Portland in the News: Invasive Hornets, PSU Dog Park, Sauna City & More | May 21, 2026

Courtesy United States Department of Agriculture

Oregon’s economy is heating up as sauna businesses pop up all over the state.

I know one thing I wouldn’t want in my sauna. A live yellow-legged hornet was found in Vancouver and is said to be highly aggressive and invasive.

In less scary news, our four legged friends have a new place to do zoomies at PSU’s new dog park.

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

• Portland.gov: Portland’s first heritage tree finds new life
• OPB: Skeleton of rare blue whale going on display in Newport
• WWeek: The sauna business surges in Oregon
• Portland Mercury: Justin Townes Earle’s Portland years
• Bridgetown Bites: Mr. Chip will vend excellent snacks in Portland
• WWeek: It’s the most annoying traffic jam in Portland. Here’s how to fix it. 
• KOIN: PSU opens first dog park in downtown Portland
• NY Times: The Cherry Bombs burst into Portland’s soccer scene
• KOIN: Oregon warns of highly invasive hornets
• OregonLive: Superfund site is one big step closer to becoming Portland botanical gardens