Church Homeless Shelters+SE Gun Violence+COVID On Decline

It's Friday, my friends, and I'm ready to start my weekend. I'm willing to bet you are, too, so I'm going to get right into it. Here's what's going on.

First, today's weather:

We're actually going to see a little sun today, though there will be some cloud cover early in the day. But it's definitely fall with a high temp of 65.

Here are the top stories today in Portland:

1. As predicted, Portland City Council approved a five-year renewal of its contract with Clean & Safe, the organization that provides extra security and sanitation services to a 213-block area of the central city. The 4-1 vote came over vehement objections from critics, who argued the contract was half-baked and failed to grapple with numerous concerns raised last year in a city audit. (OPB)
2. The nonprofit Family Promise of Metro East is teaming up with local churches in a plan to ease the housing crisis that Portland faces. They want to turn churches into night time shelters for homeless families. “These buildings are utilized a lot during the week, but in the evenings they're just kind of there,” said Pastor Daniel Rose of Community of Christ in Northeast Portland. (KGW)
3. As gunshots and violence continue within the city of Portland, some neighbors are concerned about one area in particular. The streets and neighborhoods around Mt. Scott Park in SE Portland have become crime scenes at an alarming rate. After two shootings in all of 2019, the neighborhood saw 11 shootings in 2020, and the number is already at least 18 this year. At least 16 have happened since July 1. (KATU)
4. We finally get a bit of good news regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, courtesy of the Oregon Health Authority. There were 811 COVID-19 hospitalizations across Oregon, which was 11 fewer than the previous day, and the lowest number of hospitalized COVID patients since Aug. 16. Hospitalizations are down 14% from last week, and down 32% from the all-time record four weeks ago. Cases are dropping in nearly all Oregon counties, with the exception of Umatilla County where cases have been trending back up following the county’s Pendleton Round-Up. (KOIN)
5. Now that rain and cooler temperatures have returned to Oregon, Multnomah County has announced that it has lifted the bans on recreational campfires and fire pits. Agricultural burning is now permitted on Department of Environmental Quality-approved burn days. Yard debris and open burning is allowed only in permitted areas. (Oregonian)

Today's Portland Daily is brought to you 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:

• It's that time of year again! Time for the 16th annual HUMP! Film Festival. HUMP! is a lovingly curated festival of short erotic films made by real people for real people. The filmmakers and stars show us hot and sexy, creative and kinky, ultimate turn-ons and craziest fantasies. Our program is a cornucopia of body types, shapes, ages, colors, sexualities, genders, kinks, and fetishes—all united by a shared spirit of sex-positivity. It's showing tonight at Revolution Hall in SE Portland. Tickets available online. Doors at 8:30 PM.
• Are you ready for Rock-toberfest? Rose Budz of North Portland is bringing you a festival of live music and food. Starting tonight with live Hawaiian music and food and drinks. Plus venders and huge discounts. If you're ready to rock, go check them out. Starts at 4:30 PM.
• If art is more your scene, go to the Autumn Art Blast from East Creative Collective and First Friday PDX. This October, the Autumn Art Blast is taking over two square blocks of the SE industrial district in celebration of art and support of local artists. Featuring more than 20 artists and creators, the Autumn Art Blast will showcase some of the most exciting new art in Portland, with open studios, a street festival, live music and more. 5:00 - 9:00 PM.
• PDX Pop Now! is kicking off their music festival at SE Portland spot Honey Latte Café. They're celebrating both their 2020 and 2021 compilations with a two day celebration at the all ages venue Honey Latte Presents! The fun starts at 6:00 PM tonight!
• I guess this is the time for music festivals, but this one is live streamed out of Chicago. Coming to you from DePaul University's Gannon Concert Hall, the Ear Taxi Festival brings you a line up of great jazz music. It's streaming for free on YouTube, so what have you got to lose? The music starts at 3:00 PM.

Portland Patch Notebook

• Portland Audubon: "Action Alert: Help fight climate change by protecting “blue carbon” habitats! Did you know that tidal forested wetlands in Oregon’s estuaries store more carbon by area than any type of wetland in the world? Increasing the storage of..." (Instagram)
• Nonprofit Association Oregon: "We are excited to announce Carol Cheney, CEO of The Collins Foundation as our keynote speaker for the Sage Summit on Thursday, October 14. Join us and other nonprofit leaders to hear what she has to say about nonprofits and philanthropy!..." (Instagram)
• Two brothers are heading to Spain next month to participate in the “Balloon World Cup.” This all started after 21-year-old Antonio Arredondo, a senior at George Fox University, and his siblings were bored during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Sports were canceled, so they started playing “don’t let the balloon touch the ground” and filmed it so they can keep track of their score. The videos got the attention of Spanish soccer star Gerard Pique and an international celebrity, who put together the upcoming World Cup. What's next? The Floor is Lava championship? (KATU)
• Who's ready for some eldritch horror? The 26th Annual H.P. Lovecraft & Cthulhu Con is coming to Portland this weekend for three days of cosmic terror. Tickets are available online for a live in-person show at the Hollywood Theater. For your safety and comfort, proof of COVID-19 vaccination or recent negative COVID-19 test will be required for admission to the in-person event, and masks will be required in all areas, when not actively eating or drinking. If that's not your thing, the streaming edition of the show will be held the following weekend, Oct 8-10, 2021. This will be a fun streaming show featuring over 50 films, plus panels, readings, and more! (HPL Film Festival)
• In honor of the H.P.Lovecraft Film Festival, here's a promo video that was made back in 2013. You know, before the plague changed everything. Enjoy! (YouTube)
• Fat Bear Week is here! You think I kid, but Fat Bear Week has been an annual competition for the past 7 years. Described as a “celebration of success and survival,” Fat Bear Week spotlights the resilience, adaptability and strength of the brown bears located at Katmai National Park & Preserve in Alaska. Fans can vote for their favorite bear on Explore.org. And if you just can't get enough bear content, you can watch the bears every day via LiveCam on the Brooks River in Katmai. (OPB)

Feature your local business here in the newsletter for just $79 a month. Click here to learn more.

That's Portland for you; lots of stuff to kick off our weekend. But if you think it stops there, then you don't know Portland. But that's okay, because I'm here to tell you all about it. Meet me here tomorrow and we'll chat. If you're feeling these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. 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 email me at portland@patch.com.