Commissioner Fritz Touts FoLT as Progress Toward KNA’s Concerns

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Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz sent a reply to the King Neighborhood Association’s request for better governance and oversight of the monthly Last Thursday street fair. Ms. Fritz acknowledged the ongoing concerns yet pointed to recent efforts to develop a nascent, all-volunteer, Friends of Last Thursday, as well as a collective agreement between the city and district bar owners as mitigating neighborhood concerns.

It is clearly the city’s position that Last Thursday is overwhelmingly popular and should be interfered with as little as possible. Indeed, when the event draws over 10,000 visitors in a summer month’s evening, it cannot be said that it is unpopular overall. Attendees on those nights likely outnumber the entire population of King and certainly the population in the high impact areas along Alberta in King, Vernon, Sabin, and Concordia. The letter directs those who would have a say in Last Thursday to participate in the steering committees under a community governance model.

She said that the city will continue to enforce the laws with regards to safety and livability and that if problems were to continue, an earlier event end time should be considered. Managers of the event should deal with trash issues and the OLCC should deal with alcohol-related concerns.

Read KNA’s letter to the city here.

Read Commissioner Fritz’s response here.

Shots Fired Near Alberta Street Market

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Last night around 7:30 pm, shots rang out on Alberta Street striking the glass in the bus shelter at 9th in front of the Alberta Street Market. Four males were seen to flee on foot up 10th Avenue, pursued by a car that circled around after them. According to a witness, someone in the car shouted: “I’ll kill you!” but there were no apparent injuries. Police closed three blocks of Alberta to investigate and traffic was diverted.

Alberta Cleans Up on Earth Day

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Alberta Main Street is organizing a way for you to help the Alberta business district on Earth Day. It’s the Alberta Street Clean Up! Go to their website and pre-registration form. Check out their facebook event page. People can just show up on the day of but since lunch is being provided (thanks to Burgers or Bust Cafe) and some other special treats, they would like some idea of how many people to expect.

The clean up starts at 10:00 am on Saturday April 23 (Meet at Alberta Central Plaza between Barista & Umpqua Bank) and will end with lunch and a celebration where they hope to unveil the prototype of new Alberta Street garbage cans and debut the Art on Alberta mobile Art Gallery.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at Portland Playhouse

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Starting this week at your neighborhood theater on Prescott Street is another August Wilson play by Portland Playhouse. The third installment of August Wilson’s ‘Century Cycle’ or ‘Pittsburgh Cycle’, which chronicles the lives of African-Americans through the twentieth century, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is set amid the initial rumblings of the Chicago Black Renaissance, an era that nurtured the extraordinary artists Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong, and Margaret Walker.

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright August Wilson (April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) is one of the most influential writers in American theater. He is best known for his unprecedented cycle of 10 plays, often called the Pittsburgh Cycle because all but Ma Rainey is set in the Pittsburgh neighborhood where August Wilson grew up. The series of plays chronicle the tragedies and aspirations of African Americans during each decade of the 20th century. Radio Golf, a previous production of Portland Playhouse was from this cycle.

Most shows are sold out for the next three weeks. The run continues through May 15th. Check showtimes and purchase tickets online by clicking here.

New Subsidized Housing for Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd

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According to the Portland Tribune, a new housing project will break ground next year just south of the King Neighborhood on NE Cook and Martin Luther King. The development will feature ground floor retail, LEED certification, and serve residents earning 30, 50, and 60 percent of median area income.