🌱 Cooling Centers Prepare For Summer + Portland Bans Fireworks

Happy Thursday, Portland, and Happy National Pink Day! Today is going to be more fun than an island full of kittens, so let me get right to telling you about it.

First, today's weather:

We've got sunny skies and a high of 76 for a beautiful summer day.

Here are the top stories today in Portland:

1. It's going to be a hot one this weekend and Multnomah County is trying to prepare for the summer. Instead of three large cooling centers, emergency management director, Chris Voss said they have identified 18 locations of various sizes around the city in order to be more accessible for people in need of relief. Unfortunately, Voss does not expect cooling centers to open this weekend, saying the heat event is “moderate” according to the National Weather Service. The worst of the heat is forecasted to be short lived, and the night time temperatures are cooler than during the 2021 heat dome. (KOIN)
2. If you need the library this summer, don't head downtown. Starting in August, Multnomah County Library (MCL)'s Central branch will close to the public for three months to allow for several concurrent construction projects. A press release from MCL described the lengthy closure as an approach intended to "decrease longer disruptions of service." By closing the library to the public, crews will be able to complete multiple projects at once, more quickly and with a lower overall cost, the release said. (Portland Mercury)
3. A nonprofit called WeShine is close to finishing a tiny house village at a church parking lot in the Parkrose neighborhood. The nonprofit hopes to open the low-barrier village in mid-July and offer priority placement to homeless LGBTQ and BIPOC Portlanders. The Portland-based nonprofit, founded only last year, has an ambitious plan: build 10 tiny house villages in 10 different neighborhoods, each with a maximum capacity of 12 residents. Each village will offer pods to specific groups most likely to slip through the cracks of homeless outreach, and each will be outfitted with kitchenettes, restrooms and showers. (Willamette Week)
4. If you, or your pets, hate the noise of fireworks, I've got some good news for you. Portland Fire and Rescue announced Tuesday, ahead of the Fourth of July, that the city has banned the use of fireworks. Officials said the decision is due to the annual fires, injuries and deaths associated with the use of fireworks. The ban also includes the use of aerial luminary devices or pyrotechnics. (KOIN.com)
5. There's no slowing down of the shootings in Portland. Portland police say there was a small uptick in shootings in May compared to April. Officers responded to 102 shootings throughout May, which is an increase from 90 in April - the lowest monthly total since the beginning of 2022. Portland is still on track to surpass last year's record gun violence. (KATU)

Today in Portland:

• In partnership with Patagonia, Movement Portland will be hosting a screening of the film "They/Them" featuring athlete Lor Sabourin at Movement Portland in NW Portland. The film follows Lor, a trans climber, into the sandstone canyons of northern Arizona, on a journey to piece together one of the hardest and most inspiring routes of their life. Registration is required for this event. Showtime is 6 p.m.
• For a night of comedy, come to the Lucky Lab on SE Hawthorne for Hello Sucker! Comedy Dinner & June Showcase. Join stand-up comedians Joyce Nance and Todd Basil for a chance to meet people, eat and drink and enjoy a great comedy show. They aim to create a welcoming experience for the comedians and the audience. Featuring local Portland comics, POC, Queer, and Women comics. Get your tickets online. The fun starts at 6:30 p.m.
• How can drinking beer make you smarter? Come to Science on Tap at the Alberta Rose Theater! Tonight's topic will be Making Memories: Using Neuroscience to Enhance Teaching and Learning. Stop on by as Dr. Mark Pitzer demonstrates how each brain circuit can be recruited by instructors to improve teaching/learning in and out of the classroom and how neuroscience can make learning truly memorable. Tickets available online. 7 - 8:30 p.m.
• Wait, you're telling me that there's even more comedy in Portland tonight? Yes, please! Dirty Angel Entertainment Presents: The Real Comedy Spot Open Mic - West at Kelly’s Olympian in downtown Portland. Hosted by The Real Hyjinx and music by DJ Wildchild. If you want to have some time at the mic, sign up online at the Dirty Angel Entertainment's Facebook page. 5 - 7 p.m.
• Kindness Farm invites you to its Pride Party! 🎉 As a queer, nonprofit farm, it would love to share all the queer love with the community and celebrate together! All proceeds go directly to the farm to help grow more food for those in need and provide important regenerative education to our community. 🙌 Register online to attend. 6 - 11 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Portland Art Museum: "🥵 It’s getting hot in here. Bask in the first day of summer and longest day of the year with Milton Avery’s “Bathers, Coney Island,” picturing Mark Rothko at left, wife Edith behind him, and Avery’s wife, Sally, wearing a hat. 📍(Portland Art Museum via Instagram)
• For long stretches of the pandemic, “dining out” was synonymous with “outdoor dining.” With limitations and safety risks associated with indoor dining, dozens of bars and restaurants added or expanded some type of outdoor seating, building dining rooms and patios in parking lots and blocked-off streets. While bistro tables and picnic benches along the sidewalk were a life saver for many a Portland establishment, they are no substitute for the full glory of the sprawling patio of a Portland bar — and the city has plenty of them, with lawn games, stages for casual concerts, and even outdoor bars so visitors don’t have to walk inside for another round. (PDX Eater)
• FYI, Portland. A two-mile section of Interstate 84 westbound near Interstate 205 will close during the overnight hours Wednesday through Friday, then close for the whole weekend late Friday night, June 24. The westbound closure is 10 p.m. Wednesday-4 a.m. Thursday, and then again 10 p.m. Thursday-4 a.m. Friday June 22-24. Those closures repeat next week Monday-Thursday, June 27-30. (The Oregonian)
• Portland Parks & Rec has posted their event schedule for their Summer Free for All. Summer Free For All has over 40 free concerts, movies and performances this summer throughout the city. The first-ever East Portland Summer Arts Festival kicks off the summer with two days of fantastic performances at Ventura Park. The Washington Park Summer Festival returns to the Washington Park Amphitheater. (Portland.Gov)
• There’s only six more months to go in 2022, which means it’s time to start preparing for next year’s “Chicken Daddies” calendar! If you're wondering what a Chicken Daddies calendar is, it's a series of playful novelty calendars featuring men with their chickens! Kohr Harlan, also known as Mr. May, went out to Oregon City to see if he can top last year’s photoshoot. (KOIN)
• Eight Oregon counties are among the healthiest communities in the United States, according to a new ranking by U.S. News & World Report. The fifth annual report, released Wednesday in collaboration with CVS Health, highlights the healthiest 500 counties in the United States. Hood River County was Oregon's highest-ranking county in the report, earning the 46th spot in the rankings. (Portland Patch)

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Tiny house villages, free comedy and chicken daddies! Oh, boy, today has it all. Stay frosty, friends, and meet me back here tomorrow so I can tell more of what's going on in 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