🌱 Even More Needles In Downtown + Tracking Monkeypox In Oregon

Happy Saturday, Portland. You know why I love this city? This is a town where drug users are disposing of their needles responsibly and there are Bollywood dance in the parks. Read on to find out about it.

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First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and pleasant with a high of 80. Ah, the perfect summer day!

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. Portland Clean & Safe, the organization tasked with cleaning up downtown Portland, said the number of needles it's finding is increasing significantly. From thousands of bags of trash picked up to cleaning graffiti tags, Clean & Safe has been busy this past year, especially when it comes to collecting used needles. While staff still sees plenty in gutters and sidewalks, much of those needles are coming from safe syringe drop boxes in downtown hot spots like Bud Clark Commons and 4th and Davis. (KOIN.com)
2. It's a familiar pattern here in Portland. As soon as one homeless camp is swept, another is moving in to take its place. City officials who spoke to KGW said they know that clearing campsites is only a temporary solution. They firmly maintain the position that homelessness is not a crime, but their goal is to minimize urban camping's impact on the community. While any camp can be removed without formal assessment under Mayor Ted Wheeler's emergency declaration, according to the Street Services Coordination Center, most are evaluated under an elaborate list of criteria. (KGW)
3. The man who is accused of hitting a woman in the head with a nearly 35-pound rock in Northeast Portland had been released from a mental health facility shortly before Tuesday’s attack, court records show. The incident happened near Northeast 2nd Avenue and Wasco Street, which is by the Unity Center for Behavioral Health. Court documents show that the suspect, 40-year-old Dwayne Simpson, had been released from the center just before the attack. (KATU)
4. The Oregon Health Department launched a new website on Thursday that tracks cases of monkeypox in the state. That could be of interest to those of us in Portland, since Multnomah County has the majority of monkeypox cases in the state. On Wednesday, it was announced that Oregon health insurers are now required to cover the cost of monkeypox vaccination within Oregon. This announcement follows a “declaration of a disease outbreak” of the virus by OHA. (KPTV)
5. Election reform advocates have filed two ballot initiatives for 2024 that would change voting in state elections from the current first-past-the-post process to what’s called STAR voting. The acronym stands for “score, then automatic runoff.” It’s another version of ranked-choice voting, a concept that both the city of Portland and Multnomah County are considering as part of their charter reform efforts this year. (Willamette Week)

Today in Portland:

• Music Millennium will be throwing their 29th Annual Customer Appreciation Bar-B-Q today. They'll have 6 live performances, complimentary food and beverage and prizes for everyone who spins the Whacky Wheel of Wonder! 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• It's Saturday, so what better time to have a Drunken Night Out at Kelly's Olympian in downtown Portland? No, seriously, this event is called A Drunken Night Out. Drunk Stories, Drunk Comics, and Drunk Audience make this the best comedy party in the country! 9 - 11 p.m.
• It's a summer weekend day, so why not have a massive day party? At The Massive Day Party going on at Division Heights! Featuring Afro-Caribbean, Hip Hop & Latin vibes, tasty cocktails and beautiful energy. The weather is going to be beautiful, so go on out there and have some fun! 3 - 10 p.m.
• Join DJ Prashant and the Jai Ho! Dance Troupe at Laurelhurst Park for an All Ages Interactive Bollywood Party! Teleport to a scene straight out of a lavish Bollywood musical at this interactive dance party set dance music from India by DJ Prashant! 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
• If you want to fill your day with festivals, stop by the 2022 Portland Homowo & Twins Festival at King School Park before going all Bollywood. This harvest festival is celebrated by the Ga people from the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. There will be African drumming and dancing, food, celebration and it's free! 1 - 5 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Portland Audubon: "A random black-necked stilt turned up near the boat launch at Smith & Bybee recently which was surprising because they are more commonly spotted towards the southeastern corner of Oregon during breeding season." (Portland Audubon via Instagram)
• Portland Flea: "Grab all the pups 🐶 and come shop the #PORTLANDFLEA Sunday from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. The temps have finally cooled and we have so many amazing vendors including @oliviafayeco 👆 for the first time! 🌀" (Portland Flea via Instagram)
• Portland Parks & Recreation: "🌞 🛼 Who’s up for skating? 🛼 🌞" (Portland Parks & Recreation via Facebook)
• Portland Art Museum: "Today, Japan celebrates Mountain Day, a public holiday in appreciation of the archipelago’s rugged alpine landscape. Sekino Jun’ichirō’s vision of Mt. Fuji as a massive red apparition looming over Tokyo conveys the power and presence of this immense volcano in the Japanese imagination.." (Portland Art Museum via Facebook)
• The Unipiper: My buddy, The @PortlandSleestak 🦎, is doing his part to Keep Portland Weird and needs your help! He's assembling the Avengers of Portland weirdness for a big adventure, but he can't do it alone. (The Unipiper via Instagram)
• Ah, the TikToks, those things all the kids are doing these days. While I'm still trying to figure out Instagram, these short form videos are taking over the internet. Now, Portland restaurants and food carts are using it to let others know about their Stumptown brand of deliciousness. Here are some of their accounts. (Eater PDX)

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It looks like I'm going to have my hands full with this Saturday. All the fun and partying can big a big responsibility, so I better get right to it. But make no mistake, I'll be back next week to talk about all the goings on here 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