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For years, getting from point A to point B on the Warm Springs Reservation hasn’t been especially easy. But things just got a little better.

OPB’s Kathryn Styer Martinez reports that a new bus route, funded from a state grant, now connects several communities — some for the first time. Some community members hope it can link some people to jobs while helping others meet important medical needs.

In other news, Holly Bartholomew takes a look at key races for Washington County’s Board of Commissioners. Three of the five seats on the are up for election this May, including the commission chair.

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

— John Hill

Top Story

New bus route brings long-awaited service to remote parts of Warm Springs Reservation

Much of the roughly 1,000-square-mile reservation has lacked reliable public transportation for decades — until this week.

Now, thanks to a state grant, Bus Route 21 now connects communities east of U.S. Highway 26, including the rural community of Simnasho. It also provides a way for people to use public transit to reach Kah-Nee-Ta, the tribe’s resort property that reopened in 2024.

The bus route has been sorely needed for years, said Delson Suppah Sr., an elder and member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

“It’s definitely an uplifting internal feeling for me to see this day come to pass and I’m thankful for it,” the Simnasho resident said. (Kathryn Styer Martinez)

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3 Things to Know

1. Portland police said yesterday they recovered six teenage girls along 82nd Avenue during multiple missions to combat human trafficking last month. The girls are between the ages of 13 and 17 years old. (OPB staff)
2. Yesterday, the Oregon Supreme Court upheld a Washington County ordinance banning the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, vapes and hookahs. (Amelia Templeton)
3. Three of the five seats on the Washington County Board of Commissioners are up for election this May, including the commission chair. (Holly Bartholomew)

OPB Politics Now

Suburban races offer comeback stories, intrigue

On the latest episode of “OPB Politics Now,” we dive into the dynamics at play on the Clackamas and Washington County commissions. Plus, we hit on the Metro Council seats up for grabs. (Alex Zielinski and Holly Bartholomew)

Northwest Headlines

• SOU emergency funding advances as education officials criticize Deloitte’s proposal (Jane Vaughan, JPR)

• Prescribed burn now declared a wildfire in the Deschutes National Forest (OPB staff)

• 4 more school districts set to receive Oregon summer learning grants (Elizabeth Miller)

• Oregon’s congressional Democrats raise concerns about federal wildfire response in the Northwest (Alex Baumhardt, Oregon Capital Chronicle)

• ‘Nobody likes it:’ Educators, students share concerns as Eugene schools budget proposal moves ahead (Natalie Pate, KLCC)

• With ApolloMD out, PeaceHealth changes its plan, signals a reunion with Eugene Emergency Physicians (Tiffany Eckert, KLCC)

Think Out Loud

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation.

Noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app.

Today’s planned topics:

Topics subject to change.

• A Portland musician’s new album is born out of loss

One More Look

Superabundant recipe: Egg foo young’s surprising Oregon connection

Egg foo young is usually attributed to immigrants from Guangdong Province. The earliest written mention of the gravy-slicked omelet comes from the 1860s, when it began showing up in Chinese restaurants in San Francisco, though the dish has much older origins.

Once news of the Gold Rush reached Guangdong, Chinese immigrants arrived in northern California and southern Oregon by the thousands. The best-known dish borne of the era’s exploding wealth was the Hangtown Fry, an omelet studded with plump oysters and lardons of bacon, first served at the Cary House Hotel in Placerville, California.

Don’t dismiss egg foo young as cultural dilution — it is just one more example of how centuries-long Chinese cooking heritage forever changed food in the American West. (Heather Arndt Anderson)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/08/opbs-first-look-new-bus-route-lifts-hopes-on-warm-springs-reservation/