On this day, May 21, 2001, in Seattle, Wa., members of the Earth Liberation Front torched the Univ. of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture causing about $6 million in damage. An Oregon tree farm owned by Jefferson Poplar Farms was also burned. four people were later convicted of taking part in the firebombing. One later committed suicide in prison.
Also on this day, May 21, 2002, The George W. Bush administration said it will allow new mining to resume on nearly one million acres of the Siskiyou region.
Also on this day, May 21, 2006, demolition crews destroyed the 499-foot cooling tower of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant. Demolition of the containment dome was scheduled in 2008.
Also on this day, May 21, 1998, 15 year-old Kipland Kinkel killed one classmate and wounded 19 more at Thurston High School. His parents, William and Faith, were found shot dead at home and a 2nd student died the next day. He had been expelled from school the previous day for bringing a gun to school. Kinkel dropped an insanity plea in 1999 and pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and 26 counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced over 111 years in prison.
Who wants to drive bus in Portland?
TriMet is
now adjusting service on 10 bus lines this fall as they reduce service levels based on available workforce. This comes amid the largest operator shortage in their agency's history. Most of the affected lines currently see low ridership anyways.
TriMet is now saying that they took an approach with an eye on preserving service in areas with high concentrations of people with low-incomes and communities of color.
This additional reduced service will take affect starting on September 18, 2022. TriMet hopes to begin adding back the service hours in 2023 if they can get the operator ranks to increase.
“We would much rather be expanding our transit service. But by reducing our service levels, we increase our schedule reliability so riders experience fewer canceled or late buses,†said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue, Jr. “While rebounding from this historic operator shortage will take some time, TriMet is committed to hiring scores of new operators to meet the needs of our community.â€
Beginning with the fall service change in September, TriMet will shift, reduce or cancel some service, with a focus on low ridership lines and times.
- Cancel two bus lines: 50-Cedar Mill and 92-South Beaverton Express
- Reduce service hours on three low-ridership bus lines to only run buses during peak travel time for high school students: 1-Vermont, 18-Hillside and 26-Thurman/NW 18th
- Weekend service will be canceled on 26-Thurman/NW 82nd Ave
- Cancel extra weekday rush-hour trips on three bus lines as peak ridership trends have changed: 8-Jackson Park/NE 15th, 9-Powell Boulevard and 72-Killingsworth/82nd Ave
- Cancel extra trips added during the pandemic for physical distancing on one bus line: 81-Kane/257th
- Reduce frequency on one low-ridership bus line to hourly service: 82-South Gresham
TriMet will also be making some slight adjustments with the TriMet FX (Frequent Express) bus service launching on Sept. 18. The new service along Division Street will supposedly give riders a faster and more convenient way to travel between Gresham and Downtown Portland.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Buses on the FX 2-Division line will run every 12 minutes for the majority of the day with only a couple of buses added during commuting hours. The Line 2 is being replaced by the FX 2-Division and the Line 10-Harold St route will still change.
TriMet says they will not be able to add buses during the weekdays as they had once planned.
TriMet released the following statement:
"The trickle-down effects of our operator shortage can cause frustration despite our best efforts. In short: it’s been a challenge to hire and train enough operators to replace those lost to retirement and attrition. And we’re not alone. Because our operator shortage is part of a larger trend affecting transit agencies and industries nationwide, we’ve taken unprecedented actions to recruit and retain the talented workforce on which our riders rely. We’ve bumped up the starting pay to $25.24, boosted our hiring bonus to $7,500 and begun looking outside state lines to bring in new operators. When we do grow our operator ranks and start adding back service, we want to make sure we are serving the needs of our community. With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way people travel, TriMet has launched Forward Together, a comprehensive service analysis and community engagement effort to determine a better bus system."
--Bruce Armstrong| Post Date: 2022-06-22 12:23:58 | Last Update: 2022-06-22 15:50:33 |
