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Good morning, Northwest.
A year ago, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson entered office having pledged to end unsheltered homelessness in the city by today. Since taking office, it’s estimated that roughly 1,000 more people in the city are living outside on the streets or in vehicles.
OPB’s Alex Zielinski talked with more than a dozen people close to the issue to get their insights. All of them say the mayor has the right attitude to tackle homelessness and they remain hopeful, but questions linger over strategy.
In other news, OPB’s Joni Auden Land details how Afghan families in Oregon are bracing for the nationwide pause on asylum decisions after last week’s attack on two National Guard members, a move that could delay thousands of cases.
As winter begins, Oregonians enter hygge season — and OPB’s Kate McMahon shares how Hood River offers that cozy spirit in abundance.
Here’s your First Look at Monday’s news.
— Chrissy Booker
People line up outside of Union Gospel Mission for a free Thanksgiving meal in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, Nov. 27.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Unsheltered homelessness persists in Portland as mayor’s deadline to end it passes
On Thanksgiving morning last week in downtown Portland, the line for a free meal at Union Gospel Mission wrapped around the block. James Gard and his friend Eric May enjoyed the food, but they also relished something else while they ate: one of the best nights of sleep they’d had in a while.
The night before their holiday meal they’d slept at Northrup Shelter in the Pearl District. The 200-bed overnight-only shelter is one of several opened since Portland Mayor Keith Wilson pledged a year ago to end unsheltered homelessness in the city by Dec. 1.
The mayor’s deadline is today, and some progress has been made. Many see success in Wilson’s strategy, reflected in empty neighborhood sidewalks once crowded with tents. Others are skeptical about the mayor’s narrow focus on shelter over other conditions contributing to homelessness. (Alex Zielinski)
Darwaish Zakhil, co-founder of the Afghan Support Network and a former interpreter and cultural advisor with the U.S. Army, looks at books with two of his children at the Beaverton City Library in Beaverton, Ore., on Nov. 29, 2025. Much of his family is now in Pakistan as they await their cases for the Special Immigrant Visa program and humanitarian parole. Zakhil and his wife immigrated to the U.S. in 2016 Afghanistan.
Eli Imadali / OPB
3 things to know this morning
- The United States has put a pause on all asylum decisions and stopped issuing visas to people from Afghanistan in the wake of an attack last week against two National Guard members. Afghans in Oregon say that will likely impact thousands of people who are still working their way through the U.S. immigration system. (Joni Auden Land)
- Oregon’s largest transit agency has reduced bus service on a handful of routes beginning yesterday. This is the first of three service cuts that Portland metro area’s TriMet expects to make over the next 13 months. (Lillian Karabaic)
- With more than a million Oregonians expected to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday week, the state’s COVID-19 immunization rate is significantly lower than it was at this time last year. (Holly Bartholomew)
The Evergreen: Radio vs. Nature
How does OPB radio reach your ears in Bend, Burns and Baker City? We learn more about what makes statewide radio transmission possible. (Peter Frick-Wright)
Urban Gleaners community support associate Zia Laboff pulling a cart of gleaned foods from New Seasons Market in Beaverton, Ore. on Sept. 21, 2025. Urban Gleaners rescues fresh food destined for the dump and redistributes it to people in need.
Crystal Ligori / OPB
Headlines from around the Northwest
- A Portland nonprofit finds a solution to save fresh food from going to waste (Crystal Ligori)
- Razed Blue River business launching community-based fundraiser to rebuild (Brian Bull)
- Springfield city manager could soon get pay increase, though compensation lags behind other cities (Rebecca Hansen-White)
- Oregon’s small school districts often have more inexperienced teachers (Zac Ziegler)
- Living near marijuana shops may increase chance of health issues, study finds (Mitch Borden)
- Gilgeous-Alexander scores 26, Thunder hold on to beat Trail Blazers 123-115 (Erik Gunderson)
Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation
“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app.
Finding hygge in Hood River with artist Nancy Houfek Brown
Oregonians are officially in what the Danish call hygge season. For many, now is the time of year to embrace coziness, create warm indoor atmospheres and enjoy life’s simple pleasures with loved ones.
Hood River is a hygge seeker’s dream. Not only is the small town of close to 10,000 set on the south bank of the Columbia River beneath the backdrop of Mount Hood; it also offers a superabundance of local artist galleries.
“The galleries in Hood River are at their festive best these days,” said artist Nancy Houfek Brown. “Art on Oak, in particular, is filled with delightful gifts and good cheer.”
Art on Oak, located in downtown Hood River, is an artist-owned gallery featuring an array of art from paintings to ceramics to jewelry. Several of Houfek Brown’s paintings of geometric abstractions of landscapes are carried by the gallery, as well as work by emerging local artists.
This story was first published on Nov. 10, 2024. (Kate McMahon)
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