Jonathan Bach
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jonathanmbach.bsky.social
Jonathan Bach
@jonathanmbach.bsky.social
1.3K followers 200 following 420 posts
Reporter covering housing and commercial real estate for The Oregonian

Author of "High Desert, Higher Costs: Bend and the Housing Crisis in the American West" https://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/high-desert-higher-costs
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Jonathan Bach
elliotnj.us
Oregon had just begun to reap the benefits of leaps in energy efficiency and imagine a future where little or none of its electricity came from fossil fuels.

Then came data centers, and extreme weather.

Now the state faces a new energy crisis. @rogoway.bsky.social reports in the first of a series:
‘A 9-gigawatt problem’: Northwest’s soaring energy demand, supply constraints, could spark new power crisis
Data centers are straining electricity supplies even as Oregon tries to switch to renewable power. That’s put the grid’s reliability in doubt.
www.oregonlive.com
January 11, 2026 at 6:32 PM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
I work with a phenomenal team of journalists.

Check our coverage of tonight's protests below:
oregonian.com The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 2d
Tear gas deployed as Portlanders protest second shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis

www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...
January 25, 2026 at 6:01 AM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
Portland mayor, council president call for peaceful protests in wake of fatal Minneapolis shooting

www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...
Portland mayor, council president call for peaceful protests in wake of fatal Minneapolis shooting
“Calm and purposeful does not mean passive,“ Mayor Keith Wilson and Council President Jamie Dunphy said in a joint statement.
www.oregonlive.com
January 24, 2026 at 10:50 PM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
Man shot during Minneapolis immigration crackdown has died, hospital record shows

via @apnews.com
www.oregonlive.com/nation/2026/...
Man shot during Minneapolis immigration crackdown has died, hospital record shows
The shooting came amid widespread daily protests in the Twin Cities since the Jan. 7 shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good.
www.oregonlive.com
January 24, 2026 at 5:49 PM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
Washington County faces mounting legal costs in discrimination case it lost

via @noellecrombie.bsky.social
www.oregonlive.com/washingtonco...
Washington County faces mounting legal costs in discrimination case it lost
The county says it paid $483,287 to lawyers Vicki Smith and Helaina Chinn, but that tab only includes bills through the end of last September.
www.oregonlive.com
January 24, 2026 at 5:45 PM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
ICE detains family seeking emergency care for child at Portland hospital

via @gosiawoz.bsky.social
www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...
ICE detains family seeking emergency care for child at Portland hospital
The Venezuelan parents and their 7-year-old daughter entered the U.S. legally.
www.oregonlive.com
January 23, 2026 at 9:38 PM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
Do you rent (or do you have friend who rents) on Burnside Street in Portland?

I'd like to chat with you (or said friend) for a story, preferably by the end of the month.

Please shoot me an email -- [email protected] -- to set up a time to talk.

Thanks!

@oregonian.com
January 22, 2026 at 10:31 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Bach
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
2025 was the third-hottest year in Oregon in records that date back to 1895.
This year’s heat wasn’t as obvious — coming at night and in spring, late fall and early winter (hence the crap snowpack). It was also dry, but not that wildfire-y. Full story: tinyurl.com/dauh9e64
January 16, 2026 at 5:27 PM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
The new numbers mirror the slim margins of growth Oregon continues to experience following the COVID-19 pandemic, a trend reflected in out-of-state residents turning in their driver’s licenses for Oregon IDs, private-sector moving surveys and census data.

www.oregonlive.com/business/202...
See the top states Oregonians moved to and from last year
Oregon tends to draw new residents when economic opportunities exist, but not so many during economic slowdowns, one economist said.
www.oregonlive.com
January 22, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Bach
opb.org
With affordable housing hard to find in the Bend area — and many areas across the state — Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort and the Campfire Hotel have teamed together in recent years to house some seasonal workers from one of the region's top employers.
Central Oregon businesses join forces to provide housing for seasonal workers
Central Oregon ski resort Mt. Bachelor partners with a local hotel in Bend for the third year in a row to provide workforce housing to some of its workers.
www.opb.org
January 20, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Bach
ryantclarke.bsky.social
🚨JOB ALERT🚨

The Oregonian/OregonLive is hiring a reporter through @reportforamerica.bsky.social to cover the business and culture of women’s sports in Portland.

Come cover the Thorns, WNBA and more in the Rose City. 🌹 #BAONPDX
The Oregonian/OregonLive - Report for America
The Oregonian is the oldest continuously operating business in the state and among the most highly recognized news organizations in the United States. Our work has earned eight Pulitzer Prizes, includ...
www.reportforamerica.org
January 20, 2026 at 5:54 PM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
Enjoyed making the images that accompanied this piece on the James Beard Public Market, reported by Michael Russell and me in @oregonian.com. Unique lighting
January 19, 2026 at 10:12 PM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
Portland needs more housing. Will the mayor’s new plan work?

w/ @shanedkavanaugh.bsky.social
www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...
Portland needs more housing. Will the mayor’s new plan work?
Keith Wilson set a clear goal and tight timeline on shelter beds, then hit his target. It’s a different story for housing.
www.oregonlive.com
January 17, 2026 at 3:49 AM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
With opening delayed to 2027, James Beard Public Market carries weight of Portland’s civic hopes

w/ Michael Russell
www.oregonlive.com/dining/2026/...
James Beard Public Market delays Portland opening
The James Beard Public Market is betting on a down-and-out urban corridor. Project leaders are delaying opening but say they’re dreaming bigger.
www.oregonlive.com
January 17, 2026 at 3:47 AM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
Central Oregonians describe hope and grief along Whychus Canyon, where efforts to fight the Flat fire and protect homes intensely focused over the weekend.

@oregonian.com
www.oregonlive.com/wildfires/20...
Flat fire destroys bird sanctuary as it threatens 4,000 homes in central Oregon
Central Oregonians describe hope and grief along Whychus Canyon, where efforts to fight the Flat fire and protect homes intensely focused over the weekend.
www.oregonlive.com
August 26, 2025 at 3:48 AM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
Smoke from central Oregon’s rapidly spreading Flat fire has made the air “unhealthy” to breathe and the worst in the state, according to a state air quality index map, as firefighters try to contain the blaze northeast of Sisters.

@oregonian.com
www.oregonlive.com/wildfires/20...
Central Oregon air quality considered ‘unhealthy’ as growing Flat fire remains uncontained
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office expanded evacuation orders on Saturday evening and several subdivisions near the fire are under Level 3 (go now) evacuation orders.
www.oregonlive.com
August 24, 2025 at 6:13 PM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
Promised housing vouchers abruptly canceled for a dozen Portland-area families

www.oregonlive.com/business/202...
Promised housing vouchers abruptly canceled for a dozen Portland-area families
"I was going to be in my new apartment in two months," the recipient wrote. "This was my ticket to college."
www.oregonlive.com
August 23, 2025 at 12:39 AM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
Developers are sketching out plans for three mid-rise, mixed-use buildings along the Willamette River.

h/t @saraedwards.bsky.social
www.oregonlive.com/business/202...
Redevelopment on NW Portland waterfront could include apartments, retail
Has Centennial Mills’ moment finally come?
www.oregonlive.com
August 21, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Bach
taylorgriggs.bsky.social
It’s actually a complete dream come true to finally be able to share this job post. I love working at the Mercury and will love it even more when I have another person writing the news with me!! So please apply and/or send to your qualified and cool journalist friends.
Cool Job Alert: The Mercury Is Hiring a News Reporter!
Great news: The Portland Mercury is continuing its growth and hiring an additional NEWS REPORTER to join our smart, scrappy team of kick-ass journalists. Are YOU that special person (or perhaps its so...
www.portlandmercury.com
August 14, 2025 at 7:25 PM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
The Sports and Biz desk crossover episode yesterday was wild

@freemanjoe.bsky.social @matthewkish.bsky.social @billoram.bsky.social @oregonian.com
www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2025...
Trail Blazers find a buyer, agree to sell franchise to NHL team owner
Three months after the Paul Allen estate announced plans to sell the franchise, it reached a tentative agreement with Dundon and a group of investors.
www.oregonlive.com
August 14, 2025 at 7:29 PM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
This is -- *checks watch* -- tomorrow evening.

See you there, bookish Portland friends! 📚🏠
jonathanmbach.bsky.social Jonathan Bach @jonathanmbach.bsky.social · Jul 24
I will read from "High Desert, Higher Costs: Bend and the Housing Crisis in the American West" in Multnomah Village in just a few weeks.

Thanks to Annie Bloom's for hosting!

A recent book interview: www.opb.org/article/2025...

Details: annieblooms.com/event/2025-0...

#writersky #booksky #author
"High Desert, Higher Costs" Reading Date: Thu, 8/14/2025 Time: 7:00pm - 8:00pm Place: Annie Bloom's Books 7834 SW Capitol Hwy Portland, OR 97219-2466
August 13, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Bach
oregonian.com
Two major small business support organizations in Oregon have lost federal grant funding.
Oregon small businesses grapple with loss of federal aid for minority-owned startups
Two major small business support organizations in Oregon have lost federal grant funding.
www.oregonlive.com
August 9, 2025 at 4:30 AM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
Bend commission calls for emergency meeting over Juneteenth funding

www.opb.org/article/2025...
Bend commission calls for emergency meeting over Juneteenth funding
Bend's Human Rights and Equity Commission call for special session in light of Juneteenth funding payment delay and concerns of bias.
www.opb.org
August 8, 2025 at 11:55 PM
jonathanmbach.bsky.social
‘We’re sounding the alarm’: Oregon’s farms and land-use advocates square off over farmstand rules

@oregonian.com
www.oregonlive.com/environment/...
‘We’re sounding the alarm’: Oregon’s farms and land-use advocates square off over farmstand rules
The debate has sparked a larger conversation about balancing land-use laws with the realities of modern farming.
www.oregonlive.com
August 8, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Bach
elliotnj.us
This Oregon factory is building the walking, working robots of the future
This big Oregon factory builds the walking, working robots of sci-fi
Investors have big expectations but the market for bipedal robots is still emerging.
www.oregonlive.com
August 8, 2025 at 5:06 PM