Ambulance Services Strained + NE Gunfire + NASA Comes To Oregon

Hey, my friends, and welcome to another fine day in the City of Roses. We're midway through the week, but we're gonna start the party early, 'cause that's how we roll in P-town. Here's what's going on.

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First, today's weather:

Kind of cloudy today, but the sun will peak out from time to time and give us a high temp of 71. Delightful!

Here are the top stories in Portland today:

1. The city of Portland and Multnomah County had announced earlier this year that they were going to build six new outdoor structures for homeless individuals by the end of the year. Now, with the clock ticking, they are still struggling to relocate existing villages. The relocation of two of the three villages — collectively dubbed Creating Conscious Communities with People Outside, or C3PO — comes as Portland's development commission preps the three-block parcel for an industrial office builder. Officials say the expiration date set by the commission, now called Prosper Portland , is flexible. (Newsbreak)
2. Portland-area ambulance services have been stretched thin by increased demands. Since the starts of this year, calls for these services have increased by 20%. They've increased staff, but that hasn't been enough. Their new tactic? Surge planning that allows them to continue to serve the community even if all their ambulances are at calls. They have non-emergency rigs they can call in at a moment’s notice and their entire leadership team is on call, ready to jump in a rig. (KATU)
3. Over the weekend, gunfire erupted around 4:20 a.m. near NE 95th and Prescott. When police arrived, the shooters had already left the area. Investigators later found more than a 100 bullet casings, from multiple calibers. 4 apartments and 5 cars were struck, but, luckily, no one was injured. (KOIN)
4. According to NASA, Oregon is moon country! In preparation for the Apollo moon mission nearly 60 years ago, the agency brought astronauts to volcanic formations in Oregon to walk around in spacesuits to simulate conditions on the moon. Now that they are planning their Artemis mission, to land a woman and person of color on the moon by the end of the decade, they plan on returning to places like Hole in the Ground and the lava flow at the top of McKenzie Pass. (OPB)
5. While the efforts to recall Mayor Ted Wheeler are going slow, some Portland art venues are weighing in. Both Lani Jo Leigh, owner of the Clinton Street Theater, and Eric Isaacson, owner of Mississippi Records, are speaking out and hoping to boost the recall campaign. (Portland Mercury)

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Today in Portland:

• Shelasawu Crier and Dr. Nicholas Grier will be at Third Eye Books in SE Portland, discussing their new book, Care for the Mental and Spiritual Health of Black Men. As mental health is a critical but often neglected issue, especially among Black men, Care for the Mental and Spiritual Health of Black Men examines that sensitive topic in conjunction with reflections on race, gender, sexuality, and class to offer a hopeful and constructive framework for care and counseling, particularly for Black men. 6:30 - 7:30 PM.
• This Might Get Weird will be happening at the Alberta Rose Theater in NE Portland. Grace, an introvert from Jersey, and Mamrie, a firecracker from North Carolina are best friends sharing stories of their personal shenanigans, venting about pop culture nonsense and talking through new, dumb things that caught their attention. Proof of vaccination and masks are both required. Get your tickets online. Doors open at 6:30 PM.
• Queer artist, Mariah Counts is bringing her Lost in the Sauce tour to Portland this evening. She'll be taking us through her music with an acoustic story telling performance at Crush Bar in SE Portland. Tickets available online. Show time is 7:00 PM.
• Are you a woman? Do you like pinball? Then the Goodfoot in SE Portland is the place for you tonight as Women's Wednesdays Pinball PDX takes over. They'll be competing in a head to head, 3-strike knockout pinball tournament for women! Proof of vaccination is required at registration. 7:00 PM.
• Indie rock band Prism Bitch will be at the Fixin' To in North Portland. They'll be joined by Itchy Kitty and Never Better. Tickets available online. Show is at 8:00 PM.

Portland Patch Notebook

• Portland Trail Blazers: "the Snell of fresh content" (Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "Thank you to all the participants, catio hosts, and volunteers who helped make the 9th annual Catio Tour a success! These gracious catio owners showed us creative outdoor enclosures that provide their cats with fresh air and enrichme..." (Instagram)
• Once again, Oregon beer is making the news. Von Ebert Brewing's Volatile Substance IPA was named the top American IPA at the Great American Beer Festival, one of seven gold medals claimed by Oregon breweries at the 2021 awards ceremony. Created by head brewer Sam Pecoraro in the early days of Von Ebert -- the brewery that rose from the ashes of the Pearl District’s former Fatheads franchise -- Volatile Substance has become a favorite of bartenders, brewers and beer fans throughout Portland. Cheers! (Oregonian)
• Have you ever wanted to learn how to make your own sushi? OpenHaus coworking in NE Portland will be hosting an in-person hand-rolled sushi class tonight. You’ll learn to make three distinct sushi rolls, chosen by their expert chef instructor: Smoked Salmon with veggies and cream cheese, Fresh Tuna nigiri with fresh wasabi, and a Vegan Veggie roll with ginger. Can't make it tonight? That's okay, because they're having another class on October 21st. Get your tickets online.6:30 - 8:30 PM.
• Here's more photos from this year's Rose City Comic Con with more cosplay than you can shake a boom stick at. (Imgur)
• It's funny how one can live in a place for years and still miss some of its most interesting locales. I just found out about the Croft Farm on Sauvie Island. It is committed to harvesting organically-minded vegetables, blueberries, sheep and alpaca fiber, honey, and crisp cider apples. Alpacas! Squee! (The Croft Farm)

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That's more fun and festivity than a body knows what to do with, but it's just another Wednesday here in Portland. And if that's not enough for you, I've got a whole other day to tell you about tomorrow. So meet me back here and we'll chat. If you're enjoying these newsletters, consider bringing some more friends and neighbors into the fold. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Dominic Anaya

About me: Doctor, educator and now a writer/artist, I'm just chillin' in Portland, OR with my wife, our ferrets, our chickens and our goats.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Portland Daily? I'm all ears. You can reach me at portland@patch.com.