🌱 Changes To City Government? + Reed College Professor Accused Racist

It's a Saturday, Portland, the weekend is finally here. What are we going to do with it? Well, I've got a few ideas. Here's what's going on today.

First, today's weather:

It's going to be a cloudy day with a high of 57.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. The 20-person Charter Review Commission unanimously agreed on changes they want to make to the city’s oft-criticized form of government. The preliminary vote allows city lawyers to begin drafting a possible November ballot measure that could see Portland more than double the number of council members, implement ranked-choice voting and ditch May primaries, among other changes. The volunteer commission will take a final vote on the charter amendments at the end of June. (OPB)
2. One of the dangers and realities of living on the street in Portland can be out-of-control fire, simply sparked by trying to eat or stay warm. On Thursday, a man captured an example of this, as he recorded a fire under an overpass on Southeast Division Street in Portland while calling 9-1-1. Portland Fire & Rescue crews responded to this — and another homeless campsite fire under the Steel Bridge — within 30 minutes, and said it's not an uncommon occurrence in the city. Luckily, no one was injured. (KGW.com)
3. The Pacific Northwest is now in the height of tree pollen season, and if you feel like allergy season came on strong and suddenly this spring, there could be several reasons for that. Plus, the pink blossoms and yellow dusting on your car aren’t really what’s causing you allergies. “The pollen that you see is really not the pollen that’s bothering you. The pollen that’s visible to the naked eye and the blooming trees, those grains of pollen are really too big to pass through the mucous membranes, so they’re considered not very allergenic but when they’re there and we see pollen on the car and when we see trees blooming that means those other trees that do have those small grains of pollen that do get through our mucous membranes are also pollinating,” Emily Trevillyan, Nurse Manager at Allergy Clinic in Portland said. (Fox 12 Oregon)
4. For the first time ever, nonaffiliated voters in Oregon outnumber Democrats, having long ago outdistanced Republicans. That data comes from March voter registration figures posted by the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. Nonaffiliated voters have exploded in number since the Oregon’s Motor Voter law went into effect in January 2016. In the month prior, December 2015, there were 825,282 registered Democrats, 642,552 Republicans, 527,302 nonaffiliated voters, and just 2,169,258 voters total. So in the past six years, Oregon has added nearly 800,000 new voters, almost 500,000 of whom are not registered with any party. (Willamette Week)
5. Reed College in Portland says it is investigating the behavior of one of its professors who was filmed berating a restaurant worker and questioning the employee’s immigration status. A video shared via social media app TikTok shows an exchange between a man in his vehicle and the employee of a fast food restaurant, in which the man mentions restaurant staff’s “rude behavior” and “hiring illegal immigrants” then questions the employee’s immigration status. (KOIN)

Today in Portland:

• Calling all nerds! WasabiCon PDX’s Geek Marketplace is a one-day event for fans of anime, cosplay and gaming to get together for a day of shopping, socializing and seeing fellow fans in a fun and casual environment. It's taking place at the Hilton Portland Downtown and will feature a costume contest, prize giveaways and more vendors than you can shake a wand at. Tickets available online. 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
• Eldridge Gravy and The Court Supreme will be performing at the Goodfoot in SE Portland. ELDRIDGE GRAVY & THE COURT SUPREME is a funk juggernaut. Backed by the hot, gritty orchestration of the 13 member Court Supreme, front man Eldridge Gravy easily works dance floors to a fever pitch with his full-bore performance and smooth rapport with the audience. Get your tickets online. Doors open at 9:00 PM.
• After a two-year hiatus, the Annual Trillium Festival at Tryon Creek State Natural Area returns. For 42 years, Tryon Creek has celebrated the return of the Trillium, an early season perennial native to our local forests. This beautiful white flower awakens each year in late February and early March, and slowly turns to a reddish-purple by the end of April or early May, making it a wonderful beginning to the spring wildflower season. 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
• Fans of horror should check out the 4th Wall in SE Portland for The Saturday Slasher! From classic to cult, they're showing spooky movies all evening long. Come by for a beer and a slice and a few scares as well!3:00 - 9:00 PM.
• It's an evening of music at The Fixin' To in North Portland with performances by New Here, Creature Party and Vega Black. New Here is crawling out of hibernation to put on their first high energy full band show of 2022. Proof of full vaccination is required as is a mask. Tickets available online. Doors open at 7:30 PM.

From my notebook:

• The owner of a restaurant in Portland says her business has seen backlash because of the conflict in Ukraine. While Kachka serves Russian-inspired cuisine, the owner is fundraising to help the people of Ukraine. Bonnie Morales is the chef and co-owner of Kachka. She says they've received hurtful comments on social media — and some guests have cancelled reservations in response to the war. In spite of all that, the restaurant is showing support for Ukraine. Morales' family is from Belarus in eastern Europe. When Russia invaded Ukraine she wanted to help. (KGW)
• Who wants $10 tickets to the musical Hamilton? A digital lottery for tickets to the upcoming production of Hamilton in Portland opens Friday. Broadway in Portland is set to give out 40 discounted tickets for every performance at Keller Auditorium. The lottery opened on Friday and will close at noon on Thursday. Tickets are for productions on April 13-16. Subsequent lotteries will begin each Friday and close the following Thursday for the upcoming week’s performances. (KATU)
• Eksod is an immersive sound and visual art experience offering an intimate perspective of an Albanian’s attempt to emigrate to the United States. A pop-up presentation allows each voyeur private time to walk through a Balkin landscape built from photographic prints and an auralization of an Albanian life. Eksod was printed at a shipyard named Zidell Yards who will also be hosting this pop-up. Situated between the Max Streetcar, the OHSU Gondola, and the pedestrian only Tillikum Bridge in Portland’s South Waterfront, Zidell Yards is ready to accommodate your visit without a car. Parking instructions will also be provided with your ticket confirmation. There are few and far between blank canvases at this physical scale. Typically inaccessible to the public, a walk into the old barge building is worth a trip by itself. All tickets must be bought online. Click Book Now to see days and times that tickets are still available. (Hearsight)
• This weekend, hikers in Forest Park will have one more option. After a seven-month closure, the Lower Macleay trail is reopening. The trail, which starts at Northwest 30th and Upshur connects Macleay Park and the Wildwood trail. It closed in August so the Bureau of Environmental Services could install a trash rack that protects Balch Creek and the trail from clogs and flooding. (KATU)
• Who wants to go to Banksyland? Banksyland is an international touring exhibit that immerses audiences in the works of the world's most infamous and elusive artist: BANKSY. Spanning more than 25,000 square feet, this multimedia art experience contains more than 100 authenticated works and never before seen installations examining the mystique and cultural impact of the most sought after artist of our time. And it's coming to Portland! (banksyland)

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That's your Saturday, folks. Have fun with your weekend, but meet me back here next week and I'll dish all 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.