OPB’s First Look: Avoiding ‘bigger tragedy’ at the MAC

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Good morning, Northwest.

The man who drove a vehicle armed with explosives into the Multnomah Athletic Club over the weekend had a long history of threats toward the club and its members.

Today’s newsletter begins with a story from OPB’s Conrad Wilson on what court records, police and family have said about the driver.

In other news, with cellphone restrictions taking hold in Oregon schools, limiting screen time has become the next frontier in education.

Here’s your First Look at Tuesday’s news.

— Bradley W. Parks

‘Simply luck’ that MAC attack wasn’t a ‘bigger tragedy,’ police say

Despite the damage, fear and loss of life, the explosive devices driven into the Multnomah Athletic Club and detonated by a former employee could’ve been far more devastating, Portland police said during a news conference yesterday afternoon.

“It is simply luck that we didn’t have a much larger blast,” Sgt. Jim DeFrain, who works on the Metropolitan Explosive Disposal Unit, told reporters.

Just before 3 a.m. Saturday, Bruce Valentine Whitman, 49, crashed a rental vehicle through the glass windows of the MAC building. Whitman drove around inside the club’s ground floor before several pipe bombs inside the vehicle detonated. He died in the car after it went up in flames.

Whitman had a long history of mental illness and anger directed at the MAC and its members, according to court records and family accounts. (Conrad Wilson)

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3 things to know

• More than half the seats on the board that governs Clackamas County are up for reelection, creating the possibility for significant change in one of Oregon’s most populous and geographically diverse areas. (Holly Bartholomew)

What we’re watching:

• Six fresh challengers for Position 4
• A few familiar candidates in line for Position 2
• A heated rematch for Position 5
• Following the successful campaign to remove cellphones from schools, including in Oregon, the conversation locally and nationally has moved on to screen time and stricter oversight of the programs and applications students use for school.(Elizabeth Miller)
• An unusual and potentially pivotal midterm election season formally began in Washington yesterday as candidates can now begin filing for legislative, congressional and judicial offices. (Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard)

Northwest headlines

• Oregon ethics commission to rule on Portland councilors’ private retreat (Alex Zielinski)
• Springfield Public Schools faces additional job cuts in proposed budget (Rebecca Hansen-White, KLCC)
• Woodburn officer shoots, kills man holding tire irons (OPB staff)
• Washington Supreme Court bats down referendum attempt targeting income tax (Jerry Cornfield and Jake Golstein-Street, Washington State Standard)
• This lesser-known program could keep Oregonians on SNAP, but there aren’t enough slots (Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle)

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. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• Portland-based transportation consultant on the state of public transit in Oregon cities

John Hasegawa uses pottery to explore Asian American identity

When John Hasegawa isn’t busy teaching ceramics classes at Mt. Hood Community College, he’s in his home studio creating new and intricate pieces that reflect his Japanese and American identities.

His shelves are adorned with pieces he’s created over the years like pots, cups and bowls, all of which have his unique spin on what it means to be Japanese American — a coffee mug with Japanese textile patterns, or mizusashi, Japanese ceremonial water jars that feature distinctive wave patterns to simulate movement.

“I have created some mizusashi and when I think about it, it’s really my version of them because that’s a very Japanese thing,” Hasegawa said. ”There’s probably all these rules, but I was looking at what these Japanese artists were and trying to reinterpret them back into my Japanese American aesthetic.”

Even though he enjoys making ceramics, Hasegawa said he gets just as much fulfillment teaching his students at Mt. Hood Community College.

This story was originally published in 2023. (Steven Tonthat)

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