🌱 City Overwhelmed By Trash Sites + ODOT Pauses Work For Weekend

It's another Friday, Portland, and you know how I feel about Fridays. It's that delightful liminal time period between the work week and the non-stop party of the weekend. Okay, maybe not non-stop partying. I do have to get some gardening in. Here's what's going on today.

First, today's weather:

We're going to have rain that will end in the early morning and leave us with a cloudy day and a high of 61.

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Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. While homeless camps and trash sites are a city-wide problem for Portland, some places are harder hit than others. One of those problem areas is Northeast Airport Way between NE 138th and 148th avenues. The city is working to address the issue, but the amount of work is overwhelming. Last week the city received 1,783 new homeless campsite reports. They observed 327 of them and talked with the campers at another 541. They cleaned 30 and removed 45. (KGW.com)
2. The mass shooting at the Texas elementary school is being felt throughout the nation. The tragedy has strengthened the resolve of an Oregon based non-profit to get a measure for stricter gun laws on the November ballot. Rev. Mark Knutson of the Augustana Lutheran Church in Portland said he’s been working to pass stricter gun laws for 30 years. He and his team at Lift Every Voice Oregon are asking voters to approve Initiative Petition 17, which would require a completed background check, firearm training and a permit obtained in advance to buy a gun in the state. (OPB)
3. A West Lynn man has been arrested in connection with vandalism that targeted the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization center in northeast Portland. Jarl Judson Rockhill, 35, was arrested during a traffic stop in Clackamas County. After he was taken into custody, a search of his home found evidence linking him to the bias crime, as well as several guns. (KATU)
4. A notice from a Dr. Martens Airway distribution center is bad news for many Portland area workers. The center issued a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification saying that the center is closing permanently, effectively leaving 71 workers without a job. The layoffs will begin Sept. 1 and will continue through Oct. 31. (KOIN.com)
5. If you have to drive around town over Memorial Day weekend, the Oregon Department of Transportation has some good news for you. It has decided to shut down most scheduled highway closures in the Portland area over the holiday weekend. Regularly scheduled project work will stop in the Portland area at noon today and won’t start up again until no earlier than Tuesday morning, May 31. (The Oregonian)

Today in Portland:

• Wow, if you're in the mood for dancing tonight, you've got your choice of places. The Goodfoot brings back its longest running DJ Dance Night, Soul Stew, spinning funk, soul and disco. The Crystal Ballroom is hosting its 80s Video Dance Attack 17th Anniversary Party! Portland's longest running 80s night, Decadent 80s Friday Night, will be happening at The Bit House Collective, with no cover to get in. And not to be left out of the mix, Holocene brings you the longest running 90's dance night, SNAP! Y2K- ’90S VS ’00S DANCE PARTY! So get out there and dance, Portland!
• Dante's in downtown Portland is bringing you another type of dancing. The Pacific Northwest's original & largest pole competition is back for 2022: Exotic magazine presents Polerotica 2022! Entertainers from all over the Pacific Northwest will compete and see who will reign supreme on the pole for 2022! Get your tickets online. Showtime is 9 p.m.
• Come see Speechless: Improvised PowerPoint Competition at The Siren Theater. The concept is simple: 4 competitors (plus one audience competitor) battle it out for the title of Speechless Champion. Their weapon? Their ability to successfully present a PowerPoint presentation they've never seen before in front of our judges. Easy? No way. Hilarious? Usually. Hosted by Erin Jean O'Regan. Tickets available online. 8 - 9:45 p.m.
• Nothing says "Let's get this party started!" quite like carnival rides, live music, food, drink and fireworks! The Portland Rose Festival's return to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in 2022 will bring out the biggest, baddest fireworks in town! A full concert by fan favorite Hit Machine will warm up the crowd and the fireworks begin just after dark. Opening ribbon cutting: 5 p.m.
• The 1982 Roger Corman film Sorceress will be showing at the Clinton Street Theater. Evil Wizard Traigon makes a pact with the dark forces to sacrifice his firstborn to anti-god Caligara to gain the highest degree of power, but things get complicated when his wife gives birth to twins. This movie has everything from an army of ape men to blood-crazed zombies. Get your tickets online. Showtime is 10 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Portland Audubon: "Portland Audubon Conservation Director Bob Sallinger has been tracking peregrine falcons in the Portland Metro Region for Portland Audubon for nearly three decades. When he started, peregrines were highly endangered and not a single nest..." (Instagram)
• The streaming service Netflix is shining a spotlight on Portland's food scene in a Portland-based episode of its food-and-travel series "Somebody Feed Phil." The host, Phil Rosenthal, previously best known as a TV writer, producer and creator of the hit sitcom, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” will be joined by The Oregonian’s own restaurant reporter and critic, Michael Russell. Some of the spots they'll be visiting are Fried Egg I'm In Love, Matt's BBQ and DesiPDX. (The Oregonian)
• I already mentioned that tonight is the opening festivities for the Rose Festival, but the party doesn't stop there. There will be events going on at Tom McCall Waterfront Park today to June 12. At Rose Festival CityFair, you'll find your favorite fair features - carnival rides, fair foods, interactive exhibits and constant entertainment - all nestled between the urban energy of the city and the natural beauty of the Willamette River. (Rose Festival)
• I could go on and on about the Rose Festival, but that's not the only festival happening. The Multnomah County Fair will take place May 28-30 at Oaks Amusement Park. The fair features three full days of family fun including competitive exhibits, musical and stage performances, a car show, pioneer village, as well as small animal activities. (Multnomah County Fair)
• Sure Portland is a haven for vegans, but it's also a great place for those of a more carnivorous nature. Our city has long been known as a destination for charcuterie, offal, and assorted carnivorous delights. Here in 2022, there is a slate of new openings of outstanding butcher shops, farm to table chop shops, maximalist carnicerias, meat counter-restaurant hybrids, and other assorted homages to all things beefy. (Portland Monthly)
• Oregon is trying a new approach to helping meth addicts to kick the habit. The state will reward individuals who remain drug-free. It’s a method called “contingency management,” and in Oregon, it’s about to get a lot more funding. There is widespread expert consensus that giving patients rewards for abstaining is the most effective evidence-based treatment for meth use available, but the method has not been used much in the U.S. With the passage of Measure 110, which decriminalized small amounts of hard drugs and diverted hundreds of millions of marijuana tax dollars per biennium to treatment and recovery services, Oregon now has a sustainable funding stream. (OPB)

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With a Friday like that, it's going to be hard NOT to have fun. I wish all of you your best Friday, my peeps, and I invite you back here tomorrow for more tales of 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.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Portland Daily? Contact me at portland@patch.com