🌱 Harmful Debt Collection + Moda Gets Behind Kotek

Happy Friday, Everyone! The end of the week always makes me feel energized and warm inside. Oh, wait, that's my coffee. Well, let's see what the day brings.

First, today's weather:

Cloudy skies with a few showers later in the day and a high 47.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. Unless an agreement is reached before then, roughly 1,200 city workers represented by the District Council of Trade Unions (DCTU) will go on strike at 9 a.m. Feb. 10, union leaders announced at a Jan. 27 rally. A strike solidarity fund is raising money to support the workers. DCTU, which bargains on behalf of city workers in six trade unions, has been in negotiations with city management for more than 19 months. (Nwlaborpress)
2. The city of Portland is making it even more difficult for those who can’t pay their bills because of the way it tries to collect debts. A city audit found Portland’s inconsistent and uncoordinated approach to collecting taxes, fines or fees can be confusing, even harmful. “The city’s collection policies are inconsistent within bureaus and people might get caught up a confusing maze of letters, extra fees and penalties,” said KC Jones, audit services director. (KGW.com)
3. There is still no opening date for any of the six homeless shelter villages the city of Portland promised to create last year, but one site has garnered interest from a local homeless services provider. Helping Hands Re-entry Outreach Centers, which manages the private Bybee Lakes Hope Center homeless shelter located in the never-used former Wapato jail, has proposed to manage a city-designated safe rest village in Southwest Portland. (OregonLive)
4. Tina Kotek is getting some help in her bid for the governor's seat from Moda Partners, an affiliate of the Portland health insurer. Moda spokesman Jonathan Nicholas says the company is looking forward to seeing Kotek in Mahonia Hall. “We have worked with Tina Kotek for many years and have great respect for the role she played as speaker of the Oregon House,” Nicholas says. “We’re confident that as governor she will be a strong and visionary leader for our state.”(Willamette Week)
5. A report from the Portland Bureau of Transportation found 70% of the 27 pedestrians hit and killed by cars last year were experiencing homelessness when they died. The annual report laid bare just how far the city is from realizing its Vision Zero policy, which set a goal of eliminating all traffic deaths by 2025. In 2021, despite spending tens of millions on the campaign in the last several years, the city saw the highest number of traffic fatalities since 1990, according to the report – an annual total of 63 deaths. (OPB)

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Today in Portland:

• Help Stem Wine Bar celebrate its two-year anniversary! There'll be live music by Michael and Jimmy, sabering, good wine, and good vibes. Don’t forget to try the throwback cocktail, The Lauren, the first ever sparkling wine cocktail created at Stem. Reservations recommended. The festivities start at 7:00 PM.
• Fishbowl Gallery in North Portland is having an art opening this evening. Its third exhibition features bold, graphic works by Portland-based artists Katie Leimbach, Christina Mrozik, Rachel Murray, and Lauren Liz. DJ Sallie Ford will provide the tunes on opening night. Stop by before checking out the other galleries that will be open in Canyon Alley. 6:00 - 10:00 PM.
• Come to Jailbreak Studios in SE Portland to see FLESH! In the gallery there will be a new show of erotic art, and special Valentine's Day bundles of hand-made hotness for self-love, friendly love, and sexy love of all kinds. There will be champagne to pop and fun to have, so mask up and come for the first group show of erotic art. 5:00 - 7:00 PM.
• Sing along to your favorite indie-rock hits at the World Famous Kenton Club as it presents Wilclone, Portland's own Wilco cover band. Wilclone will be accompanied by FooVana, who will pay tribute to Foo Fighters and Nirvana. The fun starts at 8:00 PM.
• If you're looking for some trippy music tonight, The Sïx in SE Portland is the place you want to be. Get transported into a world of swirling psychedelia courtesy of local psych-garage rockers Veradas and droney punk jams from Supplemental Pills. 9:00 - 11:45 PM.

From my notebook:

• Portland Trail Blazers: The more that young girls and women see us be bold, I think it’ll allow other women and young girls to dream big and go after what they want. - @coachednieshacurry Happy National Girls & Women in Sports Day! (Instagram)
• Travel Portland: "@MikeBennettArt never ceases to make Portland a better place. His "A to Zoo" and "A, B, Sea" exhibits are now set up for your enjoyment right in the heart of downtown as part of the @portlandwinterlightfestival! #PDX #PDXNOW #TravelPor..." (Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "The black phoebe, a species that used to be a rarity in the Portland metro area, is becoming an increasingly common sight. Christmas Bird Counts have included black phoebes in the counts regularly for the past few years, and it’s become ..." (Instagram)
• Portland Parks & Recreation: "While we don’t have GROUNDHOGS here in the Pacific NW, our ecologists confirm that this fearless beaver did NOT see its shadow when it strolled in front of these young students, making us….well, 100% uncertain if we’ll have an early spri..." (Facebook)
• Oregon Historical Society: "OHS is saddened to hear of the passing of former Portland mayor Bud Clark at the age of 90. John Elwood “Bud” Clark, Jr., was born in Idaho in 1931 and moved with his family to Oregon in 1937. He later attended Vanport College (now Portl..." (Facebook)
• As the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent rise in homelessness has worsened the issue of garbage being dumped on public property, Metro’s RID Patrol cleanup services are answering the call to ‘take out the trash.’ In a recent release, Metro stated, “RID Patrol cleans up dumped or abandoned garbage sites. It also investigates evidence found in dumped garbage and eye-witness accounts of dumping incidents on either public or private property.” (KOIN)

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That's your Friday, my friends. May it be a fun and relaxing end to the week. I'll be back tomorrow to tell you about your Saturday in Portland. Now, I think I'll get another coffee.

— 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.