Hillsboro Fire Department quietly opens replacement station

Hillsboro Fire Department quietly opens replacement station

HILLSBORO, Ore. -- Officials from the Hillsboro Fire Department opened their newest fire station Thursday with a flag raising ceremony.

The 13,458-square foot, low-profile station will replace the aging Parkwood Fire Station, which was built in the 1970s as a temporary fire station and fails to meet seismic standards for public safety buildings. The Jones Farm Fire Station is located at 2850 NE 25th Avenue on land leased from the Port of Portland.  

"We have met the directive of our policy makers with the improved response times and services with this new station," said Fire Chief Greg Nelson. "It will be serving the citizens of Hillsboro for decades."

The facility was staffed with firefighters hired as a result of the Local Option Tax. They moved from the Parkwood Fire Station.  

The soft opening of the new station came without much fanfare today due to the recent spate of inclement weather.  

"We’re planning an open house for this summer when the weather is better and residents can enjoy coming by to meet the firefighters and tour the station," said Public Information Officer Storm Smith.

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State urges folks to secure their hazardous materials

State urges folks to secure their hazardous materials

It's not something you normally think about when it's raining hard and there's a threat of flooding but state officials want to remind folks about how important it is to secure hazardous materials so they don't make it into our waterways. Here's some information the Oregon State Fire Marshal and DEQ sent out:

Hillsboro School District names planning principal for online school

Officials from the Hillsboro School District are forging ahead with plans to open an online school in September of this year.  Having a quality online learning option for students was one of a slate of priorities approved by the school board last spring.

On Jan. 10, the District named Linda Harrington, current assistant principal at Evergreen Middle School, as planning principal for the school. As planning principal, Harrington will be released half-time from her position at Evergreen to focus on bringing the learning management system online, determining which courses will be offered, and marketing the opportunity to potential students in Grades 7-12.
 

TriMet: QR codes coming soon to stops and stations

TriMet: QR codes coming soon to stops and stations

Soon, riders with smartphones will have another way to get real-time arrival information when they're out and about. More on this story from TriMet...

National homelessness czar advises local leaders to support community's most vulnerable

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- With the number of people living in poverty on the rise, homelessness is becoming a much larger issue. As part of Washington County Project Homeless Connect 2012, community leaders will meet with internationally renowned homeless advocate, Philip F. Mangano, on Jan. 26 at the Embassy Suites in Tigard. Vision Action Network and Westside Economic Alliance (WEA) will co-host the breakfast briefing.

Mangano is the foremost expert on the complex issue of homelessness, serving as the former Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness under both President Bush and President Obama.

Sadly, homelessness in Washington County, Oregon and the nation continues to rise.

"Homelessness is a growing problem in our community" said WEA Executive Director Jonathan Schlueter. "We can no longer ignore it or hope it simply goes away. Business and community leaders need to understand the hidden costs of homelessness, and the innovative ways we can lower these costs and reduce these problems."

Wrestling tournament in honor of fallen police officer set for Jan. 21 in Hillsboro

Wrestling tournament in honor of fallen police officer set for Jan. 21 in Hillsboro

The third annual Peninsula Portland Police Z-Man Wrestling Tournament is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 21 at Liberty High School in Hillsboro.

The tournament will feature hundreds of local young wrestlers, their families, police officers and business leaders. Last year, more than 380 wrestlers, 50 volunteer Portland Police Officers, city officials and 600 spectators enjoyed the event. The tournament is the culmination of community leaders, local businesses and Portland Police Officers coming together to provide a safe environment for kids to interact and compete.

This year there is expected to be 500-600 wrestlers, making the Z-Man Wrestling Tournament one of the largest in the State of Oregon.

Thousands lose power across the metro area

Thousands lose power across the metro area

Here's the latest update from PGE (as of 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18):

PGE crews continue to make progress restoring power to customers who have lost power due to weather-related outages. As of 3 p.m., PGE currently has 16,600 customers without power. Hardest hit areas are in higher elevations. At peak this morning, PGE had 30,000 customers without power. Crews will work around the clock to restore power. PGE urges the public to stay away from downed lines.

Report down lines and outages by calling 503-464-7777 (Portland) or 800-544-1795. Customers also can report outages on a smart phone by visiting our mobile site at PortlandGeneral.com. Real-time outage information is available at PortlandGeneral.com/Outage.