🌱 Heatwave Turns Deadly + Unemployment Insurance System Flawed

Friday is here, my friends, and it couldn't come a second too soon. Time to ensconce myself in the coolest environment I can find. But before I do, let me tell you about today.

First, today's weather:

Once again, a hot and sunny day. The high temp will be 100.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. The current heatwave we are experiencing may have turned deadly. The Oregon State Medical Examiner's office is reporting two suspected heat deaths that could be linked to the current heat wave. Multnomah County officials said one of the suspected deaths happened on July 25 in Portland. There's no word on where the other death was reported. “The designation is preliminary and further investigation may reveal a different cause of death than hyperthermia,” the medical examiner’s office said. It added that an official ruling on a cause of death could take months. (KATU)
2. There was a tense standoff in Portland's Sylvan neighborhood when an armed man climbed on top of a three-story condominium and threatened to kill himself. At around 4:32 p.m., the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said it was called to the Sylvan Heights Condominiums on SW Barnes Road. Deputies reportedly tried to contact 36-year-old Eric Lane, who had a felony warrant out for his arrest, but he climbed onto the roof. Lane eventually laid his gun down and came down from the roof peacefully at around 11:40 p.m. He was then taken into custody. (KOIN)
3. A new audit of Oregon’s unemployment insurance system by the Oregon Secretary of State has been released and it doesn't look good. The audit highlights many breakdowns that were known to claimants and covered by the media. That includes the Employment Department’s antiquated and inflexible computer system, which was difficult to update when programs changed. The modernized unemployment system is expected to launch by spring of 2024. (OPB)
4. Are you ready to pump your own gas, Portland? Following Governor Brown’s Emergency Order 22-13 on Monday, the Oregon Fire Marshal will allow for self-service fueling through Sunday, according to the Office of the Oregon State Fire Marshal. With the dangerous heat, this order will help protect gas station workers while keeping gas stations open for drivers. The emergency order applies to 25 Oregon counties and, yes, Multnomah is one of them. (KPTV)
5. Portland is not a place that is known for hot weather, but that seems to be changing. As a result, more and more Portland homes are getting air conditioning. Ownership of air conditioning units has surged in Portland over the past decade, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey. As of 2019, the most recent data available, 78% of all Portland homes have air conditioning, an increase from 41% in 2011. (KGW)

Today in Portland:

• Come to Vein of Gold in North Portland for an evening for electro-acoustic and ambient music. Portland based composer AJ Berg, producer and graduate of sonic art and music production will be performing original ambient acoustic compositions off of his upcoming debut solo record. 6 - 8 p.m.
• It's line dancing tonight at Escape Bar and Grill courtesy of Stomptown! There's a beginner's line dance lesson at the start of the evening, then the rest of the night will be filled with partner dances including waltz, country two-step, west coast swing and some line dancing. The music starts at 7 p.m.
• Come to Mad Hanna's in NE Portland for an evening of literary readings, performance art, and musical madness by bodacious babes Jennifer Robin, Kim Vodicka, Devin Devine and Gina Tron. Hosted by Cody Goodfellow. DJ set by Dr. Auxlotl (host of Freeform Portland's Bionic Exotica) plus a dance party to follow. Showtime is 8 p.m.
• There will be a reading by Andrew Joron and John Beer at Passages Bookshop in NW Portland. Andrew Joron is a poet, essayist and speculative fiction writer. John Beer is the author of "Lucinda and The Waste Land and Other Poems." 8 - 10 p.m.
• Laugh the heat away at The Waypost in North Portland as it presents Optimism, A Comedy Showcase. This free show is hosted by Jaren George and features comedians Lucas Copp, Kayla Evans, Chase Brockett, Bjorn R-G and Amanda Arnold. Showtime is 9 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Portland Parks & Recreation: "☀️We know it's hot out, but you know what else is hot? 🎼This festival! ☀️The Washington Park Summer Festival will take place between August 5 - 7. 🎼More information here: https://bit.ly/3S3WWCj" (Portland Parks & Recreation via Facebook)
• The fine folks over at Fox 12 show us that all it takes to stay cool is just a little ingenuity. Oh, that and a few supplies from your local hardware store. They put them together to make their very own, home-grown air conditioner. (KPTV)
• You could win free gas for a year and all it will take is some of your blood. Facing a 20% drop in blood and platelet supply, the American Red Cross will give everyone who donates blood in August a $10 e-gift card and award three random winners $6,000 worth of gas. American Red Cross is especially looking for people with O negative blood because they are universal donors. (KPTV)
• When Portland Transportation Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty used traffic calming tools to address a spate of gun violence in the Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood last fall, many people scoffed at the notion. “People are shooting at each other, and she’s putting orange barrels in the road?!” is how many of the derisive comments sounded. But last week Mayor Ted Wheeler gave a serious nod to those tactics in his emergency declaration to combat gun violence. (Bike Portland)
• The Greater Idaho Movement, the effort to move Idaho's border to encompass Eastern Oregon, is still alive a well. Ronney Chieng of the Daily Show speaks with citizens of both Oregon and Idaho to discuss the complexities and ramifications of such a move. (YouTube)
• The Los Angeles animation house behind “BoJack Horseman” and “Robot Chicken” needed to grow. So in 2017, the company looked north, opening a new outpost in Northwest Portland. In this video from Oregon Art Beat's archives, we meet some of the animators from ShadowMachine’s Portland location as they work on the show “Jeff and Some Aliens.” (YouTube)

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How's that for a Friday? It's definitely too hot for me, but I'll still take it. Have fun, Portland, I'll be back tomorrow to tell you about our Saturday.

— 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