Jonathan Michael Bach

Jonathan Michael Bach

Jonathan Bach is a real estate reporter with the Portland Business Journal. His work has been featured on the front pages of The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Bach has reported on U.S. and foreign auto makers, sharing-economy companies such as Airbnb, the business of marijuana and more.


The Wall Street Journal •

That Vibrating ‘Wub Wub Wub’ That Comes From Cracking One Car Window? It’s Not Just You!

Charles Brownstein ’s annoyance with the “throbbing noise” that invades the cockpit of his Porsche 911 at high speeds became so intense that he turned to an orange juice bottle for relief. Like millions of car drivers, including those with humbler vehicles, Mr. Brownstein couldn’t handle the oppressive “wub wub wub” head-exploding sensation when certain windows are rolled down. He fixed a makeshift deflector—made of sturdy plastic cut from the side of a Tropicana juice container—to the sports c
(Salem, Ore.) Statesman Journal •

44 children left in harm's way: Oregon's child welfare agency struggled to fix problems

(By Jonathan Bach and Whitney Woodworth) Barely three days after 12-year-old Caden Berry of Keizer died, the head of Oregon's child welfare agency ordered a full review of the agency's interactions with his family. Caden's mother, Amy Marie Robertson, has been charged with murdering her son. Clyde Saiki, director of the state Department of Human Services, wanted to know if "system issues" may have prevented the state from saving the boy's life.
(Salem, Ore.) Statesman Journal •

Salem water crisis: City spending $75M to defend against toxic algae

Salem officials are planning to spend more than $75 million on construction to beef up defenses against toxic algae as they attempt to avoid a rerun of last year's drinking water crisis. Salem's water, pulled from the North Santiam River, became so contaminated by algae blooms upriver in Detroit Lake last May that city officials were forced to warn parents of young children and medically vulnerable adults not to drink from the tap.
The Wall Street Journal •

VW’s Dealers Fume While Waiting for Diesel-Car Fix

Volkswagen AG's effort to reverse its U.S. sales slump will get a jump start with the launch of two new vehicles in hot-selling categories. It is bringing out a small wagon in the next several months and a family-size sport-utility vehicle in early 2017. Their advent follows last month’s court-approved agreement for Volkswagen to pay up to $14.7 billion to settle emissions-cheating claims by U.S. customers and regulators. The moves aim to resolve the lingering scandal and reverse
(Salem, Ore.) Statesman Journal •

Snap a selfie with a 24-foot bong! Entrepreneurs dream up pot-tourism destinations

For a birthday bash last summer, a group of friends in Oregon rented a bus that wheeled them around Portland while they smoked weed, drank Pabst Blue Ribbon and cranked the Snoop Dogg. They hit a few bars that night, but the vibe on the "Potlandia Experience" bus was way better than anything outside. "It turned into a mobile dance party," said Sweet Summers, who was celebrating her 36th birthday.
The Daily Beast •

Aspiring Nurse Encounters First Gunshots at Oregon College

ROSEBURG, Oregon — Hannah Miles went to Umpqua Community College to study nursing, hoping to one day work in an emergency room. On Thursday, her classroom became an emergency room when 26-year-old Chris Harper-Mercer killed 10 people and injured eight. At about 10:30 a.m., Miles said she heard “a yardstick or ruler smacking against a chalkboard.” A fellow student joked that it sounded like a shotgun,
The Wall Street Journal •

Tech Companies Still Trusted More on Autonomous-Car Development

A fatality linked to Tesla Motor Inc.’s Autopilot system has done little to dent confidence in Silicon Valley’s ability to do a better job than traditional auto makers when it comes to development of software for autonomous cars, according to a new AlixPartners LLP survey. The consulting firm surveyed slightly more than 1,500 respondents shortly before the late-June disclosure of the Tesla fatality and then followed up with a revised study after the incident attracted significant attention. In
(Salem, Ore.) Statesman Journal •

Emails: OHA advised delay of Salem toxic drinking water alert

An Oregon Health Authority drinking water expert recommended against city of Salem staff immediately issuing a do-not-drink notice after toxins were discovered in the water, emails between city and state officials show. The emails contradict statements by the manager of OHA's drinking water program insisting the agency never made such a recommendation. The Statesman Journal obtained the correspondences after filing public records requests with the city of Salem and OHA.
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