🌱 Arsonist In Mt. Tabor Area + Toxic Algae In Willamette

Hey, Portland, welcome to the weekend! And a three-day Labor Day weekend at that. There's poisonous algae in the Willamette River, tons of great food being made and more festivals than you can shake a stick at. Let's get started.

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First, today's weather:

It's going to be cloudy today! We'll have some protection from the merciless sun and a high temp of 79.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. On its Facebook page, the Portland Freedom Fund has posted photos of cash, checks and receipts used to bail inmates out of jail — with the promise they’ll return to court. A KGW investigation found that this often doesn’t happen and, in some cases, defendants charged with serious offenses commit new crimes after being released. The most vivid example involved Mohamed Osman Adan. The Portland man is accused of killing Rachael Abraham roughly one week after the Portland Freedom Fund bailed Adan out of jail. (KGW.com)
2. If you live in the Mt. Tabor area, be on the look out for fires. A string of fires in a popular Portland park has neighbors and visitors on edge as investigators look to find those responsible. Two main parts of Mt. Tabor Park have been hit by suspected arsonists in the last few weeks, with many fires set just feet away from trails. Luckily, most have been stopped before getting too large, but homeowners and firefighters, alike, worry about what can happen if they continue. (KOIN)
3. Many people will hit the road Friday for one last road trip for the Labor Day weekend, and AAA says 22% more Oregonians will travel this year than last year. AAA says the west part of the country continues to pay the most for gas. As of Friday morning, the average for a gallon of regular gas in Oregon is $4.74. In Washington, it’s a bit cheaper at $4.70. California and Nevada are higher. In the top 10 for Labor Day destinations, the Pacific Northwest has four of them with Seattle, Central Oregon, the Oregon Coast, and Vancouver British Columbia making the list. (KPTV)
4. Ah, the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) — the passive income dream for many Portlanders. Now, many companies want to help you cash in on that dream. Factory-made compact dwellings, complete with windows and paint, are being delivered to driveways, then hoisted or rolled onto a new foundation. Pre-made covered porches and decks are then attached to the structure like Lego pieces. Prefabricated homes manufactured in a factory and hauled in a flatbed trailer to the prepared site are not as common as traditional design-build ADU projects, said Portland small house advocate Kol Peterson, who founded the consulting firm Accessory Dwelling Strategies. (OregonLive)
5. If you're thinking of playing in the water over the Labor Day weekend, you might want to avoid the Willamette. Toxic algae blooms prompted the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to extend its health advisory initially issued on Aug. 17 for the Willamette River near Cathedral Park. The advisory now includes an area upstream to Willamette Cove near the SP&S Railroad Bridge. People should avoid swimming and other recreational activities — including water skiing, boating and fishing — and keep pets away from areas where the cyanobacteria blooms and cyanotoxins are present. (KGW.com)

Today in Portland:

• It's the Ukrainian Day PDX Festival at Westmoreland Park! Live music, dancing, traditional Ukrainian food, arts and crafts, fun activities for children and adults, raffles, prizes and much much more will sure make you happy at the end of the day. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• There is an Erica's Soul Food Pop-Up happening at Hemp Bar in SE Portland. If you've missed the beloved Southern cart Erica's Soul Food, which is currently on hiatus as it searches for a new location, here's a chance to catch some of its comforting fare. Erica herself will sling a menu of entirely never-before-seen dishes, while the plant-based pastry pop-up Emma & Lottie’s will serve up treats. 4 - 7 p.m.
• Are you in the mood for a free music festival? Then head to Tom McCall Waterfront Park for Oregon Symphony’s Waterfront Concert and Festival! There will be performances from local artists and community partners such as Portland Taiko, MYSfits, vocalist Alonzo Chadwick and Zoulful, blues and gospel vocalist LaRhonda Steele, Jan Michael Looking Wolf with Indigenous flutists and Orquestra Pacifico Tropical, who will perform the music of Central and South America. The music starts at 1 p.m.
• Hey, are you hungry? Then come to the Cully Central Street Food Festival! This will be a day full of popular Asian street foods, live music and fun activities! Aside from street food, there will also be a variety of local beers on tap, and specialty cocktails. The yum starts at 11:30 a.m.
• If you're a fan of the Grateful Dead, head on over to the White Eagle in North Portland to see Dead Sometimes. Keeping the timeless sound of the Grateful Dead alive for the next generation, Dead Sometimes brings together the songs you love to sing with the jams that make you dance. Showtime is 8 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Travel Portland: "We can all thank 9.5 year old Ava for Portland's @tinycreatureswap! It's absolutely adorable and well loved by the community. You can find the swap just north of Knott along NE 21st. Thank you so much to @pdxdinorama for sharing Ava'a st..." (Travel Portland via Instagram)
• Hey, fellow fan boys, get into your cosplay, because next weekend is Rose City Comic Com! Now in its 10th year, it's become Portland’s premier pop culture convention event. Charisma Carpenter is going to be there. Elijah Wood is going to be there. Bill Dee Freakin' Williams is going to be there. Calling all PDX geeks, it's Comic Con! (Rose City Comic Con)
• Speaking of fan boys, I'm a huge fan of Portland-based writer Brian Michaels Bendis. Yeah, he'll be at Rose City Comic Con, but if you want to see him without the expense and crowds of Comic Con, he'll also be doing a book signing at Powell's City of Books on Sept. 13th. Bendis will be joined in conversation by David F. Walker, comic book writer, filmmaker, journalist, and educator. (Powells)
• Eater PDX, the ever wise guide to all things food related in Portland has created the quintessential guide to Rose City restaurants, bars, and food carts for visitors and new Portlanders. I don't agree with everything on their list, but it's definitely worthy of being checked out. (Eater PDX)
• We're still in festival season, so I've got a few events to tell you about. Sunday is the Heritage Soulfest featuring Alonzo Chadwick & Zoulful Muzic with Special Guests. It's part of the Elevate Unity Benefit Music Series and is happening at Alberta Abbey. (Alberta Abbey)
• If you want your festivals a little bit more on the international side, check out the Arab Mahrajan Festival at Oaks Park. There'll be delicious cuisine, a bazaar, music, dance, poetry, clothing, crafts, children's activities and henna. Take that boredom! (Arab Oregon)

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Now that's a lot of Saturday! There's no shortage of ways to have fun this weekend, so enjoy yourself, Portland. I'll be back next weekend to continue my outpouring of love for this fine city.

— 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? Contact me at portland@patch.com