Oregon State Beavers vs. Purdue Boilermakers: Sept. 21, 2024
CORVALLIS — It was a moment so bizarre and unbelievable that it had to come from a video game, right?
There’s no other way to describe Zakiah Saez’s 20-yard interception return for a touchdown, the first score in Oregon State’s 38-21 win over Purdue.
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Portland brought home awards in both national and regional categories 2026 James Beard Awards gala on Monday, June 15. Popular subterranean bar Scotch Lodge clinched a win in the Outstanding Bar category, while Ryan Roadhouse of multi-course Japanese restaurant Nodoguro snagged the medal in the Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific category.
“Without sounding like Tony Robbins, if you can dream it, it can happen,” Roadhouse said during his acceptance speech. “So never stop dreaming. If you stop dreaming, it’s time to die.” Nodoguro emerged as a pop-up in 2014, and that same year, Roadhouse was named a Rising Star Chef by Portland Monthly. The pop-up eventually settled into a restaurant space before relocating to a new address in 2022. Roadhouse, who was also under consideration in the category in 2025, was joined in the regional category by fellow Portland-based chef Thomas Pisha-Duffly of pan-Asian restaurant Gado Gado.
Overall, the mood on Monday evening was celebratory. Many speeches throughout the night championed the achievements and contributions of immigrants and women within the hospitality industry. Portland Monthly was up for a media award on Saturday evening, but the category ultimately went to Roads & Kingdoms.
When Scotch Lodge’s team took the stage on Monday night to accept their award in the national category, one of the group noted emphatically, “We’ll see you at karaoke afterward. The gauntlet’s been thrown down.”
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Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards.
EUGENE, Ore. — A crash has shut down a stretch of Highway 126 west of Eugene, and transportation officials say the closure could last for an extended period.
The Oregon Department of Transportation said OR 126 is closed 1 mile west of the intersection with Beltline Highway because of the crash.
Drivers are urged to use an alternate route and expect delays.
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Crash closes Hwy 126 near Beltline Highway
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ODOT recommends checking TripCheck.com for updates.
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Good morning, Northwest.
Oregon did not achieve its ambitious goal of 100% high school graduation by 2025, but several smaller schools across the state did.
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OPB’s Elizabeth Miller reports on what others can learn from their success. Her story starts today’s newsletter.
In other news, the city administrator in St. Helens has gone missing.
Here’s your First Look at Monday’s news.
— Bradley W. Parks
Top story
Perrydale teacher Margaret White hugs a graduate at the high school’s graduation on June 6, 2026, in Amity, Ore.
Elizabeth Miller / OPB
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In some Oregon school districts, 100% high school graduation is possible
Years ago, Oregon made a goal to achieve a 100% high school graduation rate by the year 2025.
It did not achieve its goal statewide, but 19 smaller school districts did.
Oregon has nearly 200 school districts, some with thousands of students. Schools that achieved 100% high school graduation are educating just a small fraction of students in the state.
Still, lessons can be taken from smaller schools to help more Oregon kids get diplomas. (Elizabeth Miller)
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3 things to know
An undated portrait of John Walsh, the city administrator for St. Helens.
Courtesy of the City of St. Helens
St. Helens City Administrator John Walsh went missing Saturday after disappearing into the Columbia River near the St. Helens city docks, according to a city press release. The City Council called a meeting on Sunday, where they named an interim replacement. (Joni Auden Land)
Much of the Portland metro area and several outlying areas started to see unseasonably hot conditions Saturday, with temperatures expected to rise further through today. (Joni Auden Land)
The Eugene Water & Electric Board is putting its e-bike rebate program on pause this Friday because the utility has seen a significant increase in participation in the program this year, but could run out of funding for it. (Rachael McDonald, KLCC)
Listen to audio from OPB journalists
How the Brother Jonathan became the Titanic of the West Coast
The shipwreck of the Brother Jonathan in 1865 is one of the Pacific Coast’s deadliest maritime disasters. OPB’s Kami Horton takes us on board to understand what happened that day. (Mía Estrada, Jenn Chávez and Kami Horton)
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Northwest headlines
Kristin (left) and Will Flanary. They’re known as Lady and Dr. Glaucomflecken on social media, where they make comedy sketches about the U.S. healthcare system.
Courtesy The Glaucomfleckens
Oregon couple uses social media sketches to advocate for transparancy in healthcare (Gemma DiCarlo)
How an Oregon fish hatchery rebuilt after losing everything in a wildfire (Roman Battaglia, JPR)
McKenzie Pass will be open today after seasonal closure (KLCC Staff)
Carolina Hurricanes, owned by Blazers’ Tom Dundon, win Stanley Cup (Mark Anderson, AP)
Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation
“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app.Today’s planned topics (subject to change):
Southwest Washington married couple retired from US military reflect on what it means to be an American
Camas artist Lara Blair creates and celebrates tiny art and the stories behind them
InvestigateWest’s reporting finds overcrowding in OHSU’s NICU is raising concerns among staff, patients
One more look
Efemmera Gendera talks with Amanda Giel, left, of Vancouver, Wash, during a Drag Me Outside drag nature hike at Mount Tabor Park in Portland, Ore., on Sunday, May 10, 2026.
Amanda Loman for OPB
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These Portland trail guides build community through science, education and whimsy — in drag
It’s a sunny spring afternoon on Portland’s Mount Tabor Park, and a few dozen people are gathered to go on a nature walk.
But it’s not just any stroll through the park.
The leaders of this gathering have decades of science and educational experience between them, and also the rare ability to walk on gravel paths in high heels.
“Drag is supposed to be radical and so is education, so let’s put those things together. That’s exactly what people need right now,” said Efemmera Gendera, one of the founders of “Drag Me Outside.” (Lisa Wood)
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