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Good morning, Northwest.

In a remote corner of rural Southern Oregon, the small, former timber town of Lakeview can’t pay its bills.

Its story is an extreme example of the pitfalls facing governments across Oregon’s tight-knit rural communities, where departments face high turnover, scant oversight and meager resources.

Today’s newsletter starts with an investigation into the town’s financial situation and how residents are chipping in to find solutions. OPB’s Joni Auden Land, Bryce Dole and Saskia Hatvany report from the “tallest town in Oregon.”

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

— Sara Roth

Top Story

A small Oregon town faces financial peril. Can residents save Lakeview?

Lakeview sits nearly 5,000 feet above sea level and about 100 miles away from the nearest city.

The rural Southern Oregon town of 2,400 people is navigating an extreme financial crisis that highlights the challenges facing former timber towns after the collapse of logging mills that once powered their economies.

But in Lakeview’s desperate pursuit of growth and change, a series of cascading problems — bad bets, mismanagement and industry failures — has pushed local government into millions of dollars of debt it can’t afford to pay off, according to current and former town officials and records reviewed by OPB. (Bryce Dole and Joni Auden Land)

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3 Things to Know

1. Managers at the Multnomah Athletic Club say they hope to reopen within weeks, after a former employee drove through the building in a vehicle full of explosive devices last weekend. (Kristian Foden-Vencil)
2. All southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near Portland’s Rose Quarter will close for five weeks beginning Sept. 11 as the state’s transportation agency repairs a 2-mile stretch of the highway. (Riley Martinez)
3. PeaceHealth’s plan to transition its emergency department staffing hit a potential snag Monday after a federal judge said ApolloMD officials were dishonest under oath. (Tiffany Eckert, KLCC)

Northwest Headlines

• What the carp? Discovery of nuisance fish in Douglas County alarms officials and biologists (Brian Bull, KLCC)

• Consulting firm proposes drastic cuts to Southern Oregon University (Jane Vaughan, JPR)

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.

• How Northwest winemakers are appealing to consumers in a changing market

• Grit and community support helps brighten outlook for 71-year-old Vancouver bowling alley.

One more look

This flashy group of Portland mall walkers puts neon pep into their step

Mall walking is often seen as the domain of senior citizens who want a level, indoor path to get their steps in.

But in Portland, a group of all ages is creating a different kind of mall walk.

They strap on retro spandex and sweatbands, blast ’80s music, and essentially put on a high-viz, high-cardio parade through the mall that’s part exercise … part performance art.

The group, which meets weekly, is known as the Food Court 5000. (Deena Prichep, NPR)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/06/first-look-oregon-lakeview-drowning-debt/