Darcelle performing, early 1970s
Portland icon and female impersonator Darcelle has died
Walter W. Cole Sr., a pioneer in Oregon's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community who performed as a female impersonator under the name Darcelle for decades, has died at age 92.
Latest Stories

Portland Art Museum changes policy after Karuk mother speaks out
Offended by multiple employees who told her to remove her traditional woven willow baby carrier, Sophie Weinstein left the Portland Art Museum’s exhibit on Yankton Sioux artist Oscar Howe. The incident caused an uproar.

At Oregon ProStart Championships, high schoolers show off their culinary and business chops
The hospitality industry is the second largest business sector in Oregon, but to keep the industry growing, you need skilled workers. Oregon ProStart trains more than 4,000 high school students for culinary careers.
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Zakir Hussain’s renowned ‘Masters of Percussion’ brings global drumbeats to Portland
Zakir Hussain will be bringing his critically-acclaimed “Masters of Percussion” tour to Portland’s Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on March 21. Attendees can not only expect musicians seamlessly blending rhythms and melodies together during the show, but also a musical conversation that introduces new percussionist forces.

Lost then found: A time capsule revealed in Southern Oregon wildfire debris
Southern Oregon residents recently opened a gift from the past: a time capsule discovered in the ashes of the 2020 Almeda Fire.
Physician, lesbian, radical labor activist – the passions of Portland’s Dr. Marie Equi
Born in 1872 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Marie Equi grew up in a working-class immigrant family and labored in the town’s textile mills to help support the family. As a young woman, she self-studied her way into medical school and received her degree in 1903. But her life took a hard left into radical politics after she made her way to Oregon.

Eugene film festival spotlights Asian American and Pacific Islander stories
The DisOrient Asian American Film Festival in Eugene was created in 2006 to spotlight Asian American and Pacific Islander stories in Oregon. This weekend, the festival returns with a roster of new independent films, all celebrating AAPI experiences.

Northwest tribal women and girls gather wild celery amid challenges
Around this time each year, women and girls from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation gather wild celery. They say their ancestors come back through the plant, and the ceremonial dig marks the arrival of spring.
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Yo-Yo Ma to kick off Oregon Symphony’s 2023-24 season
The symphony announced the guest musicians joining its classical lineup for the season, as well as details of its plans for performances linked to pop culture.
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Remembering Betty Roberts, an Oregon icon who flew with her own wings
Oregon's trailblazing legislator and judge, Betty Roberts, would have turned 100 on February 5, 2023.
Eugene dance school teaches the beauty of Native Hawaiian hula
Hālau Hula O Nā Pua O Hawai'i Nei is a hula school based out of Eugene, Oregon. Its instructor, Akiko Colton, is committed to creating a space that teaches Hawaiian culture through hula dance.