🌱 Coast Guard Removes Sunken Boats + Firefighters Want Pay Raise

Hey, everyone, I'm back from the long weekend rested and rejuvenated. Hope you feel the same. We've got more heat before the summer ends, a tribute to Olivia Newton-John and Vaux's Swifts are back. Grab a coffee and I'll tell you about it.

First, today's weather:

It's going to be a partly cloudy day with a high of 81. Now this is my kind of weather.

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Here are the top stories today in Portland:

1. It was chaos at the waterfront in SW Portland, as a man threw punches and verbally attacked several women. Police were eventually able to find and arrest 24-year-old Kelyn Jones thanks to a picture one of the victims had taken. A local biker said things have taken a turn since the pandemic. "It seems like there’s a lot of lawlessness. And it seems a lot less safe than it did three years ago," said Denise Bennett-Paquin, the biker. (KATU)
2. Yay, a Columbia River clean up! Two abandoned ships that sunk off Hayden Island are finally being removed. The Coast Guard announced Aug. 31 that it and other agencies plan to remove the Alert and Skarissa from the Columbia River starting this month. In a press release, the Coast Guard stated “due to hull deterioration and oil saturation of the vessels’ interiors, they have been discharging a sheen into the waterway. They also pose a collision hazard for vessels operating outside the navigation channel.” (Fox 12 Oregon)
3. With the heat that Portland has experienced this summer, we're on the verge of breaking another record. We are now sitting at 27 days at or above 90 degrees, with temperatures recorded over at the Portland International Airport. That is well above our average, which comes to around 15 per year. The all-time record that we have here in Portland is 2018, coming in with 31 days at or above 90 degrees. (KOIN.com)
4. An effort to get a controversial tax measure on the November 2022 ballot has moved the goalpost to the May 2023 ballot instead. The initiative, if passed, would impose a 0.75% tax on capital gains — profits investors earn on the sale of assets such as stocks, bonds and real estate— in order to fund free eviction representation for all Multnomah County residents. The force behind this initiative is a group of organizations, including the Democratic Socialists of America and they need 22, 686 signatures to get it on the ballot in May. (Willamette Week)
5. Portland firefighters are asking for an overtime pay boost due to what they describe as two years of frequent mandatory overtime to plug gaps caused by chronic staffing shortages. The union that represents firefighters with Portland Fire & Rescue is requesting that the overtime pay rate be raised from time-and-a-half to double time. Firefighters currently face disciplinary action if they don't work the requested overtime, according to the Portland Firefighters' Association. (KGW)

Today in Portland:

• Come to the Laurelthirst Pub to hear Americana Folk-Rockers Buffalo Romeo. Buffalo Romeo have been charming the pants off of music fans for the past 8 years down around Eugene. And now Keenan Dorn has moved up to Portland, where he's playing with a number of bands. No cover! 6 - 8 p.m.
• The power trio Cycles will be playing at the Goodfoot. Drawing influence from artists such as Rage Against the Machine, J. Dilla, Primus, Weather Report, and many more, Cycles fuse an eclectic blend of genres to produce an original sound that has become harder and harder to find. Opening will be jazz artist Ofosho. Doors open at 9 p.m.
• If you want an evening of video game fun, head to the 4th Wall. They've got a fun pile of multiplayer and party games for the Switch and they’re turning them over to YOU! Come in for some family friendly, all ages, casual free play. They’ve got Smash, Kart, Jackbox games, and more. Admission is free, snacks and drinks available for all. 5 - 9 p.m.
• Let's Get Physical at Holocene's 80's/90's Aerobics Themed Dress Up Dance Party! Join them for a night on the dancefloor full of Olivia Newton-John songs, edits and remixes, and related artists and styles, all selected by the team of DJ’s Gregarious & Rescue with VJ Disorder playing ONJ videos and related footage on the projectors. Doors open at 7 p.m.
• Powell's Books presents Sasha Fletcher in a virtual conversation with Lydia Kiesling. Sasha Fletcher's debut novel Be Here to Love Me at the End of the World is about the exquisite beauty of being in love in a world that is falling apart. Fletcher will be joined in conversation by Lydia Kiesling, author of The Golden State. The talk starts at 5 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Portland Trail Blazers: "Kicking off #BestOfNBA week with @antsimons’ amazing 43-point performance on 1/3/22 🔥" (Portland Trail Blazers via Instagram)
• Portland Farmers Market: "We continue our video series with Sarah Marshall, owner of Marshall Haute Sauce & PFM vendor for over 10 years! Hear Sarah speak about the start of Marshall's Haute Sauce, her love of Oregon agriculture & preservation and being part of ..." (Portland Farmers Market via Facebook)
• Are you interesting in getting more involved with your community? The Standard’s Volunteer Expo returns to downtown this year, featuring more than 100 nonprofits at Pioneer Courthouse Square on Thursday, Sept. 8, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participating nonprofits represent the arts, culture, humanities, the environment, animal welfare, health, human services and more. (NRT Today)
• Send in the clowns! Oh, wait, don't bother, they're here. CoHo Theatre presents the first CoHo Clown Festival, an extravaganza that celebrates physical comedy, movement arts, humor and fringe performance. Visit CoHo Productions for times and places. (Portland Tribune)
• It's September in Portland and that means the Swift Watch at Chapman Elementary School. Every year thousands of people make their way here to watch the Vaux’s Swifts gather in the sky, and funnel into the chimney to roost for the night. If you want to be one of those people, here's everything you need to know for your visit. (Portland Audubon)
• Art in the Pearl happened this weekend, and it was awesome. Great weather and lots of great art. If you weren't able to go, don't worry. Instagrammer serafindavid3 took some fun photos of the event. Enjoy! (Instagram)

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Thanks for reading, Portland. I'm happy to tell you about another fine summer's day in our equally fine town. Join me tomorrow so I can tell you about your Thursday. Til then, have a corntastic day!

— 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