🌱Thompson Elk Fountain To Return+ Portland Report On Gun Violence

Happy Wednesday, Portland! Spring is in full bloom and I'm as happy as a Blue Jay! Are they happy? I'm no specialist in avian emotions, so let me stick to what I know and talk about Portland.

First, today's weather:

We've got a splendid day ahead. No rain, mostly sun and a high of 62.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. The Portland Parks Foundation will commission a design and feasibility study for returning the Thompson Elk Fountain to its location downtown. PPF said it will hire a team with experience in architectural restoration, stone carving and masonry and traffic engineering. It said the study is made possible by an anonymous donor. The Portland Bureau of Transportation released a plan in March to return the elk to its home. The plan included a new, smaller base to help support modern traffic in the area. PPF said many community members expressed strong objections to the plan because it did not include a fountain. (Fox 12 Oregon)
2. After a period of confusion, a revised economic report confirms the loss of single-family, detached rental houses in Portland and the larger metropolitan region. If fact, the revised report says that nearly six times more rental houses were lost between 2015 and 2020 than the original report claimed. Both reports were prepared by the ECONorthwest economic consulting firm for Oregon real estate professionals and Multifamily Northwest, which represents landlords. (KOIN.com)
3. Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the role public health officials play in Oregon. But a new report released this week says the state’s 32 county-based health agencies are facing a staffing crisis. The study found Oregon’s licensing system makes it difficult for nurses from other states to come here to work. An even bigger problem: Public agencies have to compete directly with private health care providers who can pay their employees much more. Starting pay for nurses, for example, is less than $30 an hour at public health agencies, a fraction of what they can make at hospitals. (Willamette Week)
4. Nike co-founder Phil Knight is once again picking favorites in Oregon politics, this time in the highly competitive 2022 race for governor – and putting up major money to back up his choice. On Friday, records show Knight contributed $750,000 to the campaign of former Democratic state Sen. Betsy Johnson, who has left the party to run as an unaffiliated candidate. Combined with a previous $250,000 donation, Knight has now given $1 million to Johnson’s attempt to become the first governor not associated with a political party in nearly a century. (OPB)
5. A woman was shot and killed around 1 a.m. Monday near the corner of Southwest 6th and College at Portland State University. The victim is one of more than 22 people to lose their life to gun violence in Portland since the start of the year. "When we lose a life or shots have been fired or any violence occurs that impacts these neighborhoods I feel morally and ethically responsible for those items," Mike Myers said. Myers oversees the Portland Community Safety Division. He said despite the more than 400 shootings in the first few months of 2022, the city is doing a lot to end gun violence, outlined in the safety division's first annual report. (KGW.com)

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Today in Portland:

• If you're interested in supporting the flora and fauna in your own backyard, then you may be interested in Portland Audubon's online class Mason Bee Care and Hosting with Janet Gifford. Native, non-stinging Mason bees are pollinators of early-spring blooming trees, shrubs, and berries. They are easy to care for and benefit from human hosts who provide them with a nesting home in which to raise their young. Your garden will increase its flowering and fruiting, and its support of native birds and many pollinators, as it benefits from the pollination provided by Mason bees. Get your tickets online. 6:00 - 7:00 PM.
• Fans of Comedy and Star Trek should check out The Greatest Generation: The Double Dumbass Tour at the Alberta Rose Theater. The Greatest Generation, the comedy Star Trek podcast you love to be a little bit embarrassed to love! This year they’re on tour with their comedic review of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, bringing their unique blend of comedy and cinematic insight to the Star Trek film with the whales in it. Tickets available online. Doors open at 7:00 PM.
• The Church of Film and the Clinton Street Theater present THE FERN FLOWER: A Collection of Ukrainian Animation. From witchy Gogol adaptations, sinisterly psychedelic Alice in Wonderland serials and cigarette ads, to surrealist parables, antifascist poems, and even Stephen King (!), Ukrainian animators rebuilt their industry after the second world war and made Kievnauchfilm one of the most distinguished animation studios in the world. Showtime is 8:00 PM.
• Raven's Manor is excited to host another magic show by The Historical Conjurer at the Manor! Come in tonight for a magical night of spooky cocktails and a show you won’t forget! Raven's Manor is a haunted mansion themed cocktail lounge. Haunt fan or not, you are sure to have a blast with our menu of amazing and spooky themed cocktails and shots. Come by and check out our awe inducing interactive mixology experience! Early show sold out; late show at 9:00 PM.
• For a delightfully literary evening, join Literary Arts for its One Page Read. Here is an opportunity to share or listen to one page of work in progress from talented writers from everywhere. Come with a single page of work and sign up to read – or come to listen and prepare to be inspired! This month’s featured reader is Kimberly King Parsons. Register online for this virtual event. 6:30 - 8:00 PM.

From my notebook:

• Throughout the 2022 election, KATU News is helping you “Know Your Candidates” with a series of interviews with people who will appear on your ballot. They are asking local candidates running for the same office the same series of questions, so you can compare their answers. Candidates were given approximately seven minutes to answer seven questions. Some candidates chose to spend longer on some questions and so did not answer all of them on camera. But after the interviews, KATU sent the candidates the seven questions and five additional ones for them to answer with no word limit. If they have submitted answers, their responses appear below. Watch the interview with Lori Stegmann below. (KATU)
• Portland Monthly brings you An Opinionated Guide to Portland’s Best Bakeries! For months, they visited dozens of bakeries in the city to find the best of the best, with a focus on breakfast pastries, plus shoutouts to excellent desserts and breads. What they looked for: superior craft, creativity, going the distance, surprises, and the little personal touches that can elevate the ordinary to something special. Some places had notable weak spots but enough note-worthy finds to still crack the list. (Portland Monthly)
• As Portlanders wrung their hands about the condition of city streets, something odd happened last year: The metro-area economy boomed. The combined Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro area saw job growth of 6.2% during 2021. That’s the 10th-fastest recovery among the 50 largest U.S. metro regions, state economist Christian Kaylor tweeted last week, citing new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Willamette Week)
• I know you've heard of the Naked Bike Ride in Portland, but have you heard of the decidedly British Tweed Ride? Every year since 2010, Portland cyclists have taken to the streets donning their finest patterned wool apparel to participate in the Tweed Ride. This annual celebration of cycling from a bygone era has been on hiatus since the pandemic, but it was back this year, and was a jolly good time indeed. The idea for a tweed-themed bike ride came from the Brits, who held their first ‘Tweed Run’ in London in 2009. Anglophiles across the pond were compelled by the idea, and it took off in Portland the next year. 2010 may have been the height of late-aughts Portland hipsterdom, so fully embracing handlebar mustaches and pageboy caps was really just a natural step for the city’s cyclists to take. (Bike Portland)
• This is about the time of year that swallows are returning en masse and one that usually gets lost in the shuffle is the Northern Rough-winged Swallow since it doesn’t stand out amongst the more colorful swallow species it migrates with. (Portland Audubon)

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Wow, that's quite a bit for a Wednesday, but it's just a standard day here in Rip City. Have fun, people, and remember to meet me back here tomorrow for more news of our favorite city.

— 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.