🌱Charter Reform Measure Survives Challenge + Local Family Harassed

We're halfway through the week on this roller coaster ride we call Portland. We're hot as heck, learning how our gardens can handle climate change and there's no stopping the charter reform measure. Let's get to it.

First, today's weather:

Today starts out sunny but will cloud up as the day wears on. Will we reach 100 today? I don't think we'll get that hot, but we'll be close.

👀 Attention local businesses & marketers: Attract more customers in Portland by sponsoring this daily newsletter, which gets read by the same people you're trying to reach. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. It's got to be hard to be homeless. It's even harder when people are trying to set you on fire. On July 10, a portable tiny home mysteriously burned down at SE 82nd and Lafayette. Residents nearby said they believe people experiencing homelessness and living in encampments or portable tiny homes are being violently targeted through homemade bombs or by people lighting encampments on fire. (Fox 12 Oregon)
2. A Multnomah County judge has ruled that a sweeping proposal to change the form of government and election system in Portland should advance to November’s ballot, rejecting a legal challenge from a city business organization. The Portland Business Alliance challenged the proposal, saying that it violated the Oregon Constitution’s requirement that ballot measures address only a single subject. Circuit Judge Stephen Bushong disagreed. (KOIN)
3. Oregon’s Chief Justice Martha L. Walters has dismissed the entire Public Defense Commission. It comes five days after Chief Justice Martha L. Walters pleaded with members of the commission to fire Steven Singer, the director of the agency it oversees. The commission did not. The vote was split. Oregon's criminal defense system is in crisis. Many defendants across the state lack counsel because of a staffing shortage, and the state is being sued because of it. Walters felt that this issue was urgent enough to take drastic action. (Willamette Week)
4. Portland is hot again, with temperatures today and Thursday at or near 100 degrees. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the Portland-Vancouver area. Multnomah County officials are monitoring the conditions to determine whether to open cooling centers. TriMet said it is not currently offering free rides to cooling centers but this may change in the next few days. (KATU)
5. A Portland couple said they have been harassed by a group of people for the last few weeks, but that it escalated early Monday morning when individuals tried to light one of their parent’s homes on fire. “We just want some help,” said Mackie Duong. “We just want some protection for my family. Something.” Duong says the harassment started earlier this month. Since then, he and his family have had windows broken and tires slashed. Duong says three reports have been filed with Portland Police but it’s led nowhere. (KPTV)

Today in Portland:

• Hey, Portland gardeners, don't let climate change take you by surprise! Come to Leach Botanical Garden to hear Weston Miller present the lecture Adapting Your Yard and Garden for Climate Change. Weston Miller serves as Community and Urban Horticulturist for OSU Extension Service. Come early for complimentary drinks in the garden. 6 - 8 p.m.
• What's more fun than a night of bingo? How about Bingo Music at Tomorrow's Verse in NE Portland! How it works: Each Last Call Music Bingo game has a total of 56 music clips, edited to roughly a minute each with short breaks in between clips. Players mark off songs on their Bingo Card as they play. 7 - 9 p.m.
• It's time for Music on Main in downtown Portland! Tonight's band is Outer Orbit. Outer Orbit is a funk soul collective led by Galen Clark (Trio Subtonic, Sleater Kinney) and fronted by vocalist Sarah Clarke (Dirty Revival, Con Brio). All ages are welcome. Seating is available on a first come, first-served basis. And it's free! 5 - 7 p.m.
• Come to the Hollywood Theater to see Mean Creek in 35mm. Five friends set off in a row boat on the Clackamas River with the school bully to teach him a lesson. What could go wrong? Writer/Director Jacob Estes and Producer Susan Johnson will be in attendance for a Q+A after the film. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
• It's Market Music at the Kenton Market with Ten Spiders! Ten Spiders is a regional roots rock band with a bluesy/funky edge. After releasing numerous studio recordings and playing on the radio on the East Coast, they moved to the West Coast, spinning a new web sure to catch more fans! 5 - 7 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Travel Portland: "The weirdest race of the year, @PDXSoapboxDerby, is this Saturday! Don't miss this brave group of racers hit the daunting slopes of Mt. Tabor. It's an absolute blast for everyone! More info in the link in our bio. #ThisIsPortland 📸" (Travel Portland via Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "This is about the time Rufous Hummingbirds start their fall migration heading south via the chain of Rocky Mountains. They have fantastic recall and have been observed returning to the previous site of a feeder a year later." (Portland Audubon via Instagram)
• Portland Art Museum: "Madison Plaza Summer Series 2022 Saturday August 20, 2022 Madison Plaza 1 - 6 p.m. This month, The Numberz FM returns to Madison Plaza with a series of fun summer events. The Madison Plaza is a shared outdoor public space." (Portland Art Museum via Instagram)
• Bring on the undead, because Portland is ready! Portland residents can now celebrate being one of the top five cities in the country able to survive a zombie apocalypse. In a new ranking by Lawn Love on which cities are most likely to survive armies of the undead, Portland comes in fourth place. To come up with the ranking, 26 “key indicators” were examined like nearby military base access, hardware stores, and homes with basements. I guess some of us have read our Max Brooks. (KPTV)
• Do you like seafood? Are you willing to take chances? The Oregon State University Food Innovation Center is having a Paid Seafood Taste Test at the end of the month. Albacore, Black Cod and Coho prepared by one of Portland's best chefs from Paley's Place. Application and appointment required. (Food Innovation Center via Instagram)
• The Grand Prix of Portland is coming to the Portland International Raceway and you could win free tickets. Four lucky winners will be chosen on August 26 at 2 p.m. Each winner will receive four tickets and four Paddock Passes for all three race days on September 2-4 at Portland International Raceway. (KOIN)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• JAK CBD — (Visit website)
• Sunset Heating & Cooling — (Visit Website)
• Add your business here

Events:

• Online Webinar with specialists for ac repair in Portland (August 22)
• Add your event

Thanks for reading, true believer. I hope I've caught you up on what you need to know today. Please come back tomorrow, so we can do it all over again.

— 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