🌱 COVID Booster Flu Shot Combo + Rents Rise Precipitously

How are you Portland? I'm here to give you the low down on your Thursday. We've got a man breaking windshields in the Sunnyside neighborhood, another Bollywood Block Party and mushroom-based performances. Let me break it down for you!

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First, today's weather:

I'm loving this weather! Today will be partly cloudy with a high of 73.

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Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. This is a follow up story about the "squatter" house near 52nd and SE Flavel. An owner of a Southeast Portland home put his house up for sale in August after not being able to get squatters off the property. Well, there's good news. Over a month later the house has been sold and the squatters are out. "So I saw it come up on the news and saw that there was kind of a squatter situation," the new owner said. "We saw it as an opportunity to possibly help a homeowner get out of a bad situation." (KOIN.com)
2. Let's hear it for Portland Public Schools! It just announced that 53 schools and programs are offering free breakfast and lunch to every student thanks to the Community Eligibility Provision Program. The school district said in addition to this expansion, the Student Success Act in Oregon has expanded income guidelines that further extend families' access to free meals for their students. (KPTV)
3. Revamped COVID boosters have arrived in Oregon and southwest Washington, but we're also approaching flu season. Now the question is, is it okay for me to get vaccinations for both? This fall, doctors like Dr. Donna Milavetz, the executive medical director for Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, recommend a double dip — rather double prick — of vaccines — both the COVID booster and flu vaccine. "Yes, it's okay to get both. Just one in each arm," Milavetz said. (KGW)
4. It's no news that the Portland housing market makes it tough for renters, but, unfortunately, things may be getting even worse. Oregon renters could face the highest possible maximum increase since the Legislature enacted limits on rent hikes three years ago. Starting Jan. 1, 2023, landlords in Oregon may legally increase rents by up to 14.6%. This year, the cap is 9.9% – marking a 4.7 percentage point jump from one year to the next. The average rent as of Tuesday for a one-bedroom residence in Portland is $1,500 per month. In 2023, the same unit could climb to up to $1,719 monthly (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
5. If you're in Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood, stay alert. A man on a bike has been smashing windshields as people are driving by him. The attacks came out of nowhere, according to victims. Last weekend, Steve Magnuson was driving along SE 49th near Hawthorne, when a man on a bike smashed his windshield — all caught on dashcam. When he contacted police, they say they recognized the suspect, identifying him as 51-year-old Robert Casey McClatchey. (KOIN)

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Today in Portland:

• Have fun and help out a good cause at the Mainspring Community Pantry Fundraiser. Plan to spend a wonderful evening complete with art, a wide variety of delicious cuisines, activities for kids, music, and fantastic entertainment. And to top it off, it wouldn't be a Portland event without including a clothing swap! 5 - 8 p.m.
• Hey, it's another Bollywood Block Party! It's the last one (for the year anyway) and this time it's in St. Johns. With LIVE music, interactive dance lessons & a charismatic host, DJ Prashant, there is something fun for everybody to enjoy at this gathering presented by Dance United. 6 - 8 p.m.
• If you're a fan of the textile arts, the come to the opening reception for Between Now & Nowhere celebrates the work of current TXA residents Loo Bain, Anne Greenwood, and Lyla Rowen. Happening at the MK Gallery in downtown Portland. TC2 jacquard loom textiles were made while in residency at the Icelandic Textile Center and screen prints made during the PSU Textile Residency explore natural processes and our planet in flux. 6 - 8 p.m.
• The El-Kays are playing at Produce Row Café. They're are a transatlantic folk-pop duo based out of Portland. They formed in the midst of the pandemic out of a mutual need to find a new creative outlet after a year of lockdown and play a harmony-laden mix of Americana, folk and indie-pop. 6 - 8 p.m.
• You may not be a doctor, but you can still go to a House Call! HOUSE CALL, presented by Rose City Underground, that is. With Richie STAXX, Kevin Davis, Jr., Gabriel Dellous, Kepi and DJ Samuel Lawrence. The fun starts at 9:30 p.m.

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From my notebook:

• Portland Art Museum: "🦋 COMING NOVEMBER: @pam_cut presents the U.S. premiere of "Symbiosis." One of the first multi-sensory extended reality (XR) experiences, this award-winning installation takes the art of immersive storytelling to a new level. Using virtu..." (Portland Art Museum via Instagram)
• Do you have an interest in mushrooms? Then you should check out Fuse's latest original work at Tryon Life Community Farm. Part variety show, part educational guided tour, part treasure hunt, part opera, part forest-hike, part day-trip, part hero's journey, SHROOM SHOW is the organic and highly nutritious product of months of experimentation and collaboration between a small, evolving cast and a vibrant, ever-expanding production team. Reserve your spot today! (Fuse Theater Ensemble)
• Like the idea of Oktoberfest, but don't want to travel out of town? Maybe you should try Fostoberfest! Shop, eat, and drink on Foster and earn the chance to win prizes! Join them on September 17 as you support local businesses and raffle away over $300 in gift cards. (Foster Area)
• Bryan Fosmire used to be a regular at Oregon's Interactive Museum of Gaming and Puzzlery. Today the 28-year-old mechanical engineer plays games like "Terraforming Mars" at his dining room table in Dundee. But the museum gave him a different, richer place to indulge his love of games. Unfortunately, the museum had to close as part of the statewide pandemic shutdown. Now the museum's collection sits in boxes, packed in multiple storage lockers and homes across Washington County. (OPB)
• Oh, they're so CUTE! Oregon wildlife officials said Tuesday they have identified a new family of wolves in the northern Cascade Mountains, bringing the total number of known wolf groups in the region to three. They were discovered in December on the reservation of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, about 100 miles southeast of Portland. (KATU)
• República is a Mexican restaurant in Portland, Oregon with a menu based on seasonality - dishes that appear one week might soon be gone as the components change. Spend a day behind the scenes with founder and co-owner Angel Medina and see how he and the staff work to be the best "storytellers" of Mexican food they can be, innovating with modern ideas while ensuring the continuity of tradition. (YouTube)

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Thanks for reading and have an awesome Thursday everyone. I'll be doing this again tomorrow, so if you like what you read, come on by.

— 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