This morning, we looked back at the stories that made it big. Before we turn the page to 2014, let’s look at four stories that can fall through the cracks at the end of a day, but are too big to ignore at the end of a year.
Like building a better city, making a good news website these days is a lesson in the fact that it’s the quality of the traffic, not just the quantity, that matters.
A few years ago, the news stories that drew a lot of readers were the ones people wanted to read. Now, things have changed: the biggest stories are the ones people want other people to read. Sometimes that’s because they’re funny, sometimes because they’re shocking and sometimes because they’re awesome.
As we look back on this year, we’ll let you add the categories yourself. (Click on the headline or photo for the original stories.)
Year: 2014
Brand: Specialized
Model: Crux Sport E5 Disc
Color:gray
Size:54cm
Serial:WSBC601017296I
Photo: http://brimages.bikeboardmedia.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Specialized-Bikes-2014-GPL-33.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97210
Stolen:2013-12-30
Stolen From: Wallace Park
Neighborhood: NW PDX
Owner: Craigan Usher
OwnerEmail: usherct@hotmail.com
Reward: $20
Description: Relatively new Specialized cyclocross bike with hydraulic disc brakes (which, incidentally, have been recalled by SRAM).
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 13-108-523
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Brand: Spot Brand
Model: Singlespeed mountain bike
Color:Black
Stolen in Porltnad, OR 97210
Stolen:2013-12-31
Stolen From: Wallace Park
Neighborhood: Northwest PDX
Owner: Craigan Usher
OwnerEmail: usherct(AT)Hotmail.com
Reward: $20
Description: Black 26″ Spot Brand singlespeed frame with following set-up: red anodized Race Face cranks w/ Salsa 34t chainring, red Chris King headset, Rock Shox SID Race fork.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 13-108-523
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike
What’s the latest on the Sellwood Gap? What are the rules for using a pedestrian signal as your ticket to cross the street on the other? And how do you make a tallbike in Grand Theft Auto?
Jonathan, Lily and I sat down this month for a new holiday-season tradition at BikePortland: answering as many listener questions as we possibly could — all of them somehow related to the year that was — in 25 minutes.
We had a blast, and we think you’ll enjoy it, too.
Year: 198?
Brand: Cannondale
Model: SR
Color:Yellow
Size:49cm
Photo: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3869206/all.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97202
Stolen:2013-12-29
Stolen From: Outside Dante’s, W Burnside and 3rd.
Owner: Spencer Williams
OwnerEmail: s@spencerenglish.com
Reward: $150
Description: Suntour components. 12-speed. Black bar tape. Black saddle with a slot down the middle. Paint was a little scratched. Aluminum frame and rims. Rear fork drilled for rack and fender. Down-tube shifters. White zip-ties hold the brake housing on the top tube.
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Year: 2007
Brand: Raleigh
Model: One-Way
Color:Black
Size:54cm?
Stolen in Portland, OR 98709
Stolen:2013-12-27
Stolen From: Near NW 19th & Glisan
Neighborhood: NW
Owner: Geoff Rogers
OwnerEmail: geoff.rogers(A T)comcast.net
Description: FOUND BIKE — Looks like someone stole this and then stashed it in the bushes of our house in NW Portland.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike
Welcome to the second installment of a three-part series on bicycling and transportation culture in New Orleans by former Portlander and BikePortland contributor Erin Greeson. Erin currently lives in New Orleans. Read her introduction to this series here.
Part II: Infrastructure and Improvements
Bike lanes are appearing in other neighborhoods as post-Katrina improvements advance.
Comparing biking in Portland to biking in New Orleans is like comparing the mellow apple cider of the Northwest to the bite of the Crescent City’s signature orange-garnished Sazerac. As diverse as respective bike infrastructure, transit adoptions and cultural acceptance of bikes on the road may be, one thing is certain: New Orleans’ bike community is strong and serious. The options are different, but abundant. And they are growing.
Year: 2012
Brand: shimano
Color:silver
Size:mens
Stolen in Portland, OR
Stolen:2013-12-26
Stolen From: Green apartments on N Cecelia street. Apt # 5757.
Neighborhood: St. Johns
Owner: Jesse Evans
OwnerEmail: je.momentum(AT)gmail.com
Reward: $50
Description: There is a tire pump attached to the rear bar by the tire (Bell brand) and two disc golf stickers on each side. The stickers are black and yellow and reads “KEEN”. All factory-original stickers are removed.
Police record with: none yet
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Here are the bike-related links from around the world that caught our eyes this week:
Bike skyways: A British starchitect wants to build a 135-mile network of elevated bikeways above London’s commuter rail lines. (It’s an oddly familiar concept…)
Pollution exertion: “Cycling in cities could do more damage than good to a rider’s heart thanks to dangerous pollutants in the air, a new study has found.”
Year: 2002
Brand: Gary Fisher
Model: Marlin
Color:Yellow
Size:Large
Serial: ww0143473
Photo: http://mtb-gf.c.blog.so-net.ne.jp/_images/blog/_63a/mtb-gf/2002_marlin_yellow-4cc23.jpg?c=a0
Stolen in Portland, OR 97202
Stolen:2013-12-29
Stolen From: Garden Park Apartments
Neighborhood: Reed
Owner: Kyle Linneman
OwnerEmail: clodewerks(A T)gmail.com
Reward: 50
Description: BLack yellow and red, two water bottle racks, back rack,front and back light mounts. hybrid tires
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 13108261
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Year: 2010
Brand: Dawes
Model: Sheila
Color:pink
Size:44 cm
Photo: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/images/sheila_2100.jpg
Stolen in Portland, OR 97202
Stolen:2013-12-28
Stolen From: Apex bar, 1216 SE Division
Neighborhood: southeast
OwnerEmail: jdsasseen( atsign )gmail.com
Description: green bar tape, green brake lines, stickers that say “betty rocker” and “judah world champ” on top of frame. bike planet fenders and rear rack
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike