🌱 Eco-Friendly Fred Meyer + Portland Gas Prices Rise

Happy Thursday, Portland! We're racing towards the weekend, but we still have to go through today. Let me tell you all about it.

First, today's weather:

Partly cloudy and cold, and maybe even a chance of snow. The high temp will be a brisk 40.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. There’s a new take on the typical sports bar coming to Northeast Portland and the focus will be on women. Jenny Nguyen is the owner and founder of The Sports Bra, a women's sports bar set to open at Northeast 25th Avenue and Broadway in April. But the witty name isn’t just a play on words. Nguyen said her business isn’t just meant to create fandom around women’s sports, but also to support women in general. (KGW)
2. 25 Portland-area Fred Meyer stores will start selling products from leading consumer brands that are packaged in reusable containers from a company called Loop. This earth-friendly concept is already popular in Europe, but Fred Meyer is the first retailer in the U.S. to launch a pilot program. (KOIN.com)
3. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office filed murder and attempted murder charges Tuesday for the man suspected of shooting five people at a park in Northeast Portland on Saturday night. Benjamin Jeffrey Smith, 43, allegedly confronted participants at a racial justice demonstration Saturday night before pulling out a handgun and shooting multiple people in the crowd, according to witnesses and prosecutors. Brandy “June” Knightly, 60, was killed and four others were injured. (OPB)
4. Portland Public Schools is expecting a big drop in enrollment next year, which may cost the district state dollars and impact staffing in the near future. More than 3,000 students are expected to leave the district next school year, which brings about an 8% drop in enrollment. The district said it's expecting to make a 4% cut to staffing next school year. The district said if it doesn't adjust staffing, the general fund will be in a financial deficit by 2024. (KPTV)
5. The cost of gasoline is causing a pain in the wallet for anyone who has to drive significant miles right now. The average price of a gallon of gas in Multnomah County is $3.928, according to the U.S. National Gas Station Price Heat Map at GasBuddy.com, though prices at many gas stations in Portland are comfortably over $4. What’s going on? The threat of war in Europe, with major oil- and- gas producer Russia on the verge of invading Ukraine, is having an impact on prices. (The Oregonian)

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Today in Portland:

• Join Cameo of Organics x Oddities, Jeannine of Sanctuary Apothecary, and Jackie of ZERO Bullshit! for an evening of herbal basics at Hammer & Stitch Brewing Co. in NW Portland! Learn about a few staple herbs & how to use what you may already have in your kitchen to make your own daily essential products for skincare, healthy hair, and an eco-conscious home. Tickets available online. 6:00 - 8:00 PM.
• Tonight is opening night for Pulp Fiction, the Musical Parody, going on at the Funhouse Lounge in SE Portland. Based on the smash 1994 Quentin Tarantino film, “Pulp Fiction, the Musical Parody” is chock full of all the things you want in a musical: blood, guts, violence, non-linear storytelling, sex, drugs, fixed fights, dead body disposal, the gimp, a mysterious briefcase and a wristwatch that makes a dark journey down through the generations. Tickets available online. Doors open at 6:30 PM.
• Chamber Music Northwest presents the online event AT-HOME: Jeremy Denk: Bach's Journey of Wonder. One of America’s foremost pianists, who possesses a “profound affinity with Bach” (The New York Times), Denk takes on Bach’s mesmerizing The Well-Tempered Clavier — one of his most beautiful and difficult works. This revered masterpiece, deemed the crowning jewel of the Baroque era, strolls and stretches its preludes and fugues across every key signature possible. Get your ticket online. 7:30 PM.
• It's the Juicy Jam at Parker's Hideout in SE Portland. The Juicy Jam’s only goal is to jam, and The Juicy Jam’s only rule is no covers. Instrumentalists can blast off on space jams and be the backing band to songwriters from all over the place! Songwriters can find their band and explore new material in an environment that’s soaking wet with excitement! This delicious Juicy Jam is brought to you by Sweet N’ Juicy, Portland’s only fruit band! 7:00 PM to midnight.
• It's PDX Gaymers Board Game Night at the Lucky Lab in NW Portland. There will be games to play, but you are welcome to bring your own. A Gaymer is anyone in the LGBTQ+ community who plays games, but their meetups are open to everyone. The fun starts at 6:30 PM.

From my notebook:

• Portland Trail Blazers: "We love making threes & planting trees 🌲" (Instagram)
• PORTLAND: "With bright murals all around the city, @jahdi_ (pronounced “Jedi”) hopes to bring positive energy and relief to Portlanders during this time through his artwork. 🎨 “The world is hard on a lot of people and just the sight of a gorgeous..." (Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "You may be eager to prune and clean up your yard but, if possible, it’s best to delay that for a little while longer, as early nesters are setting up shop and you may unintentionally cut down a nest! Also, hundreds of species of arthrop..." (Instagram)
• Portland Parks & Recreation: "East Portland Community Center and Mt. Scott Community Center will serve Portlanders as emergency cold weather shelters beginning at 8:00 pm on Tuesday, February 22, through Wednesday, February 23 at 10:00 am - or as long as conditions dic..." (Facebook)
• If you're into cars, you should know that the 112th Annual Portland International Auto Show returns to the Oregon Convention Center this weekend. With more than 350,000 square feet of exhibit space you will find hundreds of vehicles from 22 manufacturers, the latest in car design and technology plus exotics from around the world. Get behind the wheel in one of their many Ride & Drives, watch live custom car builds, and explore the latest advancements in electric vehicles. (Portland International Auto Show)
• Cars not your thing? How about fiber? the Rose City Yarn Crawl is happening this weekend. An annual Portland experience, the Rose City Yarn Crawl is an event for fiber enthusiasts — knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, and felters — to explore the many shops in and around Portland, Oregon! 2022 will mark their 13th year of celebrating Portland as a yarn and fiber destination. (Rose City Yarn Crawl)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll see you soon!

— 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.