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Good morning, Northwest.

The Portland Fire has proven to be a fan favorite in Oregon. Despite a losing record, the team drew an average of around 14,000 people through more than 20 home games during its debut season — fourth among the WNBA’s 15 teams. OPB’s Kyra Buckley set out to find out why the Fire has charmed so many Oregonians.

Plus, pumpkin spice latte season is here. OPB’s Jireh Deng visited two Oregon pumpkin patches and spoke with families flocking to these popular fall attractions.

Here’s your First Look at Saturday’s news.

— Winston Szeto

Top story

‘It’s just special to be here’: How the Portland Fire charmed Oregonians in their debut season

The Portland Fire started play this summer during an economically and culturally challenging time in Oregon. The state still hasn’t recovered economically from the pandemic downturn. That’s left Portland with a hollowed-out downtown, and families and businesses across the state struggling to make ends meet.

Sports can offer a welcome distraction, but this year Oregonians have felt anxiety around the state’s NBA team. Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon has an unspoken threat that he may try to move the team if the city doesn’t pony up millions in public funding to renovate the Moda Center.

The state needed a win, and 15 charismatic, competitive and compassionate WNBA players came through in the clutch. (Kyra Buckley)

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3 things to know

1. Sahaptin Stories, a rare bookstore dedicated to Indigenous literature, will open today in Southeast Portland. (Sukhjot Sal)
2. Political analysts predict that fundraising and the national environment will sway voters to keep incumbents in their seats. A new report marked all but Eastern Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District as solid Democratic districts. (Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle)
3. A Starbucks store in Eugene, which was the first to unionize in Oregon, is among hundreds of stores closing nationwide. (Brian Bull, KLCC)

Northwest headlines

• Oregon tribal advocates call for statewide alert for missing Native Americans (Justin Higginbottom, JPR)
• Eugene building that sparked data center concerns now for sale (Zac Ziegler, KLCC)
• Oregon mental health providers, hospitals challenge mandate to treat criminal defendants first (Joanne Zuhl, The Lund Report)
• State warns Oregonians about buying low-cost health plans that cover little (Lynne Terry, The Lund Report)
• How Idaho hopes to eradicate its quagga mussel invasion — before it reaches the Columbia River (Courtney Flatt, Northwest Public Broadcasting)

One more look

Oregon families flock to pumpkin patches as fall officially begins

A child cautiously raised a cup toward the llama behind a fence as it poked its head out and buried its nose in the offering of animal feed, happily munching away.

It was the first weekend of pumpkin patch season at the Frog Pond Farm, and dozens of families with children had flocked to this homestead in Wilsonville, Oregon, to see scores of animals, from miniature zebu cattle to emus, for fall festivities.

The Frog Pond Farm bills itself as one of the only pumpkin patches in the country with a pack of free-roaming llamas that casually walk between rows of orange gourds. (Jireh Deng)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/09/26/portland-fire-charmed-oregonians-opb-first-look/