September 4, 2026 - Portland News

The Hollywood Insider Who Spent Fifteen Years on Film & Television Production Finally Wrote the YA Music Industry Novel That Only She Could Write

Portland News Staff on September 4, 2026

By: EM Crocker

There is a specific quality of authenticity that separates fiction written by someone who has been inside the world they are describing from fiction that has been researched from the outside, and it announces itself on nearly every page of Rising Star. Michele Kwasniewski spent more than fifteen years in film and television production, working as a set assistant on films like Independence Day, Face/Off, Primal Fear, and Evita and as a production coordinator/manager on television shows including Big Brother, before she sat down to write the story of fifteen-year-old Dani Truehart’s entry into the Hollywood music scene. That background is not incidental to the novel’s quality. It is the source of everything that makes it feel genuinely real rather than approximately accurate, and the difference between those two things is the difference between a book you read and a book you believe.

Dani Truehart has spent most of her childhood training for a pop star career that her mother wants considerably more urgently than Dani herself has ever been allowed to examine. When she accepts her voice and dance coach Martin’s offer to become her guardian, an escape from her overbearing and materialistic mother as much as a professional arrangement, she is thrust into a world that is simultaneously everything she has been working toward and considerably more complicated than any amount of preparation could have fully described. The producer Redman who offers her a contract after her first audition is amazed by her talent and somewhat dubious in ways that Dani is only beginning to learn to read. The relationship with her boyfriend Sean is threatened by the demands of a career that leaves less and less room for the ordinary textures of a fifteen-year-old’s life. And underneath all of it, the question that Kwasniewski is too honest a novelist to answer quickly: is this career actually Dani’s, or has she been shaped toward it so thoroughly by other people’s desires that she cannot yet tell the difference?

What Kwasniewski does with that premise is considerably more nuanced than the setup might initially suggest. She is genuinely interested in the interior experience of a young girl navigating the gap between the ambition she has been trained to have and the self she is still in the process of discovering, and she renders that gap with a specificity and a compassion that reflects both her own industry experience and a genuine understanding of adolescence. Dani’s self-critical thoughts after her performances, her doubts about Martin’s sincerity, her complicated relationship with a father who does not stand up to her mother, her fear that the career she has always wanted will cost her the boyfriend she has chosen for herself rather than had chosen for her, all of these are handled with the kind of careful attention that turns a coming of age story into something that actually matters to the reader long after the plot details have faded.

The music industry details feel lived-in rather than borrowed, which is exactly what you would expect from someone who has spent fifteen years watching how entertainment actually operates from the inside. The highs and lows Kwasniewski describes, the joyous performances alongside the dubious arrangements and the power imbalances and the casual cruelties of an industry organized around exploitable talent, are the highs and lows that people who have been there recognize immediately. That recognition is one of the book’s most valuable gifts to its young adult audience, many of whom are navigating their own versions of the pressure to perform for someone else’s vision of their future.

The supporting cast is built with genuine care and specificity. Dani’s friends and sister give her a world that existed before the career arrived and that the career is steadily working to replace. Her father is a quietly painful presence, the adult who could intervene and does not. Martin and Redman are rendered with the moral complexity of real industry figures rather than the convenience of fictional archetypes. And Sean, the boyfriend, is given enough interiority and enough genuine connection with Dani to make the threat to their relationship feel like a real loss rather than a narrative convenience.

If you have ever felt the pull of a dream that was partly yours and partly someone else’s and wanted a story that understands exactly what that feels like from the inside, Rising Star by Michele Kwasniewski is the book that gets it right. Grab your copy on Amazon today and meet Dani Truehart, one of the most authentic young protagonists in recent YA fiction.

Portland Opens Rose Quarter Talks With Albina Vision Trust

Portland News Staff 2 on September 4, 2026

Portland City Council unanimously authorized negotiations with Albina Vision Trust over city-owned land around the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Sept. 3. The vote could shape future Rose Quarter redevelopment while tying the process to Lower Albina restoration. Here is what the resolution does, what remains undecided, and what comes next.

Key Takeaways

Portland City Council adopted the resolution 12-0 on Sept. 3, 2026, directing the city administrator to negotiate with Albina Vision Trust.
Portland owns 10 parcels around the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum, including properties with redevelopment potential.
The resolution does not approve construction, transfer property, or commit public funding to a redevelopment project.
Albina Vision Trust is advancing a broader 94-acre redevelopment vision for historic Lower Albina.
Any binding development agreements must return to City Council, with the negotiation process limited to no more than 12 months after it begins.

Portland has opened a new phase in planning for city-owned land surrounding two of the Rose Quarter’s largest public venues.

On Sept. 3, the Portland City Council voted 12-0 to direct the city administrator to negotiate with Albina Vision Trust for the opportunity to serve as a development partner for properties adjacent to the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The decision gives the nonprofit a formal role in discussions but stops well short of approving a redevelopment project.

The vote brings Albina Vision Trust’s Lower Albina redevelopment strategy closer to the Rose Quarter while city officials separately negotiate the future of the Moda Center.

Winta Yohannes, executive director of Albina Vision Trust, framed the decision in terms of moving beyond symbolic commitments.

“We either talk about equity endlessly with no action, or are asked to rebrand crumbs as fortunes. We can reject both.”

Yohannes made the remarks ahead of the council vote, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Portland’s Vote Opens Negotiations, Not Construction

The Sept. 3 resolution establishes a negotiating process rather than a final development agreement.

The city administrator is directed to negotiate with Albina Vision Trust over its potential role as Portland’s development partner for city-owned properties adjacent to the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The resolution also establishes criteria the city should consider when evaluating a partner.

Those criteria include experience in real estate financing and development, the ability to attract significant philanthropic or private investment, and a record of advancing the public interest and Portland’s adopted objectives for the area.

The negotiations are also expected to address how a partnership would be structured, which properties could be involved, the value of development rights, redevelopment timelines, potential public financial support, and the responsibilities of the city and development partner.

Importantly, the resolution does not appropriate public money or authorize construction. Portland officials said any questions involving land value, development rights, outside investment and potential public funding must be worked through before binding agreements are finalized.

Ten City Parcels Frame the Rose Quarter Opportunity

Portland owns 10 parcels in the Rose Quarter around the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The city’s resolution says a number of those properties have redevelopment potential.

The land sits in one of Portland’s most visible redevelopment areas, where sports and entertainment venues operate alongside transportation infrastructure and several long-term planning initiatives.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that properties under consideration include sites currently occupied by two parking garages. Albina Vision Trust is expected to develop a proposal outlining how the land could be used.

That makes the current process different from redevelopment of vacant land. Existing parking and event-related uses will need to be considered alongside potential new development and the operational needs of the Rose Quarter.

The talks also arrive as other redevelopment projects across Portland continue through planning, infrastructure and financing stages. Lower Albina is one of several large districts where Portland is attempting to coordinate public infrastructure with longer-term residential and commercial development.

Parking Garages Put Existing Uses in Focus

The inclusion of parking properties means any future plan would have to address how redevelopment interacts with the Rose Quarter’s existing event functions.

The resolution specifically instructs the city to consider compatibility with the operation of the event campus when evaluating development proposals. It also calls for a site-by-site property strategy rather than assuming every parcel will follow the same development path.

No decision has been made to demolish the garages, replace them or convert the sites to another use.

For now, the council action establishes the process through which those possibilities can be evaluated.

Albina Vision Trust Brings a 94-Acre Lower Albina Plan

Albina Vision Trust was created in 2017 to advance a community-led redevelopment vision for Lower Albina, an area deeply affected by urban renewal and major infrastructure projects during the 20th century.

The City of Portland has acknowledged that Interstate 5 construction and decades of urban renewal displaced thousands of Black Portlanders, as well as Black-owned homes and businesses, from Lower Albina.

Albina Vision Trust’s broader redevelopment area covers about 94 acres in Portland’s central city. Its plans combine housing, commercial activity, public spaces, cultural uses and connections to the Willamette River.

The organization has already moved beyond planning on some nearby projects.

Albina One, its first housing development in the district, opened in 2025 with 94 affordable units. Albina Vision Trust has also pursued redevelopment of the 10.5-acre Portland Public Schools headquarters site as part of its broader Lower Albina strategy.

The City Council formally accepted Albina Vision Trust’s Community Investment Plan in July 2024 as a guiding framework connected to Lower Albina planning. The current Rose Quarter negotiations build on that earlier relationship while creating a separate process for city-owned land near the arenas.

Rose Quarter Development Aligns With the Moda Center Timeline

The Albina Vision Trust negotiations do not constitute approval of the Moda Center lease or renovation package, but the two processes are not proceeding in isolation.

Portland’s resolution specifically connects the timing of potential development agreements with negotiations over a new long-term Moda Center lease. The city anticipates finalizing that lease by Dec. 31, 2026, according to the resolution.

Portland City Council previously approved a term sheet supporting up to $120 million in city funding toward the proposed Moda Center renovation plan. That agreement established a framework for further negotiations involving renovations, the Trail Blazers’ long-term tenancy and financial terms.

The city-owned parcels, however, remain a distinct development issue.

Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney said the city should consider both the arena and surrounding properties as it weighs the future of the district. Portland officials have described redevelopment around the Rose Quarter as an opportunity to connect investment in the arena area with the wider Lower Albina strategy.

That coordination represents an important clarification to the current process. Decisions about the land do not automatically determine the future of the Moda Center, but Portland intends to consider the two tracks on a concurrent timeline.

The Next Decisions Return to City Council

The Sept. 3 vote gives city officials authority to negotiate, but it does not guarantee that Albina Vision Trust will receive development rights or that any particular project will proceed.

The resolution requires binding agreements to return to Portland City Council for consideration. It also limits the negotiating period to no more than 12 months from the start of negotiations.

That process is expected to determine the value and disposition of individual properties, the structure of a potential partnership, development milestones and whether public financial support would be necessary.

The city will also have to determine how proposed development can coexist with the Rose Quarter’s event operations and align with other Lower Albina initiatives, including transportation improvements and the Reconnecting Albina Planning Project.

For Albina Vision Trust, the council vote provides an opportunity to extend its Lower Albina work onto additional city-controlled land. For Portland, the next stage is less about approving a predetermined project and more about deciding what development rights, partnership terms and public obligations would be acceptable.

The outcome of those negotiations will determine whether Albina Vision Trust ultimately takes on a formal development role in the Rose Quarter.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Portland City Council approve?

Portland City Council approved a resolution on Sept. 3 directing the city administrator to negotiate with Albina Vision Trust over a potential development partnership involving city-owned Rose Quarter properties. The resolution was adopted by a 12-0 vote and does not approve a final construction project.

How many Rose Quarter properties does Portland own?

The city owns 10 parcels around the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum, according to the adopted resolution. The document says a number of those parcels have redevelopment potential, while reporting on the proposal identifies two parking garages among the properties involved.

What is Albina Vision Trust planning for Lower Albina?

Albina Vision Trust is advancing a roughly 94-acre redevelopment vision that includes housing, commercial and cultural activity, public spaces and stronger connections to surrounding neighborhoods and the Willamette River. Its work is intended to restore development to an area where Black residents and businesses were displaced through earlier urban renewal and infrastructure projects.

Did the council approve redevelopment of the parking garages?

No. The resolution authorizes negotiations and does not establish that the parking garages will be demolished, replaced or redeveloped. Any binding agreement involving the properties must return to City Council.

Are the Rose Quarter land talks part of the Moda Center deal?

They are separate city actions, but Portland intends to coordinate their timelines. The Albina Vision Trust resolution calls for binding development agreements to return to council on a concurrent timeline with the city’s negotiations over a new long-term Moda Center lease.

The Missing Move-Up Buyer: Why Beaverton Families Are Staying Put

Portland News Staff on September 4, 2026

By KeyCrew Media

The disappearance of move-up buyers from Beaverton’s suburban market is not a temporary dip. According to Carey Hughes, Principal Broker at Carey Hughes Homes, it reflects a structural distortion created by pandemic-era lending that pulled future demand forward, and the market is still working through the consequences.

The Engine That Drove Suburban Real Estate Has Gone Quiet

Hughes describes move-up buyers as the traditional engine of suburban real estate cycles in markets like Beaverton. Young families upgrading from starter homes, households combining after marriage, parents needing more space. These transactions created consistent turnover and kept inventory moving. That segment, Hughes says, has largely vanished.

The cause is not primarily about current home prices or buyer sentiment. Between 2020 and 2022, historically low interest rates pulled an unusually large number of buyers into the market at once. Many purchased homes larger than their immediate needs required, anticipating the space demands of pandemic-era life. Others took advantage of rates that made homeownership financially accessible in ways it had not been before.

“During the pandemic, when interest rates were unnaturally low, there were huge numbers of families and people buying a home,” Hughes says. “We almost borrowed from the future at that point.”

Rate Lock Is Holding a Generation of Sellers in Place

Homeowners who purchased or refinanced at rates between 2.5% and 3.5% face a stark financial disincentive to sell. Moving up means either surrendering that rate entirely or carrying two mortgages simultaneously, the original at a low rate and a new one approaching 7%.

“They are locked and really married to that rate,” Hughes says. “And that’s keeping them in their home.”

Even buyers who entered the market for the first time during the pandemic and might otherwise be ready to move up are affected. The financial logic of trading a 3% mortgage for a 7% mortgage on a more expensive property is difficult to justify without a compelling life circumstance driving the decision.

Hughes says there has to be a significant need-based reason- divorce, job transfer, a growing family- for someone to give up their current rate or keep their home as an investment property and buy at today’s rates. The result is a small and shrinking pool of move-up transactions concentrated among households facing changes that cannot be deferred.

What the Frozen Move-Up Segment Means for Active Buyers

In a healthy suburban market, move-up transactions create a cascade: a family buying a larger home vacates a mid-tier property, which becomes available to a first-time buyer, who in turn frees up a rental unit. When that cascade stalls, inventory at every level tightens in ways not fully captured by aggregate supply figures.

Hughes describes the current inventory picture in Beaverton as balanced rather than scarce, but argues it reflects necessity-driven listings rather than the full range of properties that would normally cycle through the market. The homes available tend to come from sellers who have a genuine need to move, not the broader population of potential sellers choosing to stay put.

For buyers who are active, this creates a paradox. There is more to choose from than there was two years ago, and negotiating conditions have improved Buyers can secure closing cost credits, negotiate price reductions, and take time to make decisions without feeling rushed. But the underlying supply is thinner than headline numbers suggest, because the rate-locked cohort represents shadow inventory unlikely to come to market until the rate differential narrows significantly.

“Buyers have choices for the first time in a long time,” Hughes says. “They have a little time to make a good decision. They don’t have to feel rushed.”

Using Equity Without Surrendering the Rate

For rate-locked homeowners who do want to move, Hughes focuses on strategies that avoid forcing a binary choice between keeping the low rate and accessing built-up equity.

One option she discusses: using a home equity line of credit against the existing property to fund a down payment on a new home, then converting the original property to a rental. “You can use the original home to help you buy the new home,” Hughes says. “If you keep that original home, you can put a renter in it. Since rents are still really strong in this area, that would hopefully be able to make your mortgage payment and a line of credit payment and have your asset continue to grow.”

Hughes acknowledges this approach requires sufficient income to qualify for a second mortgage while carrying the first, which limits its applicability. But for households with the financial profile to execute it, she argues the long-term outcome, building equity on two properties simultaneously, outperforms waiting for rates to fall.

Hughes says the current window matters because price appreciation is not aggressively happening. Once interest rates adjust downward, she identifies the six to six-and-a-quarter percent range as the threshold where buyers return in volume, prices will start climbing again. Buyers who act now capture stable prices and negotiating leverage that will disappear when the broader market reactivates.

Carey Hughes Homes is a top-rated Oregon real estate team serving Beaverton, Portland, and surrounding communities. Named a RealTrends Verified Top 10 Small Team in Oregon, the team is known for trusted expertise, honest data-driven guidance, elevated strategic marketing, personalized service, and genuine care throughout every step of the real estate process.