️ Joe Kent, who led the National Counterterrorism Center and ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in southwest Washington, resigned over the war in Iran, saying the country posed "no imminent threat" to the U.S. (Axios)

🌮 República, the Mexico-forward tasting menu restaurant that closed earlier this month, is reopening for limited-time lunch service starting this week. (Instagram)

🌌 The Northern Lights could be visible across parts of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest tonight, if the clouds part. (The Oregonian)

🚧 Northwest Cornell Road is expected to be closed for several days after a landslide created a sinkhole, disrupting a key route in Portland's West Hills and surrounding neighborhoods. (KGW)

The Portland metro area saw the biggest drop in median rent prices year-over-year compared to other West Coast regions, according to a recent report from Apartment List.

Zoom in: The median rent price for new leases dropped 1.8% to roughly $1,600 across the Portland metro area — including Hillsboro and Vancouver, Washington — between this February and a year earlier.

• That's the 17th sharpest decline among more than 50 of the nation's biggest metro areas.

The big picture: Housing is still unaffordable for many, though. While the current median U.S. rent of $1,400 a month for new leases is down 1.5% from a year ago, it's still roughly 20% above pre-pandemic levels.

• Plus: A new Harvard report finds a record number of renters are "cost-burdened," spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities.

Keep reading

Crater Lake, Oregon's only official National Park, saw more than 632,240 recreational visits last year. That's the second highest total since 2021, according to new data from the National Park Service.

• Visits peaked in August, shortly before the park closed the Cleetwood Cove Trail and marina — the only access point to the lake's clear, icy waters — for major rehabilitation. It will remain closed through 2028.

Whether or not visits to the 183,000-acre park continue to climb remains to be seen.

• She's a beaut nonetheless.

Go deeper: The top 10 most visited National Parks in 2025