OPB’s First Look: Portland Fire’s center charms fans with her gritty play

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Good morning, Northwest.

The Portland Fire brought women’s basketball back to the Rose City this year, drawing thousands of fans and building more enthusiasm for women’s sports in a state that needs a win these days.

Megan Gustafson stands in the center of that excitement, literally. As OPB’s Kyra Buckley reports, the team’s center has charmed fans with her gritty attitude and fierce play. And Pancake, her charismatic Corgi, provides many assists.

In other news, a gold mining company is suing to stop the construction of an electric transmission line across federal land in Eastern Oregon. The company says the line needs to be rerouted to avoid infringing on mining claims it filed in 1986.

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

— John Hill

Top story

Pancake’s mom has got it going on: Why Portland fell in love with Megan Gustafson

WNBA center Megan Gustafson never felt respected as a basketball player until she joined the Portland Fire.

Despite her accolades, it’s been a journey to prove herself.

But in Portland — a city with a storied history of activism and unwavering support for women’s sports — the community tends to root for the underdog.

As the season has progressed, the Rose City has become even more familiar with the 29-year-old player and her Corgi, Pancake. As a result, Gustafson’s stardom has grown.

The palpable enthusiasm for the state’s new team, along with the economic boost generated by 12,000 to 19,000 fans flocking to Moda Center for 22 home games, has been a bright spot for the state.

The momentum is felt by — and in turn fueled by — female athletes like Megan Gustafson as they emerge as Portland superstars. (Kyra Buckley)

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3 things to know

1. Portland City Council is considering creating a new “enhanced service district” in the Parkrose neighborhood, an area in Northeast Portland bordered by the Columbia River, Interstate 205 and the city of Maywood Park. (Alex Zielinski)
2. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is introducing the McCarty and Heideman Air Safety Enhancement Act, a bill that would direct the Federal Aviation Administration to review and update its policies for low-altitude airspace safety. (Antonio Sierra)
3. In a press conference Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver cast doubt on negotiations to renovate the Moda Center, saying talks between the Trail Blazers’ leadership group and Portland city officials have “gone off track.” (Casey Frizzell)

Northwest headlines

• Longview City Council votes to settle lawsuit over alleged public meetings act violations (Elena Neale-Sacks)

• Idaho voters to decide on state abortion rights this November (Julie Luchetta, Boise State Public Radio)

• Roseburg City Council votes against changing homeless tent camping regulations (Jane Vaughan, JPR)

• Gold mining company sues to re-route portion of $1.5B Oregon transmission line (Courtney Sherwood)

• Washington tribes sue to save endangered species habitats nationwide (John Ryan, KUOW)

• ‘Millionaires tax’ repeal effort will hit Washington ballots this fall (Sarah Mizes-Tan, KUOW & KNKX)

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):

Today’s planned topics:

Topics subject to change.

• Licensing fees could double for Oregon’s psilocybin service centers and facilitators

• Warm Springs seat on the Jefferson County Soil & Water Conservation District board filled for the first time in decades

One more look

Watch: The fascinating sex lives of high Cascade toads

After the snow melts in the Cascades, male Western toads begin to show up in the region’s lakes, waiting patiently for the females to appear.

That first week is what Dede Olson, a research ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service, calls the “arms race” as the males grab at the females to fertilize their eggs.

A couple weeks later, the eggs become tadpoles, beginning their metamorphosis into toads.

Their rituals and lifecycle has long fascinated Olson.

Now, to help them survive, she’s shifting her focus to the many threats toads face.

Aside from predators and disease, human encroachment on their habitat is the biggest threat. And because amphibians live on water and land, Olson notes they can be vulnerable in two environments.

As a result, Olson said, “My interest as an ecologist has segued to conservation.” (Jule Gilfillan)

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