Jon Eric Smith

Portland

News Reporter at KXL-FM (Portland, OR)

Audio drama fan and producer, Themepark fan, and radio hobo.

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Articles

Public Tours of U.S. Navy Ships Underway During Fleet Week

3 days ago | kxl.com | Jon Eric Smith

PORTLAND, Ore. — The U.S. Navy is offering free public tours of two guided-missile destroyers docked along the Willamette River as part of Portland’s Rose Festival Fleet Week. Tours of the USS Mustin and USS Jack H. Lucas run daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, June 5–8. The ships are moored between the Steel and Burnside bridges. Visitors are encouraged to arrive early, as lines may be cut off before 4 p.m. based on wait times.
Westbound I-84 to Close Sunday

4 days ago | kxl.com | Jon Eric Smith

PORTLAND, Ore. (June 3, 2025) — Westbound Interstate 84 will close between Interstate 205 and Interstate 5 for 16 hours starting at midnight Saturday, June 7, the Oregon Department of Transportation said. The closure will allow ODOT, the Portland Bureau of Transportation and TriMet to perform maintenance, remove graffiti and work on the Northeast 82nd Avenue MAX Station. The closure is scheduled to last through 4 p.m. Sunday. Eastbound I-84 will remain open.
Bridge delays expected during Portland’s Fleet Week

1 week ago | kxl.com | Jon Eric Smith

PORTLAND, Ore. –Portland’s annual Fleet Week returns the week of June 3, and travelers should expect long and frequent bridge lifts across the downtown area. Ships from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy are scheduled to arrive Tuesday and Wednesday, prompting lifts on the Steel, Broadway and Burnside bridges. Some closures may last up to 45 minutes. The lower deck of the Steel Bridge, used by pedestrians and cyclists, will be closed from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 3 and 4.
Hillsboro Police Seek Help Identifying Sexual Assault Suspect

1 week ago | kxl.com | Jon Eric Smith

HILLSBORO, Ore. — Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman as she slept at the MAX station near 12th Avenue and Washington Street in Hillsboro. The assault happened shortly before 4 a.m. on May 20. “He appears to be a Hispanic male with black, shoulder-length hair,” said Sgt. Aaron McCarver with the Hillsboro Police Department.
Catalytic Converters Stolen From Reynolds School Buses Over Holiday Weekend

1 week ago | kxl.com | Jon Eric Smith

FAIRVIEW, Ore. (AP) — Thieves stole catalytic converters from six Reynolds School District buses during a break-in at the district’s transportation yard over Memorial Day weekend, officials said. The theft was discovered after the holiday and reported to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating. District officials said the converters were taken from four full-size buses and two smaller buses parked at the facility on Northeast Glisan Street.
Baby Elephant Tula-Tu Named Grand Marshal of Rose Festival Parade

2 weeks ago | kxl.com | Jon Eric Smith

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Rose Festival has named Tula-Tu, the Oregon Zoo’s popular baby elephant, as the grand marshal of the 2025 Grand Floral Parade. The announcement was made Thursday morning at the Oregon Zoo. While Tula-Tu won’t appear in the parade herself, she will be represented by a larger-than-life version of herself on a float.
Fire Restrictions Take Effect on BLM Lands in Oregon, Washington

3 weeks ago | kxl.com | Jon Eric Smith

PORTLAND, Ore. — Fire restrictions are now in effect on all Bureau of Land Management public lands in Oregon and Washington as wildfire danger increases across the region. The restrictions, which began May 15, prohibit fireworks, exploding or metallic targets, tracer and incendiary ammunition, and sky lanterns. Joey Nikirk with BLM tells us the measures are aimed at reducing the risk of human-caused wildfires as warm, dry weather spreads across the Pacific Northwest.
Oregon Unemployment Rate Rises Slightly to 4.7% in April

3 weeks ago | kxl.com | Jon Eric Smith

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.7% in April, up from 4.6% in March, according to data released Tuesday by the Oregon Employment Department. The jobless rate has climbed gradually over the past year from 4.1% in April 2024. It now stands 1.1 percentage points above the recent low of 3.6% recorded in spring 2023. Nationally, the U.S. unemployment rate held steady at 4.2% in both March and April.
ODF Urges Caution After Spike in Escaped Debris Burns This Spring

3 weeks ago | kxl.com | Jon Eric Smith

SALEM, Ore. – State fire officials are urging Oregonians to take extra care when burning yard debris this spring, after a sharp increase in escaped debris fires. The Oregon Department of Forestry said there have already been 32 escaped debris burns on ODF-protected lands so far in 2025 — nearly double the number at this time last year. The average escaped burn scorches about an acre, roughly the size of a football field, and often requires a response from local fire crews.
Homelessness rises in Washington County as need outpaces available services

4 weeks ago | kxl.com | Jon Eric Smith

HILLSBORO, Ore. — Washington County is seeing a rise in homelessness, driven by increased shelter capacity and growing economic pressure that officials say is outpacing available resources. According to preliminary data from the county’s 2025 Point in Time (PIT) Count, 940 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. Of those, 701 were in emergency shelters—an increase reflecting the addition of more than 350 year-round shelter beds since 2020.