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Jobless rates are dropping (That’s the number of people claiming benefits because they are out of work).
The giant aluminum maker, Alcoa, didn’t lose as much as they thought they would last month.
Those two bits pushed the stock market’s here and abroad upwards today. For the more indepth explanation that uses words like indicators, index and ebullient . . . click here.
Get FREE training for the Portland Marathon by supporting ACS
Here’s an obvious statement: you cannot wake up on an average Tuesday and say “I want to run over 26 miles today.” Well, if you’re in really good shape, maybe. But for the average Joe, completing a marathon requires some prep (and for the GNPDX staff, it would help to spread the mileage over several days).
If it’s your first marathon, it can also be a huge boost to have some experienced help in your training regiment. While most of us would LIKE to complete the marathon course, the time it takes to train and the ability to pay someone to work with us can be a hurdle.
The American Cancer Society and Fit Right Northwest have cleared one of those hurdles. For everybody.
If you sign up for the Portland Marathon and agree to raise money for the ACS, you’ll get free, personal training all the way up to race day.
GNPDX spoke with Bonnie Ell with ACS about the program which kickstarted in the 90’s in Chicago. That race now raises about a million bucks a year and has 800 people signed up. Locally, the first year for the program has 16 people on board already (guaranteeing $8,000-16,000 for ACS) with the hopes to push that number over 25 by the cut off in early August.
You do have to comitt to run in order to get the free training, but if you’ve ever wanted to run a marathon, there’s never been a better time to train. For sign up info go here.
Cool story from the Tribune about how federal stim dollars are going to work on the streets of Portlandia. Literally.
(Nutshell: $1.3 million saved 10 jobs, created 2 new ones and is helping patch the pavement downtown)
The Portland Rescue Mission offers help to countless men and women every year.
Randy Ankele has lived nearly half a century. He’s seen cable TV, the Internet, several presidents and the cell phone come into prominence. And almost all of that time was through a haze of booze and drugs.
“I started drinking when I was nine” says Ankele. “My folks drank so it was easy to sneak beers.” The fight cost Ankele family, friends and his home.
“I didn’t know how to quit,” he explains in an exclusive chat with GNPDX. But he finally hit bottom and reached for help.
By working with the Portland Rescue Mission, Ankele went from the streets into his own place with a job and a savings account. He’s spent 18 months working through his personal demons and is looking at a brighter future, including plans to go to school and volunteer with the Mission’s men’s program.
“I feel so blessed that I can show people there is a better life,” he adds. “When I got to the Mission I was broken.”
To volunteer or donate and help others like Randy, click here.
The City of Sherwood is one of the nation's best places for families
If you’ve got a family or are about to start a family and think moving is a good idea … take a look at Sherwood. The city near Tualatin and Newberg is one of the best to raise a family.
Not, like, one of the best in this corner of Oregon. Not one of the best in the state. It’s one of the top ten in the nation. Yeah, consider Montana, Nebraska, New York, Florida, Hawaii . . . Oregon is one of the top ten list and it’s all thanks to Sherwood.
And don’t take our word for it (although the GNPDX staff are huge fans of the city based on it’s local theatre companies and number of Dutch Bros coffee kiosks). Ask Family Circle Magazine. The national publication that is read by 21 million pairs of eyes a month says so.
Jim Patterson is Sherwood’s City Manager and chatted with GNPDX. Apparently, they got the word a few months ago that Sherwood was in a pool of 1,700 cities up for the honor of “Top Family City for 2009.” Then, they narrowed down to 800. And finally down to the top ten. He had to sit on the news that they were up for the honor and then, that they actually won for quite a while before the list was finally announced.
Things like schools, economy and housing were part of the search criteria. Patterson says the honor only affirms what the Sherwoodians (or is it Sherwoodites? Fine people of Sherwood?) already knew. That the city has it’s priorities in the right place when it comes to moms, dads and kids. But, the honor will definitely help attract eyes to the city and draw new families to the neighborhood.
The list will be featured in the next issue of Family Circle which is due out in July.
Normally a bit pessimistic about the economy, Tim Duy of the University of Oregon has some exciting predictions about the economy . . . as in, we could be ending the recession THIS YEAR.
Close to 15 Guardian Angels patrol Portland streets keeping us safe
In the past month, five people have volunteered to spend countless hours, walking Portland streets in order to keep the rest of us safe. They’ll go through rigorous training including first aid and self defense. And they won’t be paid a dime for it.
They’re the new Guardian Angels.
Those five recruits are more than a 50% increase over the current force here in Portland. A nice step towards the local chapter’s goal of returning to the glory days of the 1980’s, when more than 100 angels “flew” around Portland.
But let’s not lose the facts amidst the long term goal. Five people are volunteering their time to keep us safe. That’s fantastic.
GNPDX spoke with Thomas Hall who is the Chapter Commander. While the Angel’s don’t serve in an official capacity, they do have a great working relationship with local cops, often deterring violent crime. And when they can’t deter, they step in and make a citizens arrest until the boys in blue can come by to pick up the garbage.
In order to be an Angel you need to be 16 years old, employed or going to school, and take their three-tier training. For sign up info or to make a donation visit here.
NW Gymnastics Training Center
At their core, kids’ sports, dance classes and other extracurriculars are about teaching little people how to grow up into decent big people. Sure they learn how to hit a ball or do a pirouette, but it’s the hidden lessons that seem to be the most valuable.
Take turns.
Be a good winner or a good loser.
Teamwork.
Practice makes perfect.
Time management.
There’s a gymnastics school in Gresham that is going a step further. Northwest Gymnastics Training Center got some appluase from the city this week for incorporating the environment into the curriculum. Yeah, in between back handsprings and proper stretching, their kids are learning about recycling and conservation.
It wasn’t too tricky. Tina Stinson who bought the gym in November, says they do little things like use recycled paper, turn off lights they aren’t using and refill ink cartidges. But the kids absorb every little step. And then mom and dad pick it up.
In just a few months, they’ve cut down on the amount of trash going out the door and energy being wasted.
To learn more or to sign your kid up for lessons at the gym, click here.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels opens at the Broadway Rose this week
It’s been a big year for the Broadway Rose Theatre company in Tigard. The local troupe which has specialized in summer stock for the past 17 years, finally cut the ribbon on a brand new, year-round, facility a few months ago.
They’re launching more kids programs and educational programs.
And, they’re debuting another monster musical in the stage adaptation of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. And we do mean MONSTER. 17 set views, two rotating turntables dominating the stage. Granted the scope is nothing new for BWAYROSE . . . the local troupe regularly tackles difficult shows like Les Mis and Phantom with aplomb.
The show itself has a cinematic film, according to Lyn Cramer who directs the show. She tells GNPDX it’s a direct replica of the insanely popular 1988 flick with Steve Martin.
This is Cramer’s first visit to the Rose City. She’s a full professor at the University of Oklahoma Theatre Department. The BWay Rose takes great pride in bringing in top artists from around the country for the season (and exporting them as well. Some of you may remember Beaverton’s Shoshana Bean from Broadway productions like Wicked … but you may also remember seeing her bring down the house at the Tigard theatre a few summer’s ago in Bye Bye Birdie before she splashed onto the Great White Way).
Back to the show, it promises to be a hoot. For those who aren’t familiar with the plot, a suave conman and a two-bit hustler join forces to scam the “Soap Queen” … but the woman they believe to be a wealthy heiress, may not actually be (what, you thought we’d spoil the plot?).
To get your tickets to this dynamite production, click here.
Canning is not only a Money Saver, it's Green Friendly
It was during the recession of the 1970’s that Molly Wells first started canning. She finds it really fun and a money saver in the long run. She’s tried to teach people how to preserve food through canning, drying and freezing … but until recently, there hasn’t been a lot of interest.
Then, Molly Wells hit a proverbial perfect storm. Not only is Portland in the throes of a recession, but it’s also an area of the world where people tend to be conscious of eating more natural, healthy foods.
Last month, she finally put out a test note to see if anyone would sign up for canning classes.
By the tone of this post, you can guess how successful her first push was. So many people signed up for the first batch of classes she’s had to add more in July for the overflow and is offering another round in August. Considering how green-friendly Portland is, she may wind up offering the classes year round.
To sign up email her at Molly@MissMollyTutoring.com
