Greetings!
It’s a new year, and the biggest thing to happen in Sellwood for a long time is now history. The Big Bridge Closure, so the old bridge could be moved to serve as a temporary bridge while the new bridge is under construction, is over. The old bridge made the trip without a twist, popped rivet, or (I’ve been told) so much as a creak. The Sellwood businesses had worried that the closure would bring the entire area to a standstill, but thanks to quick work by the County and the engineering crews it went off without a hitch and even opened a day early. 
We’ve weathered the storm so far with the support of our wonderful clients (thank you so much!) and this month we’ll share some pictures we took during the closure. If you didn’t make it out to see the Move itself, don’t feel bad. From all reports it was as exciting as watching paint dry, but we’ve included links to several people’s time-lapse videos that sum the whole thing up in less than a minute. There’ll be more flagging and lane closures as the project continues, but this will be the last scheduled complete closure until the new bridge is completed in 2015.
The Sellwood Bridge isn’t the only part of Portland’s infrastructure that’s seeing changes in 2013. Our critical news media is going through an upgrade too. Carl Wolfson, formerly of KPOJ, is returning with his “Carl In The Morning” show. It will be great having a sane voice to speak out on behalf of Portland’s Progressives, but I have selfish reasons to want him back… I’ve got a few things that have been on my mind since KPOJ closed, and Carl’s new show means I’ll have an outlet for my musings once again! You can read all about his first week back on the air in the extended interview we did with him this month.
There are a few other things that came up already this year… Portland is considering a city-wide sick leave policy and we’ll show you how you can get involved with this basic, common-sense, human dignity issue. We also found two stories that vividly demonstrated the decay of our justice system. Check those out in our “News To Make You Furious” column this month.
Now that it’s February we’re through packing away the holiday decorations, it no longer feels odd to write “2013” on checks, and the groundhog has predicted an early spring. Things are settling in to a regular rhythm, and we’re ready for another year of opportunity, hard work, and fanatical vehicle service. We hope you’ll find some time in 2013 to spend with us!
Take Care and Make a Great Day!
