Portland in the News: Happy Birthday MAX, Swifts Relocate, Big Spiders & More | September 10, 2026

It’s Virgo season, and the MAX train is celebrating its 40th birthday. The first MAX train took its inaugural ride on September 5, 1986.

After decades of roosting at Chapman Elementary, the Vaux’s swifts have migrated to several locations on Portland’s east side.

And if the movie Arachnophobia gave you the shivers, you’re not going to like giant house spider season in Oregon.

Here’s a roundup of the goings-on in Portland this week:

• KGW: Portland city workers can ride transit for free for 1 year
• OPB: Portland city council votes to enter talks with Albina Vision Trust to redevelop land near Moda Center
• Mercury: Time-Based Art as a wild weekend
• TriMet: MAX turns 40: A look back – and forward – at the rail system that changed Portland
• WWeek: Big Pink’s new owner floats rooftop deck idea
• Spokesman: Oregon’s largest spider is seeking love inside people’s homes
• OregonLive: Sanity saving tips to help you handle the I-5 closure
• OPB: Yelloweye rockfish fishery reopens after 25 years
• Here is Oregon: A guerrilla artist hid 15 snails across Milwaukie. Finding them unlocks a secret prize. 
• KGW: Vaux’s swifts expand Portland roosting spots
• OPB: Portland is experiencing hotter fall days than it did 50 years ago
• WWeek: Trail vigilantes clear paths when the government won’t