🌱Fight Against Charter Reform Has Begun + Security Guards Attacked

Hey, my friends, we've got another Thursday up in this joint. And a First Thursday, at that. Time to satisfy those art cravings. Here's what else is going on today.

First, today's weather:

It's going to be an overcast day, though we may get some sun breaks in the afternoon. We'll have a high temp of 77.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. Last month, after a year and a half of work, the Charter Commission issued its recommendations for a new form of city government in a single ballot measure and we will all get to vote on it this November. Unfortunately, many of those in Portland's government are unhappy with the proposed changes and have already begun preparing to fight the measure. It’s become a flashpoint for Portland’s deep disagreements about whom the city should represent and what its core values are. (Willamette Week)
2. If you park your car in Portland, you may be paying a little extra for the privilege. Portland Bureau of Transportation's (PBOT) is tacking on a 20-cent fee to parking meters, called the parking climate and equitable mobility transaction fee. According to the city of Portland, the fee will send a price signal about the externalized costs of driving (including greenhouse gas emissions, traffic congestion and use of roadway space) and support investments that advance climate and equity goals. (KATU)
3. Residents at a North Portland apartment building said they feel trapped as people living on the streets repeatedly break into their building. Those who spoke to KGW said they can't afford to move out. Tenants at the Kentwood Apartments on North Kilpatrick Street said the break-ins are making them feel unsafe. “They are shooting up in the common bathrooms. They're using the kitchens. They're sleeping on the stairs. They're bringing their animals in,” said Esperanza Bohorquez, who has lived in the building for about two years. (KGW)
4. Oregon voters will have an opportunity to change the state constitution in November in order to discourage legislative walkouts that have become an increasingly prominent feature of state politics. Under initiative petition 14, nicknamed “Legislative Accountability 1″ by supporters, lawmakers would be barred from seeking re-election if they have 10 or more unexcused absences in a given legislative session. Republicans fled the state in 2019 and again in 2020 in order to block a bill that could have capped greenhouse gas emissions in the state, ultimately dooming the proposal. Gov. Kate Brown responded by taking executive action instead. (OPB)
5. Last week I linked to an article about a security guard being shot in an attack, but this is no isolated incident. A guard with Eclipse Security Professionals was working in NE Portland near Legacy Emanuel around 4 a.m. Sunday when he was targeted by a gunman getting out of a parked car. The incident is just one in a string of recent attacks on guards. In early May, Sircharles Marc Anthony Jones, a guard working the South Waterfront, was shot and killed in his vehicle. In April, a gun was pulled on a security guard at the Troutdale Outlet Mall by a group of shoplifters. In March, a security guard in Old Town was stabbed in the head. (KOIN)

Today in Portland:

• It's another First Thursday, the celebration of all things artful in downtown Portland. Check out the galleries, listen to some great street music and give some well-deserved attention to our local artists. City blocks are closed off in NW Portland on 13th street between Hoyt and Kearney. Get out there and see your fellow humans. 5 - 10 p.m.
• All you Shakespeare lovers should head over to Laurelhurst Park for another performance from perennial bard fans the Original Practice Shakespeare Festival. Tonight's play? Measure for Measure! Lord Angelo takes over Vienna while the Duke's in disguise, and sentences Claudio to death for an out-of-wedlock tryst. Nun-in-training Isabella, Claudio's sister, begs Angelo for mercy and gets propositioned. Plus, a bedroom switcheroo! Showtime is 7 p.m.
• Do you feel like dancing? If so, you may wish to go to the Oaks Park Dance Pavilion for their Weekly Dance Lesson & Social Dance. If you are looking to learn to dance, or you already know how to dance, this is the place for you! You will learn the country two-step, nightclub two-step, cha-cha, waltz, west coast swing, east coast swing, and more! This is a free event, so what do you have to lose? 7 - 11 p.m.
• Tonight at The Fixin' To in North Portland is a Surfin' Garage Hootenanny with Surfer Joe! Surfer Joe represents the true, authentic side of surf music, carrying on the legacy of the original Californian bands of the early 60's with their sound and energy, but of course showcasing his own style. Tickets available online. Showtime is 8 p.m.
• See A Town Called Home (Album Release Show) with El Gringo Mariachi Trio at the Landmark Saloon. Led by multi-instrumentalists Howdy and Marilyn Darrell, A Town Called Home weaves together close heartfelt harmonies, driving rhythms, and an authentic down-home approach to their own cut of Americana music that merges deep Texas roots with a West coast vibe. El Gringo Mariachi blends Americana with traditional Spanish Music and Rock N Roll and delivers an energy driven show that will leave you howling at the moon. Showtime is 8 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Travel Portland: "Don't miss this year's @TheBigFloat, which will be the last one ever! This Sunday's parade/float/beach party in downtown Portland is a celebration of the Willamette River. It benefits the Human Access Project, a local nonprofit dedicated..." (Travel Portland via Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "Bobolinks change all their feathers twice a year on the wintering and breeding grounds so the males spend a large chunk of the year incognito. Once the pale yellow tips of their winter plumage wear off, the more recognizable and striking." (Portland Audubon via Instagram)
• Portland may have banned fireworks for the Fourth of July, but, boy oh boy, did we set a lot of them off. How many, you may ask? The combination of Portland’s scofflaw pyrotechnics and its authorized displays produced enough smoke to trigger an atmospheric measurement that meteorologists say they “haven’t ever noticed before.” Starting at 11:45 p.m. Monday, there was a two-hour period of “higher reflectivity” over downtown and North Portland, according to the local office of the National Weather Service. Reflectivity, measured in decibels, is the amount of electromagnetic pulse bounced back to a radar after hitting matter in the atmosphere. (Willamette Week)
• Portland has jazz clubs, blues bars and punk rock venues; now we're getting something new. Enter: Mendelssohn’s, Portland’s first classical music-themed bar. Located on N. Mississippi Ave in the building that whiskey bar Sidecar 11 once called home, it will feature live chamber music three nights a week, to be enjoyed alongside classic cocktails in a carefully curated — yet casual — environment. There's even going to be a monthly opera karaoke — or “Operoke”—night, featuring live accompanists, though I can't imagine what that will be like. It would be pretty impressive to see some stranger get up and just belt out an aria out of the blue. (PDX Monthly)
• Don’t run onto the field in Portland or a Pickle Mascot might wreck you! Streaking at a baseball game is not advised for any number of reasons, but that seems to be especially the case at the home of the Portland Pickles of the West Coast League. (Bleacher Nation)
• When we talk about homelessness in the Northwest, the numbers are staggering — thousands of people living on the streets. Many are disconnected from family and friends who are desperately searching for them. Portland police tell KATU they get emails from around the country asking about missing people who may or may not be homeless. But they say they are critically short-staffed, so they prioritize people who are endangered. Even if they do find someone who's been reported missing, they let them choose if they want to contact whoever's looking for them. (KATU)

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Wow, that's one busy Thursday! With so much going on, I'm sure you'll find something fun to do. But don't forget to meet me back here tomorrow, so I can tell you 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