September: Remember Mr. Yoshida’s Original Teriyaki Sauce? It’s back

Published 2:07 pm Monday, December 23, 2024

Yoshida’s sauce makes its sweet return to stores

Yoshida’s had been a household name for generations.

It was the glorious, thick sauce jug that sat on pantry shelves waiting to coat chicken thighs for a family barbecue. It was a go-to marinade for an easy, delicious meal, bound to please a crowd.

Then, it disappeared. Customers were left wondering when they’d taste the sticky goodness again.

But as of September, the time had come for all Mr. Yoshida’s Original Gourmet Sweet Teriyaki Marinade & Cooking Sauce fans to celebrate, as Junki Yoshida, founder and CEO, has reacquired his brand, Yoshida Foods International, and is stocking the shelves once again with his iconic sauce.

Hannah Seibold

City Council invests $15.4 million in OMSI District project

A mega-project set to reshape Portland took a major step forward when the City Council unanimously approved a $15.4 million investment in September for the OMSI District in the Central Eastside.

The funding will realign Southwest Water Avenue and lay the groundwork for a project that includes 24 acres of transit-oriented, mixed-use developments, including 1,200 new market rate and affordable housing units, a new waterfront education park, and the restoration of Tribal presence on the Willamette River through the creation of a Center for Tribal Nations and the waterfront education park.

Also, Prosper Portland intends the 34-acre Broadway Corridor Project to be a new neighborhood on the former U.S. Post Office site and surrounding properties at the west end of the Broadway Bridge. The plan envisions a mixed-use development with housing and employment opportunities that also connects the Pearl District and Old Town/Chinatown neighborhoods.

Jim Redden

U.S. Bank to leave iconic, pink high-rise

U.S. Bank announced in September that it will vacate an iconic downtown Portland high-rise known as U.S. Bancorp Tower, or “Big Pink” to many Portlanders.

The 42-story structure at 111 S.W. Fifth Ave. near Burnside was designed by the famed architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which also designed Portland’s Memorial Coliseum, the New World Trade Center in New York City and the Sears Tower in Chicago.

It opened in June 1983.

Dana Haynes

City backs controversial music venue

Portland officials voted in September to approve the sale of land to developers for a controversial proposed new live music venue, despite overwhelming opposing testimony at a public hearing.

The vote by the board of directors of Prosper Portland, the city’s economic development agency, came the day before the City Council heard an appeal of the project’s permits by MusicPortland, a nonprofit organization that supports the local music scene.

Dozens of the organizations’ representatives and musicians testified against the proposed project, mostly because it would be operated by Live National, a national entertainment promotion company accused of monopolistic practices.

The City Council denied the appeal, paving the way for the Live Nation venue to be built.

Jim Redden

County OKs look of Burnside Bridge replacement

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners approved a new look for the Burnside Bridge in September, marking a historic milestone as officials prepare to earthquake-proof the structure.

Building the inverted-Y designed bridge is anticipated to cost more than $900 million and will require the bridge to close for five years.

Hannah Seibold

118 Portlanders run for city office in November

Portland’s election office in September released the final list of all candidates approved to appear on the ballot for the first election following 2022’s massive charter change for the city.

A total of 19 people were running for mayor, and 98 were running for the 12 open council seats. The city’s auditor, Simone Rede, ran unopposed for reelection.

The charter change vote eliminated May primary elections in Portland, removing an opportunity to whittle down large candidate pools to two-person runoffs in the fall.

The charter change also expanded City Council from five to 12 seats, and gave the mayor a more administrative role that doesn’t include a council vote. And councilors now are elected to represent four new geographic districts, with three councilors elected to each district.

OPB

Portland to net woman’s pro basketball franchise

After years of effort from politicians, local leaders and, most importantly, basketball fans, the WNBA made it official that the league will be bringing a basketball team to the Rose City starting in 2026 with an expansion franchise, the 15th team in the league.

Austin White

Soccer superstar shines again

Megan Rapinoe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She’s a three-time gold medalist as a member of the United States Women’s National Soccer Team. 

And in September, Rapinoe was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame of her alma mater, the University of Portland.

Austin White