🌱 COVID Miscount+Portland Safety+I-5 Bridge Plans

It's the Weekend, peeps! That means it's time to par-tay! And what more could we ask, but be spending the weekend in the greatest city on Earth? There's so much to do around here, so I won't waste your time and get right into it.

First, today's weather:

Mostly rain today, but it will clear up later in the day. The high temp will be around 56.

Here are the top stories in Portland today:

1. In a classic case of "it's even worse than you thought" a computer glitch has caused an under counting of the COVID-19 death toll in Oregon. The Oregon Health Authority say that in the next few weeks they will be adding approximately 550 more COVID-19 related deaths to the state's total. (Portland Patch)
2. Several industries are facing a staffing shortage due to the COVID vaccine mandate. Now we're hearing cries of alarm from the Portland Firefighters' Association. Portland Airport Fire & Rescue, run by the Port of Portland, is down one-third of its members, from 41 to 27. All 14 of the firefighters currently on leave are unvaccinated, and although they were granted religious exceptions, the Port said it cannot accommodate those firefighters. (KGW)
3. 'Building Bridges Summit' brought community members and law enforcement together to discuss public safety in the Portland metro area. Members of the community from Portland, Lake Oswego and Hillsboro and law enforcement took part in a virtual town hall Thursday night to discuss those very issues. (KOIN)
4. If you think that crime is on the rise in Portland, you'd be right. And not just the gun violence that's been grabbing headlines, but petty crimes as well. Overall, the Portland Police Bureau said that reports of property crime have gone up about 5% this year compared to last and is up nearly 7% since 2019. (KPTV)
5. City and transportation department officials from Portland and Vancouver got a first look at the possible designs for the proposed Interstate 5 bridge replacement this week. In 2019, Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Washington Governor Jay Inslee revived the bridge replacement project, citing the need to address the seismic instability of the bridge, as well as improve traffic flow. The project now has a new name: the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR). (Portland Mercury)

Today in Portland:

• The Smut City Jellyroll Society will be playing at the Alberta Street Pub in NE Portland. The Smut City Jellyroll Society is a wild and crazy bunch of fun loving musicians playing blues and early jazz from the 1920’s and 1930’s. With a unique sound somewhere between ragtime blues, early jazz and jugband music, the Jellyroll Society keeps it loose and lively with a driving syncopated swing that gets the dancers out on the floor. Tickets available online. Show starts at noon.
• In an event that is incredibly seasonal, there will be a Foster Rd. Halloween Zombie Crawl going on today. This is a bar crawl and film shoot. Meet at 7325 SE Mitchell Ct. Portland 97206 for Zombie makeup at 1:30pm. They will film some scenes and hit up the first bar. This pattern will be repeated throughout the event. Head back to meet up place to clean off. There is a need for vaccinated volunteers for this event. This will be happening rain or shine. 1:30 - 7:00 PM.
• You may have heard the news about Portland musician Ian Mouser, who was struck and killed by the driver of a pickup truck while bicycling on a rural highway east of Phoenix, Arizona. There will be a community sing-along in his honor today at Laurelhurst Park in SE Portland. Friends of Ian invite the community to join in a city-wide singing of “Let It Be” in his honor on the day he was hoping to complete the ride, Saturday, 10/23. Optional bike ride starts at My Voice Music at 6:00 PM, candlelight communal sing-along happens at 6:30 PM.
• Middle East meets Prog Rock with the group Ritim Egzotik performing tonight at Moore Food & CO. in SE Portland. The band will be performing with Henna, a favorite in the west coast belly dance scene. They'll be playing at the beautiful outdoor patio of Moore Food Cart, a wonderful back alley hideaway off of SE Division Street. Their specialty is Philly cheesesteaks and they offer beer, wine and cider, so bring your empty stomach and open ears! 7:30 - 10:00 PM.
• Marvel Years and Maddy O'Neil will be performing at the Star Theater in downtown Portland. Cory Wythe, the producer and guitarist better known as Marvel Years, has found a welcome place for himself within the increasingly popular glitch-hop / electro-soul dance music scene. "When you hear Maddy O'Neal, you know it's Maddy O'Neal" and the more you get to know her, the more you realize this is something different. Get your tickets online. Doors open at 8:00 PM.

Portland Patch Notebook

• Portland's reputation has definitely fallen of late, but there are still a few of us who pay homage to this city. Leave it to Kaia Sands of Street Roots to pen an editorial of praise for our beloved Stumptown. We're all facing some tough times, but there is still love to be had for the city we call home. (Street Roots)
• The Portland Trailblazers have been a part of Portland for over 50 years now and are part of the city's identity as much as Forest Park and the Steel Bridge. We celebrate players such as Bill Walton and Clyde Drexler as representatives of the City of Roses. We have also accepted current member Damian Lillard as another icon of our city and we are proud to have him now be recognized, by the NBA, as one of the top 75 player of all-time. Not sure as to how this latest season is going to go, but I'm a Blazers fan for all time. (NBA)
• Not many people know of this band, but Tinariwen are playing at the Aladdin tonight. I didn't include it in may events sections because A) tickets are over $100 and I try to keep the events I list pretty approachable and B) they are likely sold out. That being said, they are phenomenal and I just wanted to let people know about them. So, yeah, check them out. (YouTube)
• The pandemic and social distancing has made me feel that I have lost touch with a lot of Portland, so I appreciate anything that can bring back my memories of "the good old days". Here is a time lapse video of Portland at night. Enjoy! (YouTube)

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That's your Saturday, so go on now and get on with your weekend. May it be filled with all the fun imaginable. I'll be back with you next week telling you sorts of juicy stuff about our favorite city, Portland. If you're into these newsletters, consider bringing some more friends and neighbors on board. 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? Reach out anytime to portland@patch.com.