ICYDK – Earth Day Events, Ritz-Carlton Awards, & Portland School Reducing

Today is Earth Day, and SOLVE is doing what they do best: organizing people and cleaning up trash.  Several SOLVE events are happening across the city today, including cleaning up the business districts of the East Side and a riverside event.  Most of these registrations are full, but nothing is stopping you from cleaning up, even if it’s one wrapper.  Just do something.

Congratulations to the newly-opened Ritz-Carlton in Portland for making Esquire magazine’s Best New Hotels in North America list this year, mostly due to the amazing restaurant options you have when you stay in Portland.  The hotel is obviously nice (it’s the only 5-star hotel in town), but you can see the mountains from the rooftop spa, which is a vibe.

And finally, at noon today, Portland Public Schools are holding a press conference to talk about budget cuts.  You probably know Salem-Keizer School District just announced an enormous reduction of teachers next year, and Portland has already hinted that’s coming as well.  Expect bigger class sizes next year, unless, of course, Portland’s luck drastically changes.