🌱 Flood Protection + Evictions Spike + Sex Worker Support

It's a lovely autumn Thursday, my friends, and I'm here to give you the low down on Stumptown. It's a big day, so let me get right into it.

First, today's weather:

Okay, maybe I was exaggerating a little by calling it a lovely day. It'll be overcast early, progressing to rain in the afternoon and a high temp of 48. Brrr!

Here are the top stories in Portland today:

1. Most residents don't know about it yet, but Multnomah County has a new government agency. The Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District was created by the Oregon Legislature and tasked with protecting 13,000 acres within the county. Protect it from what? From the increasing threat of floods. Currently, the levees and pump stations are aging and, in some locations, substandard. In 2025 the district will ask residents to elect the majority of a new board of directors and approve funds to help upgrade the 27-mile levee and 12 pump station system that keeps the Columbia River and Columbia Slough in their banks. (KOIN)
2. The eviction crisis is here and the number of people affected is likely to spike. Becky Straus of the Oregon Law Center says, as more tenants lose their 90-day safe harbor from eviction, the more evictions will be filed in Multnomah County courts. (Willamette Week)
3. Supply chain issues are real and people are starting to feel it. This time, supply chain issues and rising food costs are affecting a local organization that provides food to low income people. Lift UP served more than 12,000 people in 2020. The need is growing, according to the Executive Director Stephanie Barr, and price increases and supply chain issues are making it difficult to meet the need. (KGW.com)
4. Papers have been filed with the Oregon Secretary of State to decriminalize sex work in the state, in an attempt to put the issue before voters in the 2022 election. Those backing the Sex Worker Rights Act say Oregon’s laws that criminalize sex work make it difficult for workers to report rape, harassment and human trafficking to police, fearing they themselves could be arrested. (KATU)
5. Oregon unemployment continues to drop, now returning to pre-pandemic numbers, according to the Oregon Employment Department. “This is an unusually low unemployment rate for Oregon,” the Oregon Employment Department announced Tuesday. “Since 1976, when comparable records began, through October 2016, Oregon’s unemployment rate was never as low as 4.4 percent.”(KPTV)

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Today in Portland:

• Dress For Success Oregon invites you to its Closet Sale Pre-Party happening in NE Portland. Enjoy cans of bubbly provided by House Wine and individually-wrapped charcuterie snacks provided by PDX Platters while you get first pick from The Closet Sale's designer and vintage items, plus access to the entire Closet Sale inventory a day before the Sale officially opens. Get your tickets online. 5:00 - 8:00 PM.
• Get some science in your brain and some beer on your palate at OMSI's Science Pub Portland happening tonight at McMenamin's Kennedy School Theater. The evening's feature will be Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change. Join biologist Thor Hanson as he tells the remarkable story of how plants and animals are responding to climate change: adjusting, evolving, and sometimes dying out. Get your tickets online. 7:00 - 9:00 PM.
• Shake your groove thing with DJ Drew Groove as he spins tunes at the World Famous Kenton Club for Kenton Club a Go-Go! Put your dancing shoes on and get on down to the North Portland for a rockin' good time. 7:00 - 11:00 PM.
• The Soul Restoration Project Albina Arts Salon presents an evening of four short films celebrating music, painting, design, and dance, Salon de Film. The event includes a pre-show talk with the filmmaker, Elijah Hasan, followed by the films. The event is in NE Portland and is free, but online registration is required. 6:30 PM.
• For a music filled evening, head on over to the Goodfoot in SE Portland to catch High Pulp. In just a few short years of existence, this instrumental band has dabbled in everything from avant-garde jazz to beat-driven R&B to psychedelic synthesizer-heavy electronica. Joining them will be All-Star Opera, Charlie Brown and Super Secret Band. Get your tickets online. Doors open at 8:00 PM.

Portland Patch Notebook

• Portland Trail Blazers: "Thoughts on our new City Edition unis?" (Instagram)
• Travel Portland: "Now, this is Mt. Tabor in all its glory! #ThisIsPortland 📷: @gabeleavitt #PDX #PDXNOW #TravelPortland #TravelOregon #PortlandOregon #HereForPortland" (Instagram)
• Oregon Historical Society: "Nuu-k’wii-daa-naa~-ye ‘Our Ancestor,’ a 400-year-old Sitka spruce tree located in Lincoln City, Oregon, was inducted into the Oregon Heritage Tree program in 2020. In lieu of its regular in-person dedications that were cancelled due to t..." (Facebook)
• Happy Birthday to Darcelle, the world's oldest working drag queen! Turning 91, Walter Cole was awarded the Guinness world record back in 2016 when he was just 85. His drag persona Darcelle has become part of Portland, Ore. history. (KATU)
• Portland Audubon is happy to announce the 41st Wild Arts Festival taking place at the Portland State University's Viking Pavilion this weekend. 65 artists and authors will come together for the 41st annual event, all for the benefit of Portland Audubon. Tickets are available online. COVID safety precautions will be in place, so check their website to see what the guidelines are. (Wild Arts Festival)
• With Oregon's increasing worry about more numerous wildfires in its future, we have a woodland friend who may be able to help; the humble beaver. Scientists have long considered the aquatic rodents to be “nature’s engineers,” because they reshape the ecosystem around them into wetlands. But recently scientists have made a new discovery: these beaver wetlands create emerald oases in an otherwise charred landscape, slowing down the spread of wildfires and providing refuges for animals to escape the flames. (OPB)
• Is it too early to start thinking about Santa? Evidently, not for the Oregonian. It’s just released a list of times and places that Portlanders can get their photo op with the jolly, old gent. See all the places that St. Nick will be making an appearance and get your dose of Christmas cheer! (The Oregonian)

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Whew, that's a lot to take in. I hope I've prepared you well for the day. And, if I have, then come on back tomorrow and we'll do it all over again. If you're into these newsletters, consider bringing some of your friends and neighbors into the fold. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— 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? You can reach me at portland@patch.com.