Portland City Center

Communities Sewage spills into downtown Portland's Waterfront Park

By KATU.com Staff Published: May 23, 2013 at 2:59 PM PDT Last Updated: May 23, 2013 at 2:59 PM PDT

About 2,400 gallons of sewage overflowed from a public toilet at downtown Portland's Waterfront Park Thursday, spilling across the sidewalk and draining into the Willamette River.

Communities Portland rejects fluoride but both sides may meet again (Video)

By Steve Benham KATU.com Politics Editor Published: May 21, 2013 at 4:53 PM PDT Last Updated: May 22, 2013 at 6:49 PM PDT

Fluoride advocates admitted defeat Tuesday night after unofficial election results showed Portlanders strongly against adding fluoride to the city’s drinking water. But there were indications new battle lines may be drawn in the future.

Communities Fact or fiction? Examining rumors about a statewide fluoride effort (Video)

By Bob Heye, KATU News Published: May 21, 2013 at 5:24 PM PDT Last Updated: May 21, 2013 at 5:25 PM PDT

The votes haven’t been counted yet, but already there’s speculation that no matter what Portland voters decide, Oregon’s biggest cities could still have their drinking water fluoridated.

Communities Mounted patrol to be saved thanks to community donations

By KATU.com Staff Published: May 21, 2013 at 4:10 PM PDT Last Updated: May 21, 2013 at 4:28 PM PDT

Once in jeopardy because of looming city budget cuts, the Portland Police Bureau's mounted patrol has been saved, thanks to donations from boosters.

Communities A light at the end of the tunnel? Portland schools get a bigger budget

By KATU.com Staff Published: May 21, 2013 at 7:34 AM PDT Last Updated: May 21, 2013 at 7:42 AM PDT

Portland Public Schools will have a bigger budget next year that will add teachers and let high school students take a full course load.

Communities TriMet ticket app testing begins (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson, KATU Problem Solver Published: May 18, 2013 at 11:03 AM PDT Last Updated: May 18, 2013 at 11:03 AM PDT

200 people are now testing the TriMet mobile ticketing system to smooth out the wrinkles before the app goes public.

Communities Services to help victims of sex trafficking face city's budget ax (Video)

By Erica Nochlin KATU News Published: May 17, 2013 at 6:06 PM PDT Last Updated: May 17, 2013 at 6:12 PM PDT

A victim of sex trafficking came to Portland when she couldn't find help anywhere else, but the services to keep her safe are facing funding cuts.

Communities Latest poll shows fluoride measure failing

By KATU.com Staff Published: May 16, 2013 at 4:25 PM PDT Last Updated: May 16, 2013 at 8:50 PM PDT

The poll, which was conducted by Survey USA and released just five days before the election, shows that 53 percent of likely voters are against fluoridating the water. Just 40 percent of likely voters are for the measure, while eight percent are still undecided.

Communities Deadline to pay arts tax delayed after online system crash

By KATU.com Staff Published: May 15, 2013 at 5:35 PM PDT Last Updated: May 16, 2013 at 5:12 PM PDT

The city has extended the deadline to pay Portland's art tax indefinitely after an overwhelming number of people paying the tax online crashed the city's online payment system.

Communities Rent your ride: Putting car sharing services to the test (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson, KATU Problem Solver Published: May 15, 2013 at 5:27 PM PDT Last Updated: May 15, 2013 at 5:34 PM PDT

Cathy Hastie called herself a car addict, but she decided to end her addiction for a week and try different car sharing services to get around.

Communities This year's city traffic project: Improve three high-crash corridors (Video)

By Hillary Lake KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: May 14, 2013 at 9:02 PM PDT Last Updated: May 14, 2013 at 9:02 PM PDT

The 10 top locations are where a majority of the accidents involving vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians occur.

Communities Man arrested for 'lewd acts' on TriMet bus (Photo Gallery)

By KATU.com Staff Published: May 14, 2013 at 3:15 PM PDT Last Updated: May 14, 2013 at 4:42 PM PDT

Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of a crime. Police said they arrested a man on Monday who committed a "lewd act" against a female victim on a bus in downtown Portland.