🌱 First Psilocybin License Issued + SVB Collapse Inspires Kid's Book

Hi all. It's me, Michelle Paul, your host of the Portland Patch newsletter — back in your inbox with everything you need to know about what's happening in the community.

But first, your local weather:

• Thursday: Rain and drizzle; cooler. High: 48 Low: 37.
• Friday: Chilly with periods of rain. High: 47 Low: 34.

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Here are the top three stories today in Portland:

1. On Wednesday, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) issued Oregon's first psilocybin license to Tori Armbrust, the owner of Portland-based and woman-owned Satori Farms PDX LLC. OHA's Oregon Psilocybin Services Section Manager Angie Allbee said of the milestone, "We congratulate Tori Armbrust of Satori Farms PDX LLC for being issued the first psilocybin license in Oregon’s history and for representing women leading the way for the emerging psilocybin ecosystem." Armbrust was issued a manufacturer license, one of the four license types that the OHA has available to issue with the others being for service centers, laboratories, and facilitators. (KGW.com)
2. Portland-based children's media company A Kids Co. was one of many startups affected by the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapse on Friday, Mar. 10. As a result of the bank collapse, the company was unable to access its finances, and the ordeal inspired the founder, Jelani Memory, to produce a book teaching children about banking. "A Kids Book About Banking" was released in e-book form on Tuesday. (Oregon Business)
3. The only two Walmart locations in Portland are closing this Friday, Mar. 24, and emails between a Walmart official and a city official show that Walmart did not let city officials know about the closures until hours before the news was made public. A public records request uncovered emails exchanged between Walmart's Oregon government affairs official and Portland's director of economic development in the weeks and days leading up to the announcement. (Willamette Week)

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Today and tomorrow in Portland:

Thursday, March 23

• College Night At NAYA College & Career Center Or Online (3:30 PM)
• The Bridgetown Sextet At The Mississippi Pizza Pub & Atlantis Lounge (7:30 PM)

Friday, March 24

• Bubbles + Books Weekly Story Time With Literacy Lady PDX At REC Room In Hammer + Jacks (10:30 AM)
• Tech Help Drop-In At Kenton Library (12:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• If you're on the hunt for a new place to call home, here's something to help. Check out this roundup of recently-listed properties in and around the Portland area, including a three-bedroom, three-bathroom house in the Lake Oswego area for $1.2 million. (Portland Patch)
• The Portland Farmers Market is looking for volunteers, and a great way to learn more about volunteering is with the market's upcoming Info Session & Mixer on Thursday, Mar. 30 at 6 p.m. at the market's North Portland office in the Lefbank Building. (Portland Farmers Market via Facebook)
• The 2023 Oregon Professional Educator Fair is coming up at the Oregon Convention Center on Tuesday, Apr. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Portland Public Schools representatives will be there to talk with interested candidates! (Portland Public Schools via Facebook)

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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll catch up with you soon with a new update!

— Michelle Paul

About me: Michelle Paul is a Utah-based writer and photographer with a professional background in content management and registered nursing. When not working on projects ranging from photo editing to copywriting, they enjoy traveling, video games, and expanding their skills.