🌱 Fake Home Rental Scams + Northwest Portland Synagogue Vandalized

Happy Star Wars Day, my fellow nerf herders! May the 4th be with you. Let me fill you in on what the day brings and I promise, no jedi mind tricks.

First, today's weather:

It's a partly cloudy day today with a high of 70. Awesome!

Here are the top stories in Portland today:

1. Scammers are trying to take advantage of people looking for rentals. It’s often happening through Craigslist. “It was amazing,” Tuong Nguyen said. “They took all the pictures from our realtor’s posting and they just added their own words. They basically said in their words that they want to sell the home, but if they found good renters, then they’re willing to rent cheap.” Nguyen recently put his southeast Portland home on the market to sell, only to see the listing pop up on Craigslist as well. He only found out about it thanks to some surprise visitors. (Fox 12 Oregon)
2. NW Natural customers are in for bigger bills come Nov. 1. The utility has proposed a rate hike, but advocates for the millions of residential customers are pushing back. When a utility company wants to increase its rates, they go before Oregon's Public Utility Commission to explain why customers should pay more for the service. Sometimes, advocates say, those rate increases are justified because you want systems to run smoothly and work for everyone all the time, so upgrades and improvements can be necessary. However, sometimes intervenors — like the Oregon Citizens' Utility Board (CUB)— take issue with some of the requests and fight back on behalf of customers. (KGW)
3. A sanctioned homeless village in Portland is dealing with construction companies illegally dumping trash at the site, according to those who live at the village. Metro and those who live at Dignity Village are working long hours to clean it all up, but they told KGW the problem just keeps getting worse. "It's ugly and I hate it. I hate driving by all the mess," said Lisa Larson, Dignity Village's outreach coordinator. Dignity Village is a self-governed homeless community that's been here for two decades. (KGW.com)
4. Portland police and the FBI were looking for the person or people responsible for vandalizing Congregation Beth Israel in northwest Portland, police said. The attack happened sometime Sunday or early Monday morning. People arriving at work on Monday discovered what was left of a small fire outside the building as well antisemitic graffiti on the side of the building, according to police. The grafitti contained a threat and used the German word for Jews. (Portland Patch)
5. It’s been five years since the city of Portland organized its first week of events aimed at increasing awareness of the high rates at which Indigenous people are murdered or go missing in Oregon and nationwide. Despite some changes to address the problem at the local, state and federal levels since then, the problem persists, said Laura John, the city’s tribal relations director. Now the city is hosting its fifth year of events to continue raising awareness while shifting the conversation toward intervention and prevention. (OregonLive)

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Today in Portland:

• In celebration of Star Wars Day, Kelly's Brewery in downtown Portland is hosting a Star Wars Trivia Night. This event is a fundraiser for ORSU Women's Premier League. Teams must have a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 people. Tickets available online. Doors open at 6:00 PM.
• The Music of Cream, featuring family members Kofi Baker (Ginger Baker's son) and Will Johns (Eric Clapton's nephew), will be performing at the Mission Theater in NW Portland. Honoring the original band's landmark album Disraeli Gears, this will be performed in its entirety during the first set, followed by a second set of additional hits and rarities from Eric Clapton, Blind Faith and Cream. Get your tickets online. Doors open at 7:00 PM.
• OHSU presents the online presentation Watching the Fetal Brain Develop: Can MRI Help Predict Neurological Disorders? "In the second half of pregnancy, the brain of a fetus grows dramatically. During this time the outer surface changes from smooth to the folded, wrinkled appearance we typically associate with brains. Meanwhile, the cells inside the brain are growing, dividing and changing shapes. Is there a connection between these two processes and could such a link help determine whether a person develops a neurological disorder?" Christopher Kroenke, Ph.D., professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at OHSU, will share his research using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to observe fetal brain growth and cell changes. Register to receive the live-stream link. The talk is at 12 noon.
• July Talk will be at Polaris Hall in North Portland. July Talk stormed the airwaves with the flinty radio-ready rock of their debut and the volatile siren songs of Touch, with its saw-toothed pop + convulsing tension. For album three, the band cracks their equilibrium open to find a thrilling new balance in asymmetry. Also performing will be New York punk rock/art pop songwriter Shilpa Ray. Tickets available online. Doors open at 7:00 PM.
• May the 4th be with you! Celebrate Star Wars Day and come Pour Some Space In Your Face at the Ecliptic Brewing Moon Room! Star Wars Themed Trivia hosted by Geeks Who Drink. The quiz is free to play, with prize giveaways for answering bonus questions, and gift cards for the top teams at the end of the night. Come dressed in your best Star Wars look for a chance to be the winner of their costume contest and a $50 Ecliptic giftcard! Trivia starts at 6:00 PM.

From my notebook:

• Two days before this month’s primary election, old friends and staff to Bud Clark plan to hold a “remembrance and call for civic commitment” to honor the beloved former mayor, who ran Portland from 1985 to 1992. The event will be held May 15 at Pioneer Courthouse Square. The Mel Brown Quartet, MarchFourth Marching Band, Thomas Lauderdale, Kathleen Saadat, and the Portland Youth Philharmonic will appear. Salt & Straw will serve ice cream. (Willamette Week)
• Take a look at transit-oriented developments (TODs) from Portland, Oregon to Arlington, Virginia to learn why they may be one of the best ways to curb traffic and GHG emissions. This video looks at the present and future of Portland's rail system. (Nebula)
• Sue Mach and musician Bill Wadhams are forging ahead on a play about Clackamas County's Vortex I, the famous music festival in 1970. Pres. Richard M. Nixon was scheduled to speak at an American Legion gathering in downtown Portland, shortly after several protesters had been injured in an event at Portland State University. Gov. Tom McCall, a Republican, wanted to avoid the violence another clash would bring. So, he allowed organizers to plan and stage a Woodstock-style music festival at Milo McIver State Park in Estacada — far away from downtown — with booze, pot and drugs and nudity permitted. It was called Vortex I: A Biodegradable Festival of Life. (Pamplin Media)
• The first contested race for Multnomah County sheriff since 2010 will be one for the books, with both leading candidates standing to make history if elected, becoming either the county’s first elected Black or female sheriff. Multnomah County’s first and only Black sheriff, Lee Brown, was appointed to the position in 1975 and served for less than two years. There have been no female sheriffs in county history. Captain Derrick Peterson and Undersheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell, who both have decades of experience in the sheriff’s office, are running to succeed Sheriff Mike Reese, who cannot run for reelection due to term limits. (The Oregonian)
• The Democratic primary in the race for Oregon’s new 6th Congressional District is shaping up to be one of the more intriguing — and most expensive — contests in the 2022 cycle. The field features nine candidates spanning the spectrum of political experience. Not all of them live within the new district the state was awarded following the 2020 U.S. Census. Federal law says members of Congress must live in the state they represent, but not in their district. The 6th District contains all of Polk and Yamhill counties, and pieces of Marion, Washington and Clackamas counties. It encompasses the cities of Woodburn and Salem, as well as Wilsonville, Sherwood, Tualatin, Tigard and part of Beaverton. (OPB)
• During his decade-long stint at downtown’s Clyde Common and Pépé le Moko, bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler and his team won numerous accolades, including seven nominations for the James Beard Outstanding Bar Program. With drinks like the Bourbon Renewal and barrel-aged negroni, Morgenthaler helped develop Portland as a renowned cocktail destination. But despite its lauded status and wild popularity, Clyde Common was unable to weather the pandemic, and officially, permanently closed its doors earlier this year. Now, as the Oregonian first reported, Morgenthaler is back—along with his longtime bar partner Benjamin “Banjo” Amberg. Morgenthaler is gearing up to open his own bar. Pacific Standard will open in early June in the spacious and stylish lobby of the Scandinavian hotel KEX. (PDX Eater)

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There's your Wednesday, Portland. Sounds like a day that would make even a Sith happy. Take your fun where you find it and meet me back here tomorrow as I share more news of 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