It's Thursday. Good morning to everyone except leaf blowers.

💡 On this day: In 1873, the Yaquina Head lighthouse — the state's tallest at 93 feet — turned on for the very first time.

🌤️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny, high 86, low 62.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Rebecca Webb!

Today's newsletter is 1,123 words — a 4-minute read.

The Trump administration moved this week to eliminate the Roadless Rule in national forests, potentially opening vast areas in Oregon to development.

Why it matters: The 2001 federal policy has protected millions of acres of wilderness from new roads and logging — to the delight of conservationists and the ire of the timber industry.

What they're saying: The Trump administration says the rule hampers wildfire prevention and firefighting.

• "We've watched preventable conditions — overgrown stands, insect outbreaks and disease — turn healthy landscapes into tinderboxes," Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.

Yes, but: Multiple studies have shown that roads are associated with increased risk of wildfires.

• The vast majority of wildfires are caused by people, and new roads give people easier access to remote areas that are often at risk of burning.

Zoom in: More than 40 million acres are protected by the Roadless Rule nationwide, with nearly 2 million in Oregon.

• The Mount Hood National Forest is home to 118,000 of those acres, accounting for about 11% of the forest, including portions of the Pacific Crest Trail and swaths of the Columbia River Gorge like Larch Mountain.

Those roadless areas also include habitat for scores of threatened and endangered species, including gray wolves, northern spotted owls and several salmon species.

What they're saying: Joseph Vaile with the nonprofit Defenders of Wildlife said this is just the latest move from the Trump administration that would weaken protections for vulnerable species.

• "The amount of rules and conservation safeguards that have been undone is really breathtaking," Vaile told Axios.

The other side: Travis Joseph, president of the timber industry group American Forest Resource Council, said wilderness areas have changed in ways "that few anticipated when the Roadless Rule was adopted."

• "We should continue to adapt and learn from failed policies to meet the moment, not continue to cling to positions and ideas that don't serve the public's interest," he said in a statement.

What's next: The public has until Sept. 21 to weigh in. Comments can be submitted here.

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With more than 2.6 million acres burned so far this year, Oregon's current wildfire season has shattered the state's previous modern record and it's not over yet.

Why it matters: The current total is nearly four times the 10-year annual average, according to state and federal data, and about 1.1 million acres more than Oregon's last record-breaking season in 2024.

By the numbers: Oregon has recorded 75 large fires so far this year, including:

• The Big Grass fire, currently the state's largest with 600 personnel deployed, at 579,200 acres
• The Rowe Creek Complex, burning across Jefferson and Crook counties, at 374,00 acres
• The Coleman Creek fire, which is 95% contained, at 308,700 acres

Plus: The Grasshopper fire, burning east of Mount Hood, reached 91,600 acres burned and 57% contained as of yesterday.

Context: Officials knew this kind of destruction was possible.

• Oregon entered fire season after an unusually warm, dry winter that left low snowpack, exceptionally dry vegetation and drought.
• Experts warned of an earlier, longer fire season and recent conditions haven't been helping.

What we're watching: Firefighters are bracing for another stretch of hot, dry conditions as red flag warnings cover parts of the Columbia River Gorge, Lower Columbia Basin and eastern Cascades through the weekend.

• Gusts could reach up to 30 mph and humidity could fall as low as 15% with the potential for more dry lightning storms starting today.

🏗️ Demolition of the burned-out Centennial Mills building, estimated to take a couple weeks, is now nearly complete after starting with the water tower explosion earlier this week. (KGW)

🎢 Two teens are suing Oaks Amusement Park for $2 million after they got stuck upside-down on the AtmosFEAR fear ride for nearly half an hour in 2024. (The Oregonian)

📖 A new Elliot Smith biography relies on more than 140 interviews to trace the singer-songwriter's arc from his early life to his struggles with addiction to the indelible mark he left on Portland. (Portland Mercury)

💦 The biggest water users in Portland — a Dunthorpe couple living in a mansion formerly owned by Rasheed Wallace — went through 1.1 million gallons last year with an annual bill of more than $15,000. (Willamette Week)

Google searches for "solo travel" hit a record high in 2026, including in the Portland metro, where searches peaked between June and July.

Why it matters: Solo travel is booming as more people embrace the freedom of going wherever they want, whenever they want — without waiting for someone else's PTO to line up.

By the numbers: In Hostelworld's recently released 2025 survey of more than 3,300 solo travelers, 64% said freedom and spontaneity were among the best parts of traveling alone.

• But solo doesn't necessarily mean lonely: 58% said they wanted to meet new people, up from 43% in 2024.
• And 63% of first-time solo travelers said they planned to do it again.

Zoom out: The trend isn't just for 20-something backpackers, either.

• While younger travelers are driving much of the boom, tour operators like Collette are also seeing a growing demand from older travelers — particularly among women 50 and over.
• Some couples are even increasingly comfortable vacationing separately, per the New York Times.

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Vince Staples will take over Pioneer Courthouse Square tonight with a hometown assist from Wynne.

Zoom in: Considered to be one of rap's sharpest, most introspective voices with deadpan wit, Staples will bring his catalog of West Coast hits — like "Norf Norf" and "Big Fish" — to Portland's living room.

• In a notable sonic shift, his new album "Cry Baby" leans toward rock and explores themes like societal instability, police brutality and personal accountability.

Plus: Lake Oswego-born rapper Wynne opens the show, giving fans another chance to catch her ultra-quick cadence after last fall's "Tour Next Door."

• Her mixtape, "Say Wynne," has been picking up steam and has sent the emcee on a sold-out tour from Brooklyn to Atlanta and London.

If you go: The show kicks off at 7pm. Tickets are $70.

💒 Meira is heading up to Seattle to celebrate the wedding of her friends Clara and Armando. Congrats you two!

🤔 Kale is wondering why milquetoast means mid when toasted milk bread is among the best foods on the planet.

This newsletter was edited by Geoff Ziezulewicz.