West
Portland considers banning gas-powered leaf blowers to assuage climate concerns
The city of Portland, Oregon, is considering a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers starting in 2026, citing health and climate concerns, air and noise pollution, as well as a disproportionate impact they have on minority and low-income communities.
The proposed ordinance out of Portland’s City Council would phase out the use of gas-powered leaf blowers starting in 2026 for all private and commercial use. If approved, Portland would join the ranks of 100 other cities in the U.S. that have limited or banned the use of gasoline leaf blowers.
“The use of gasoline leaf blowers can cause direct harm to people within the vicinity by contributing to localized air pollution, creating excessive noise, and causing other negative health impacts to their operators who disproportionately identify as Latinx or Hispanic,” the ordinance states.
Gas-powered leaf blowers cause other “negative health impacts to their operators who disproportionately identify as Latinx or Hispanic,” according to the Portland City Council. (Sarah Dussault/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)
Gas-powered blowers would still be permitted through 2028 from October 1 to December 31, because the city recognizes “electric leaf blowers are not yet powerful enough to practically move wet leaves during the winter season.” Effective January 1, 2028, gasoline leaf blowers would be prohibited all year.
MEET THE DEEP-POCKETED CLIMATE NONPROFIT PUSHING GAS STOVE BAN WITH DIRECT LINE TO BIDEN ADMIN, CHINA LINKS
The city’s Leaf Blower Policy Work Group recommended the ban because of the health impacts resulting from dangerous emissions, which “fall disproportionately on hired landscape maintenance workers from communities of color, low-income communities, and other historically marginalized populations.”
Downtown Portland, Oregon on Wednesday, April 22, 2020. (Moriah Ratner/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The city also noted that gasoline leaf blowers commonly have “two-stroke engines that incompletely combust their fuel” which results in the emission of benzene and additional carcinogenic substances.
“In 2017, the city council established a goal of meeting 100 percent of community-wide energy needs using renewable energy by 2050 to help reduce the public health impacts of climate change, which disproportionately affect vulnerable communities already facing existing socioeconomic and health inequities,” the ordinance explained.
BLUE STATE’S BAG BAN MEANT TO PROTECT ENVIRONMENT BACKFIRED AT STAGGERING RATE: STUDY
The first violation would be a warning, but for repeated violations, citizens could receive penalties of up to $1,000, according to KGW8.
Nearly 90% of people are in support of the ban, while most of the opposition has been over potential cost increases and the short time frame to transition to electric equipment, KGW8 reported. Eligible businesses would be able to receive a rebate through Multnomah County, which would enforce the ban, to replace gasoline equipment with electric blowers.
Over 100 other cities in the U.S. have limited or banned the use of gasoline leaf blowers. (MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images / Contributor)
“The phase out of gasoline powered leaf blowers will hopefully mark the beginning of a new chapter in our work on climate,” Multnomah County’s Sustainability Director John Wasiutynski told KGW8.
WHITE HOUSE CLIMATE CZAR MET PRIVATELY WITH ECO GROUP PUSHING GAS STOVE BANS
Local landscaper Malik Hopkins, who owns and operates his own business, said he isn’t opposed to making changes to help curb climate concerns, but explained he still relies on gas-powered blowers, the local outlet reported. He called the move a “pro-con” thing, because electric batteries don’t last as long as a tank of gas and that the electric blowers are not as powerful as gas-powered.
“It’s going to affect a lot of people, especially people who cannot afford it (like) guys that are starting out,” he said. “Those batteries will go for about two or 300 bucks.”
Read the full article from Here
A Coast Guard search and rescue helicopter crashed Monday morning during a training flight in Alaska.
A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter had four people onboard when it went down near Harbor Mountain in Sitka, a town in the Alexander Archipelago in southern Alaska several dozen miles south of Juneau. The Jayhawk and its aircrew are assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Sitka.
The crash happened Monday morning at around 10:07 a.m. local time, the Coast Guard said. It took nearly an hour for rescue crews to arrive on the scene. Rescue. However, no serious injuries were reported, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard Arctic District told Task & Purpose. All four crew members were taken by Sitka Fire and Rescue teams to Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center in Sitka.
The cause of the crash isn’t known, and in a post on X, the Coast Guard Arctic District said that a “formal investigation will be conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding the event.”
Top Stories This Week
The Coast Guard Arctic District covers not only Alaska but the waters around it, including the Prince William Sound and waters in the Pacific.
Given Alaska’s remote conditions, local and military aircraft are often used to provide emergency search and rescue operations. Both the Coast Guard and National Guard regularly dispatch helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to help people stranded or in crisis at sea.
In April, helicopters from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka and the National Guard conducted a mass casualty drill near the town, as part of what the Coast Guard called “a large joint exercise involving multiple government agencies and local organizations.”
CAMP VERDE, AZ (AZFamily) — An Arizona wildlife park is asking visitors to follow its rules after a visitor discarded a lit cigarette in the park, sparking a fire.
Park officials said Saturday a visitor ignored the no-smoking policy and threw a lit cigarette on the ground near the Tiger Splash Arena, causing the fire.
“If you are not willing to respect our policies, we understand that our park may not be the right destination for you,” Out of Africa Wildlife Park and Sanctuary said in a social media post.
Copper Canyon Fire and Medical District firefighters put out the fire before it could spread or threaten any animals, park officials said.
“Every policy we have in place exists for a reason, even if it may seem inconvenient to some visitors,” park officials said. “The outcome could have been devastating for the animals. We respectfully ask all visitors to follow the rules that are in place for everyone’s safety.”
Park officials said the safety of the animals, guests and staff is the highest priority.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2026 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KERO) — A 12-year-old boy is dead and another child was hospitalized after two unleashed dogs attacked a group of children at Central Park in California City on Friday, June 18.
California City Mayor Edwin Hawkins said police responded to the scene after reports that four children had been mauled.
Fernando Torres Moreno, 12, jumped into a nearby lake to escape the charging dogs. Officers pulled Fernando from the water, and he was taken to the hospital, where he died the next day.
A second child suffered serious, though non-life-threatening, dog bite wounds and has since been released from the hospital. Two additional children were shaken but did not require medical treatment.
Authorities say the dogs, both mixed breed, were off-leash but in the presence of their owner when the attack unfolded.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. No arrests have been made.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
-
Minneapolis, MN21 seconds agoFederal judge blocks DOJ investigation into Minnesota state, city leaders
-
Indianapolis, IN3 minutes agoGraham Rahal: Indianapolis Has a Crime Problem
-
Pittsburg, PA8 minutes agoDelta-8 is unregulated and untested. Here’s what to know about the synthetic cannabis.
-
Augusta, GA15 minutes agoAugusta election leaders meet to discuss lawsuit from Dr. Lori Myles
-
Washington, D.C18 minutes agoReflecting pool to be drained again as Trump claims five vandalism arrests
-
Cleveland, OH23 minutes agoCleveland Browns News and Rumors June 22, 2026: Not Just Org Chart Noise
-
Austin, TX30 minutes agoBarton Springs Pool to reopen June 23
-
Alabama33 minutes agoPetition calls on State of Alabama to fund fix for Prichard sewer system after spills
