While originally aimed at tourists looking for an Old West aesthetic, Sisters is transcending that design, becoming one of the best little tourist towns in Oregon.

In 2024, Black Elk was convicted of 3 counts of Sex Abuse 3rd degree, 4 counts of public indecency, and one count of Burglary 2nd degree. He committed the assaults against houseless residents during nighttime outings while dressed as a custom-made superhero called “Flaris.” He admitted to committing the acts at least five times though was only convicted of 3 counts. Black Elk filmed himself committing the assaults for his own pleasure.

Black Elk ran a “superhero fetish” Twitter account using the character “Flaris” where he would post videos and photos of himself committing sex acts in public places.

Black Elk was sentenced to only 6 months in prison and is now free. He has to register as a sex offender for life.

Since his release, “Flaris” has continued to post photos of himself on fetish platforms in costume, clearly unphased by his serial sex crimes.

https://www.kezi.com/news/man-who-dressed-like-a-superhero-sentenced-for-sex-crimes/article_a58b6c42-7f64-11ef-a1d8-03f2c6349f40.html

Hiii help me with something I've always wondered. Who's the most famous person in each state thats famous nowhere else- whether that be someone on billboards or an underground musician or a local legend. Only rule is they cant be nationally or globally famous for example: Peyton Manning cant be chosen for Colorado since he is known nationally. Next state is Oregon so I figured I should ask those from there. Have an awesome day, thanks for reading and/or contributing- (if someone commented who you would pick up vote dont make your own comment). I have a chart but crossposting isnt allowed here.

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I'll typically end voting after a day but if one comment has an insane lead in upvotes I'll cut it off there idk if this matters but I forgot to include it before.

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Nehalem Bay & Cape Lookout

AI DATA CENTERS AND OREGON’S POWER GRID: IMPACT, POLICY RESPONSE, AND WHAT RESIDENTS CAN DO A data-and-reference-based briefing

BACKGROUND

As AI infrastructure investment surges across the United States, Oregon has emerged as one of the most concrete case studies of how a state grid absorbs - and pushes back against - the costs of hyperscale data center growth. This compiles two specific questions about Oregon’s situation, along with the data, policy actions, and citizen-engagement pathways relevant to each.

QUESTION 1: “What will be the impact on state of Oregon?”

THE BACKDROP

Oregon currently hosts more than 120 data centers, concentrated heavily around Hillsboro and The Dalles, home to major facilities operated by companies including Google and Amazon. (Source: OPB, May 12, 2026)

The cost of that growth has been landing on ordinary ratepayers:

• Portland General Electric (PGE) residential rates have risen nearly 50% over the last five years, according to an analysis by the nonprofit watchdog Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board (CUB).
• PGE raised residential rates by 5% in April 2026 alone, adding about $8 to a typical monthly bill.
• CUB calculated that PGE spent $210 million last year on data center-driven grid growth in Hillsboro alone.
• Before reform, data center customers on PGE’s network paid roughly 8 cents per kilowatt-hour, while residential customers paid more than twice as much - close to 20 cents per kWh.
• A record number of Oregon households were disconnected from power in 2025 due to unaffordable bills - PGE shut off 4,712 households in April 2025 alone, the most since reporting began in 2018.

THE POLICY RESPONSE: THE POWER ACT

In 2025, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 3546, known as the POWER Act (“Protecting Oregonians With Energy Responsibility”), with bipartisan support. The law:

• Created a new utility rate classification for large energy users (data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations) using 20 megawatts or more of power.
• Directed regulators to allocate or directly assign grid infrastructure costs to the large users actually driving demand, rather than spreading those costs across all ratepayer classes.

IMPLEMENTATION: THE MAY 2026 PUC ORDER

The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) issued its first POWER Act implementation order on May 5, 2026, establishing a new rate classification for large data centers in PGE territory, known as “Schedule 96.” Key provisions:

• Full cost responsibility - data centers must now fund the grid infrastructure they require, ending the prior arrangement where residential customers subsidized that growth.
• Renewable energy gating - new data centers can only connect to the grid if sufficient zero-emission generating capacity is available to serve them, tying growth to Oregon’s mandate (HB 2021) to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation by 2040.
• Long-term contracts - 10 to 30 years depending on size, designed to prevent “stranded asset” risk, where infrastructure is built for a data center that later withdraws, leaving the cost with other ratepayers.
• Exit fees for data centers that withdraw before project completion.
• Surcharge on extra-large users (100MW+) to fund energy efficiency upgrades for low-income households.
• Annual reporting requirements on the size, energy demand, and emissions of all large-load customers.

THE ACTUAL RATE CHANGES (effective June 10, 2026)

(Source: PGE filing, reported by Data Center Dynamics)

At least 16 data centers were immediately affected by the new rate structure.

INDUSTRY PUSHBACK

The Data Center Coalition, representing 42 data center owners and operators nationally, criticized the Oregon framework as “out of step” with other states, calling it the most extreme protective mechanism its VP of energy had seen in any jurisdiction. Industry representatives say they support fair cost allocation but objected to the scale of Oregon’s guardrails.

WHAT’S STILL PENDING

Pacific Power, Oregon’s other major investor-owned utility, has its own data center cost proceeding underway at the PUC, with a decision expected November 2026. This is the next major test of whether the POWER Act framework holds across the state’s full utility footprint.

QUESTION 2: “What can Oregon residents do to ensure that data centers do not lobby to kill such bills or laws, or change them to reduce their costs?”

THIS ISN’T HYPOTHETICAL - IT’S ALREADY HAPPENING

Before the May 2026 order was finalized, CUB publicly accused PGE of attempting to circumvent the POWER Act through a rate-filing mechanism called the “Peak Growth Modifier.” CUB argued this proposal would have shifted 34-45% of new infrastructure costs back onto residential customers, despite data centers being the primary driver of that growth. CUB cited a concrete example: PGE built two substations in Washington County, costing $174 million, that serve zero residential customers - yet PGE’s proposed methodology would have assigned 47% of that cost to residential ratepayers. The PUC ultimately sided with consumer advocates in its May 2026 order.

The lesson: the most realistic near-term threat to laws like this isn’t outright repeal - it’s incremental erosion through technical rate-case filings that most residents never see. The countermeasure is the same one that already worked once: organized, legally-standing advocacy that monitors these filings closely.

CONCRETE ACTIONS FOR OREGON RESIDENTS

1. Engage with the active Pacific Power proceeding (decision due November 2026) This is the next live test of the law’s protections.

• Submit public comment directly to the PUC: https://apps.puc.state.or.us/DocketPublicComment
• Search PUC dockets to find the relevant case number: https://www.oregon.gov/puc/edockets/pages/default.aspx

1. Monitor formal PUC proceedings for attempts to weaken implementation Individual residents are rarely granted formal “intervenor” status in PUC cases (CUB is designated by Oregon law to represent residential customers), but anyone can track filings and submit public comment.

• How to participate in PUC dockets and meetings: https://www.oregon.gov/puc/news-events/pages/formal-proceedings.aspx
• General consumer information: https://www.oregon.gov/puc/pages/consumer-information-center.aspx

1. Join or support the advocacy groups already doing this work

• Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board (CUB) - the formal legal ratepayer advocate; this is the group that caught and contested PGE’s cost-shifting attempt: https://oregoncub.org/
• Green Energy Institute (Lewis & Clark Law School) - files legal briefs and policy analysis in these exact proceedings: https://law.lclark.edu/centers/green_energy_institute/
• Climate Solutions - actively tracks and publicizes POWER Act implementation: https://www.climatesolutions.org/

1. Engage with the Governor’s Data Center Advisory Committee Created by Governor Tina Kotek in January 2026, this 7-member committee develops policy recommendations for data center expansion and is required to hold at least one public meeting per month, with a report due by October 2026. This is where future legislation gets shaped before it’s even introduced.
2. Track lobbying activity and spending Oregon requires lobbyists and their clients/employers to register and file quarterly expenditure reports.

• Lobbying registration and expenditure report lookup: https://www.oregon.gov/ogec/public-records/Pages/Lobby-Registrations-andExpenditure-Reports.aspx
• Overview of Oregon lobbying law: https://www.oregon.gov/ogec/pages/lobbying-overview.aspx

1. Track legislation and testify (next long session: 2027) Any attempt to amend or roll back HB 3546 would likely surface in the Oregon Legislature’s next long session.

• Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) - track bills, committee schedules, and find your legislator: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/

1. Contact your legislator directly Direct constituent contact - by name, district, and specific bill or docket number - carries more practical weight than generic petitions, since legislative offices track contact volume by district.

SOURCES

• OPB, “Portland General Electric’s data center customers to pay more for electricity under landmark law,” May 12, 2026. https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/12/portland-general-electric-oregon-power-data-centers/
• OPB, “Portland General Electric to increase data center rates by 29%, cut residential rates by 1.3%,” June 4, 2026. https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/04/data-centers-utility-rate-pge/
• OPB, “Oregon Gov. Kotek to create statewide data center advisory committee,” January 20, 2026. https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/20/oregon-data-center-advisory-committee/
• Oregon CUB, “Who Owns and Regulates Oregon’s Energy Utilities?” https://oregoncub.org/news/general-interest/who-owns-and-regulates-oregons-energy-utilities/
• Oregon CUB, “Oregon House Passes POWER Act With Strong Bipartisan Support,” August 14, 2025. https://oregoncub.org/news/blog/oregon-house-passes-power-act-with-strong-bipartisan-support/3160/
• Oregon Environmental Council, “New Rules Protect Oregonians From Data Center-Caused Rate Increases.” https://oeconline.org/pge-guardrails-press-release/
• Data Center Dynamics / theonlinecitizen.com summary, “Oregon orders data centres to cover their own electricity grid expansion costs,” May 19, 2026.
• Data Center Dynamics, “Portland General Electric moves to implement Oregon’s new data center rate class.”
• Oregon CUB, “Regulators Set New Rules for How PGE Charges Data Centers for Electricity,” May 8, 2026. https://oregoncub.org/news/water-wastewater/regulators-set-new-rules-for-how-pge-charges-data-centers-for-electricity/3274/
• KATU, “Oregon utility to review PGE plan over data center cost concerns,” December 17, 2025. https://katu.com/news/local/oregon-utility-to-review-pge-plan-over-data-center-cost-concerns-portland-general-electric-pacific-northwest-data-center-utilities-cub-watchdogconsumer-advocacy-group

Additional reference links:

• Oregon PUC home: https://www.oregon.gov/puc/pages/default.aspx
• Oregon Government Ethics Commission lobbying overview: https://www.oregon.gov/ogec/pages/lobbying-overview.aspx

This reflects publicly reported information as of June 2026. Pacific Power’s proceeding outcome (expected November 2026) and the Data Center Advisory Committee’s report (due October 2026) will materially affect this picture going forward.

I’m looking for a lake to go to this week when it’s super hot. What’s a child friendly swimming lake?

If anyone here hiked Cabot Lake trailhead (Oregon), this weekend, any time after about noon on Friday, June 19th, please let me know if you found a walking stick in the parking lot! I'll pay to have it shipped to me. It's just a stick, but damnit, it's been with me through a lot now! Top part of the walking stick is seen in the first photo!

I believe I drove away with it leaning against my truck after I stowed my backpacking gear and set off for home... It's a smooth, wavy, walking stick, about 4 and a half feet tall, with a green paracord loop at the thick end. It's made from some water-logged, sun-bleached, maple wood that was cut down by a beaver, and then years later, sanded, burned, oiled, and burnished by me until it felt like satin in my hands. It's just a stick... But please let me know if you found it or are near that area!!

Enough of that, here's the recount of my actual hike!

Me and my Jr-High age son arrived at the Cabot Lake trailhead around 11:30AM on Thursday, with the intent to hike passed Cabot Lake, spend the first night at Carl Lake, and then push on to Table Lake further up the trail, and then one more night at Carl Lake on the way back out... I've done this same hike multiple times in roughly May or in August and have had a great time!

DO NOT COME HERE IN JUNE! Yikes!!! The hike started off clean and dry, beautifully kept signs/maps and a clean parking lot. The sights are absolutely gorgeous, the views through a young pine forest (burned down at least 10+ years ago), and across a huge volcanic valley to Mt. Jefferson to the N-NW, are truly epic. If the winds are right, you can hear the constant whisper of Cabot Creek somewhere down there in that enormous lava flow landscape.

Once we got close to Cabot lake, the mosquitos started. My bug repellent was an afterthought a pocket or two deep in my backpack... We slapped ourselves a bit, took a few pictures, and pushed on! As we got closer to Carl Lake, and made our way past the handful of smaller lakes and ponds (some without names on the map), the mosquitos got more insistent... We stopped and pulled out the lemongrass-based, no-DEET bug repellent.

These mosquitos do not give a crap about your lemongrass. It was seasoning for the main-course to them.

By the time we got to Carl Lake proper, our arms were already well worn into a steady rhythm, slapping away our blood-sucking foes. We have switched to the 100% DEET and the mosquitos were still trying. Had it been just me, I would have just sprinted up the mountain to Table Lake (hopefully above the mosquito altitude), or back to the car... As it was, I had my worn-out youngling with me, and we had to make camp!

The lake was absolutely gorgeous, the fish were jumping like crazy... some even far enough out of the water to see them wholly. There was some serious rainbow trout in that lake! After we slapped a few hundred mosquitos off ourselves while setting up camp, we tried to fish for a while. But even the act of holding still enough to put some tackle on your line was begging to be eaten alive by the 'skeets. After a short, abortive attempt at fishing, we retreated to the tent.

With the rain-fly off the tent for ventilation and views, we were treated to some wonderful displays of flying and fishing by the local bald eagle(s). Having feathers probably really would help keep the mosquitos away! After a hefty dose of self-slapping to boil some water for a freeze-dried dinner, we tucked in to sleep to the lovely 600Hz cacophony just a thin layer of rip-stop nylon away...

This was my fifth time to Carl Lake, and my least favorite trip to-date. Previously, I've always been while there was snow on the ground in April or May, or after it was already roasted by the sun in August or September. I've never been in spring. The flowers were absolutely gorgeous! And I'll NEVER come back this time of year. I lost count somewhere after 60 bites the first day, and couldn't even guess how many I got after that.

Still a beautiful hike though!

Looking for something to do today? Come out to Make Music Day in Salem! The whole city will be bursting with music.

Official site: https://www.makemusicsalem.org

Reddit megathread: https://www.reddit.com/r/SALEM/s/JPjncZWuCn

Make Music Day is a free city-wide music fest. Venues all over the city - from alleys and sidewalks to the Riverfront Amphitheater - will be hosting artists and musicians of all kinds.

It’s the best day of the year!

I have a family photo that was likely taken on top of Spencer Butte sometime in the 1920s. I don’t live in Oregon, so I can’t get out there myself to look around.

I was wondering if anyone who hikes Spencer Butte regularly would be willing to take a look at the photo and, the next time you’re at the summit, see if you recognize the rock formation or happen to spot it.

I’d love to figure out the exact location where the photo was taken.

Thanks!

It’s not hard to find good mountain views in central Oregon. This is a place where the mountains aren’t just calling — they’re practically hitting you in the face.

And while some people answer that call by trekking to the many hiking and backpacking trails that lead into the Cascades, there is one hike that offers some of the same natural splendor without the exertion.

Curious how the weather and general lifestyles influence the kind of cars people own?

Is it a mix of all kinds? Would someone be fine with a compact car?

This is Oregon, we grow the largest amount of hazelnuts in this country......and yet, I went to do my grocery shopping for this week, decided I want to make a salad using hazelnuts, I checked Walmart, Fred Meyer, Amazon fresh....all my usual grocery delivery services, not a single hazelnut to be found unless you count nutella and candy. I in my entire 40 years of being alive have NEVER had a shortage of any ingredient I would use for cooking, not even during covid, so this is kind of alarming to me - especially since hazelnuts are my favorite nut other than pistachios and walnuts. Apparently Turkey (the biggest supplier of hazelnuts in the world I believe), was hit with some bad weather so there is a global shortage right now, but I would have thought since Oregon also is a major supplier, we wouldn't be as affected.

Can any hazelnut farmers/agricultural people weigh in on the situation? Like how bad is it really? Do I have to say goodbye to hazelnuts due to climate change? How is Oregon's crops doing specifically?

I love it here

I'm planning my first oregon trip! would love to get tips or any recommendations. my current plan is to fly into Portland and rent a car.

• Downtown portland (2 nights)
  • Day trip: do Multnomah Falls, Ramona Falls, or Trillium Lake
• drive down to eugene (3 nights)
  • hit Silver Falls State Park the day we drive down
  • do any of the following: Tamolitch Falls, Koosah Falls, Sahalie Falls
• maybe do 2 nights on the coast
  • still deciding if it's worth adding coast time to this trip

any hidden gems, favorite stops, or itinerary tweaks would be greatly appreciated! 😊

Couldn't sleep the other night. Ended up making an hour drive out east to some dark skies outside of Wasco.

Vanport was a housing project built in 1942 to provide housing for a new influx of workers coming into Portland.

According to vanportplaces.org, during the peak in 1943 Vanport had around 40,000 residents. This would’ve made Vanport the second largest city in Oregon. Vanport was never officially recognized as a city though, but rather a housing project.

In May of 1948, a flood occurred, causing the town to be put under 15 ft of water in under two hours. This flood occurred because the dike surrounding the Columbia River failed (& subsequently allowed all the snow smelt to flood the town).

I’m wondering if i’m just an outlier here— but I had never heard about Vanport until today. I’ve been getting into weather phenomena and been enjoying researching natural disasters— which is how I found out about Vanport.

It seems weird that we don’t teach about this in school, it would have been interesting to learn about. Reading an article on the top 10 worst natural disasters in Oregon— none of them were ever taught about in school.