Portland in the News: Missing Swifts, York Bust to Return, Giant Spiders & More | September 4, 2025

Vaux’s Swifts at Chapman Elementary School, Scott Carpenter

Every September, Portlanders gather to watch the Vaux’s Swifts put on an aerial show at Chapman Elementary. But it appears the birds have declined to perform there so far this year.

Meanwhile, a new monument of York, the enslaved black man who helped ensure a successful Lewis & Clark expedition, will have a permanent home in Portland. The original art piece, placed by an anonymous artist now known to be Todd McGrain, was removed from atop Mt. Tabor after being vandalized in 2021.

And for those itching for spooky season, Oregon’s largest arachnid is set to emerge from dark, damp basements across the city.

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

• City of Portland: Bureau of Planning & Sustainability expands documentations of LGBTQ+ historic sites
• OR Arts Watch: ‘Apple Season’: Biting into a tale of many flavors
• Willamette Week: Portland Thorns acquire British mid-fielder Laila Harbert
• KOIN: Permanent version of York bust removed after vandalism is in the works
• KOIN: Portland to lose a lot of daylight during September
• OPB: Will Vaux’s Swifts return to Chapman Elementary?
• OregonLive: Portland’s largest spider is on the move
• OPB: How a Northeast Portland neighborhood is trying to make it safer to cross the street