🌱 Gas Prices Continue To Rise + Increase In COVID-19 Cases

We're back for a new week of fun here in the Rose City. Let me give you the low down on the day.

First, today's weather:

We've got a warm one today. Lots of clouds, but a high of 76.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. Gas prices continue to rise! This is happening nationwide, but Portlanders are feeling the price gouge a bit more than most. According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of gas was $4.76 on Friday. The average price in the state of Oregon, however, was $5.32 and some gas stations in Northwest Portland and downtown have begun to charge $6.19 a gallon. Experts expect the gas prices to continue to go up across the country. (KPTV)
2. With the increasing incidence of wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, many Portland residents have become worried about a fire in Forest Park. And no one is more worried than the people whose homes are nestled in or near the park. Some neighborhoods have begun to organize into what are called “firewise communities.” Kim Kosmas, senior public education officer for the Portland Bureau of Fire and Rescue, has been helping firewise volunteers educate their neighbors about what they can do on their own properties to help reduce the spread of wildfire. (OPB)
3. Twelve years ago, Kyron Horman disappeared from his elementary school in Northwest Portland. Then seven years old, Kyron was last seen at Skyline Elementary on June 4, 2010. The last person to see him alive was his stepmother, Terri Moulton, also known as Terri Horman. She said she dropped him off at school. He is still missing and no one has ever been charged in the case. On Saturday, authorities released an age progression photo of Kyron. If you recognize him or have any information, call police. (KATU)
4. Climate activists rallied against Zenith Energy in Northwest Portland on Saturday, calling for an end to the company’s transport of oil through the city. The protest, which took place at the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub along the Willamette River, was held six years after a train derailed in Mosier in the Columbia River Gorge, spilling thousands of gallons of crude oil, igniting and filling the sky with black acrid smoke. (KOIN.com)
5. COVID-19 continues to sicken hundreds of people every day in Oregon, though fewer people need intensive care, according to the Oregon Health Authority. "Unlike every other past surge, we are not seeing significant increases of people in the ICU and especially (on) ventilators," Patrick Allen, director of the health authority, told a state House committee on Friday. While cases of severe illness are not spiking, long COVID continues to affect hundreds of thousands of Oregonians, according to Dr. Eric Herman, OHSU's chief primary care and population health officer. (Portland Patch)

Today in Portland:

• It's Trivia Night at the 4th Wall! From the show's fan-favorite characters to its creatures, lines, and lore, celebrate your fave moments of Avatar: The Last Airbender with five rounds of themed trivia! Free to play! Winning team gets a $15 gift certificate.7 - 9 p.m.
• At tonight's OMSI Science Pub it's The Science of Health and Happiness with Iris Schrijver, MD, Adjunct Clinical Professor of Pathology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. In this talk, lifestyle medicine physician Iris Schrijver presents a journey of discovery that includes a realistic look at the evidence of biological, psychological, and cultural determinants of health. It provides a key to understanding how we can all improve and support our health to thrive in any phase of life. Tickets available online. 7 - 9 p.m.
• Helium Comedy Club presents YouTube personality Ed Bassmaster. His YouTube channel runs comedy videos where he pranks people or puts people into awkward situations while playing various characters. Bassmaster was also the star of the CMT reality-prank series, "The Ed Bassmaster Show." Get your tickets online. Showtime is 7:15 p.m.
• Join Portland Center Stage at the Armory for an evening of bold and brilliant new plays written by students from their Teen Academy and Young Playwrights program. This event will feature readings of short scripts by students from Alliance at Meek High School, McDaniel High School, Roosevelt High School, Mt. Scott Learning Center, Glencoe High School, Fort Vancouver High School, and the 2021-2022 Teen Academy. And it's free, so how can you go wrong? 7 - 9 p.m.
• Bridge City 4 will be performing at Nordia House in SW Portland. Bridge City 4 is a Portland-based multi-stylistic string quartet founded in 2017, The quartet is composed of violinists Greg Ewer and Ling Ling Huang, violist Kim Mai Nguyen, and cellist Avery Waite. Get your tickets online. Doors open at 6 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Portland Art Museum: "Sunday, June 5: Tickets are sold out to Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism. General admission tickets to all other areas of the museum are still available." (Portland Art Museum via Instagram)
• It's Margarita Week in Portland! Portland's favorite bars and restaurants come together once more to enjoy cocktails and community, all while raising money for a good cause. This year that good cause is El Patojismo, founded by Juan Pablo Romero in Guatemala to provide a safe and inclusive space for local youth to learn and grow. So get out there and have a drink for charity. Cheers! (Portland Margarita Week)
• The Starlight Parade returned to the streets of Portland this past weekend, after a 3-year hiatus due to the pandemic. If you didn't get around to seeing it, Fox 12 Oregon was there to film a bit of it and interview excited spectators. (YouTube)
• A new study ranks Portland among the Top three cities friendly to same-sex couples. June is Pride Month and FinanceBuzz analyzed 50 of the United States’ major cities to find which had the highest concentration of same-sex couples per 1,000 households. They it compared this data against how long married couples stay in their respective cities, divorced couples per capita, and even the number of romantic restaurants per capita to give each city an overall ranking. While San Francisco took the top spot, Portland came in third place, with 16.8 same sex couples per 1,000 households. The national average is 8.96. (KPTV)
• PortlandAudubon : It's a pretty impressive skill to be able to identify birds by sound rather than sight. If you're interested in honing your birding by ear skills, we have a two-part field class coming up on June 16 and 30. You’ll get to know the songs and calls of resident and migrant songbirds such as song sparrow, Bewick’s wren, American robin, black-headed grosbeak, common yellowthroat and Swainson’s thrush. (Instagram)

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There's your Tuesday, folks. You have yourself a fine day and meet me back here tomorrow so I can share more news about 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