🌱Bullets Fly In Gateway District + Portland Police Leak Bad Info

Happy New Year's Eve, Portland! What are your plans for the evening? Stay safe and don't overdo it, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun. Here's what's going on today.

First, today's weather:

We're getting showers in the morning, but it should clear up in the afternoon for a high temp of 35.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said his office continues to prioritize violent crimes amid a continued backlog of court cases due to the pandemic and social-distancing rules in Oregon courts that are slowing down how quickly cases move through the court system. Schmidt said his office prosecuted over 200 gun-related cases in 2021 -- the most in his office’s history. “We're doing everything we can to hold people accountable and get guns off the street,” Schmidt told KATU. (KATU)
2. The Portland Street Response team is expanding next year. On Feb. 16, 2022, Portland Street Response will celebrate one year of call responses for the Lents neighborhood in Portland. But in March of 2022, the program goes city-wide. PSR responds to 911-placed non-emergency calls, or those called into the non-emergency phone line, requesting help for individuals in need of welfare checks. It is not just Portland creating or growing non-police crisis intervention teams. One of the oldest, CAHOOTS, or Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets, was launched in Eugene in 1989 by White Bird Clinic. The CAHOOTS model was the roadmap for Portland Street Response. (Street Roots News)
3. If the holiday spirit was in the air Tuesday night by Northeast Weidler and 108th Avenue, it was probably rushed to the hospital when scores of bullets were fired at cars and buildings. Portland Police say that nearly 100 bullets had been fired just after 9:30 p.m. Officers found bullet casings from several different caliber weapons. In addition to the casings on the street, officers found damage to buildings and several cars in the parking lot of Calamity Jae's Bar and Restaurant. (Portland Patch)
4. If you've been delaying renewing your license or vehicle registration, then get on down to the Department of Motor Vehicles, because the moratorium ends tonight. The DMV said it has caught up with enough of its backlog from the pandemic that half of all office visits are by appointment and the other half are on standby. The department recommends people visit DMV2U to see if they are able to complete their services online. (KOIN)
5. A months-long internal affairs investigation into a Portland Police Bureau leak found officers Brian Hunzeker, Kerri Ottoman and Ken Le were responsible for disclosing false information implicating Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty in a hit-and-run, according to an October disposition letter sent to Hardesty. According to the letter, the investigation found that Hunzeker leaked the false allegations to a reporter at the Oregonian/OregonLive and provided them with a screenshot of a dispatch report stating Hardesty had been involved in a March traffic accident. That information was incorrect. (OPB)

Today's Portland Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Portland!

Today in Portland:

• Rock in the New Year at the Eastside Bar & Grill in NE Portland with its New Year's Eve Punk Show. Featuring Lecherous, Those Damn Kids, Souls Worn Thin, Skull Burger and Asylum Tribe. The music starts at 7:00 PM.
• Between the weather and the omicron variant, you might be thinking about staying in for New Year's Eve. But you don't have to celebrate alone. Sahaja Yoga Meditation is hosting an online evening of meditation. Learn and practice meditation and also unwind with some socialization towards the end of the session with fellow meditation practitioners and learners. This session is free and so will be follow ups. 6:45 - 7:45 PM.
• What's New Year's Eve without a drag show? Why sit at home and watch TV on New Year's Eve when you could be out celebrating? Come to the Pharmacy in NW Portland and see the amazing Devlin Lynn Phoenixx and her magical lineup of talented queens as they sing, dance, and entertain into the new year! You can expect drag performances unlike anything you have seen before, dancing, and more! Get your tickets online. 10:00 PM to 12:30 AM.
• Well, Yee Haw! If you lean a little country, then there's no finer place to be tonight than the Spare Room Restaurant & Lounge in NE Portland. Celebrate this New Year's Eve with Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms as they present a Rhinestone Bash. Ain't no cozier dark dancehall. The drinks are strong, music's fine, and the country is country. Tickets available online. The fun starts at 8:00 PM.
• SE Portland spot Produce Row is excited to resume its annual tradition of celebrating the new year on the Produce Row patio! Residents (Spencer Miles and Peter Marks) play b2b all night on the Meyer / Danley sound system. Produce Row now has two heated patios, so there will be more space and capacity than past years when it quickly got packed. 21+. Proof of vax required for entry. Tickets available online and any remaining tickets will be sold at the door. The party kicks off at 9:30 PM.

From my notebook:

• Portland, Oregon: "St. Johns in the winter? Or St. Johns in the summer? My vote is winter. 🌨 - Photo by: @bfisch1" (Instagram)
• Portland Trail Blazers: "Find friends who support you like this." (Instagram)
• Travel Portland: "Your mission in 2022: Snap a pic with big Paul in the Kenton neighborhood of North Portland! #ThisIsPortland 📷: @savagexguap #PDX #PDXNOW #TravelPortland #TravelOregon #PortlandOregon #HereForPortland" (Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "Book Club is back! 📚 We are doing it virtually for now to keep our participants safe and allow more folks to join. Our first book is Fire & Water: Stories from the Anthropocene, edited by Mary Fifield and Kristen Thiel. Featuring shor..." (Instagram)
• As a great way to start the new year, the Oregon State Parks Department has a guided First Day Hikes event set for Jan. 1, and the normal $5 day-use parking fee is waived for 25 parks that normally require a parking permit. “Doing guided hikes is always a pleasure, especially this time of year,” said Matt Palmquist, a park ranger at Silver Falls State Park. “Getting to see the park in the winter is always a treat, and we’re kind of highlighting on some of our hikes the changes that you see in the winter.” (KOIN)
• Jeff is a local Portlander interested in the history of the Pacific NW. He's so interested, in fact, that he's made a blog about it. This is his piece on the Ghost Ramps of Portland. (Blogger)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Ring In the New Year With 15 Percent Off Beautiful Blooms From FTD! (December 31)
• Add your event

Loving the Portland Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business listed in front of readers
• Send me a news tip or suggestion at portland@patch.com

There's your Friday, peeps. I hope you have fun tonight, while bidding a fond farewell to 2021. I'll be back next week in the new year, so come on back if you want to hear more news about Portland.

— 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.