🌱 Kristof Still Campaigns + Portland Homicides Continue

Welcome to Wednesday, neighbors! I've got a spring in my step today, so let me just get that out of my shoe and I'll tell you about today.

First, today's weather:

Showers early, but they end leaving only gray skies and a high of 51.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. For people on the hunt for a new home in and around Portland, the selection is still slim and what is available is more expensive than it was a year ago. The average sale price of a home in January 2022 was $596,600, a 14% increase from January 2021, when the average sale price was $514,700. The median sale price has also increased 11.6%, from $460,000 to $512,000. (KOIN)
2. The Oregon Supreme Court today entered the third week of deliberations on whether former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof meets the three-year residency requirement to run for governor, with no indications of when it might release a decision. Although that could leave the Democratic candidate in limbo, Kristof has been traveling the state and, on Feb. 9, released his first policy paper, laying out his vision for how he would tackle the housing shortage that has contributed to one of the nation’s highest rates of homelessness. (Willamette Week)
3. After Portland hits an alarming number of deadly homicides in 2022, Portland Police Association weighs in. “It's heartbreaking. We're experiencing disorder and crime rising in Portland that we’ve never had before,” says President of Portland Police Association, Aaron Schmautz. Portland Police tells FOX 12 that in 2022 alone, there have been 170 shootings, 12 deadly homicides, averaging three shootings a day in Portland. (KPTV)
4. A 31-year-old man appeared Monday in federal court on allegations that he tried to open an emergency door on a Delta Air Lines flight bound for Portland from Salt Lake City because he wanted to make a statement about COVID-19 vaccines. Michael Brandon Demarre of Portland was seen removing the plastic covering on an emergency exit handle and pulled on the handle with his full body weight Friday before a flight attendant intervened and demanded he let go of the handle. (The Oregonian)
5. More than 16,000 Oregonians accessed services through the new grant program set up under Oregon’s landmark drug-decriminalization law in its first year, but less than 1% of those helped with Measure 110 dollars were reported to have entered treatment, new state data shows. Most of those who accessed the grant-funded services last year, nearly 60%, engaged with harm reduction programs such as syringe exchanges and naloxone distribution. (OPB)

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Today in Portland:

• See Brad Parsons and His Beloveds at the Laurelthirst Pub in NE Portland. The recently-returned singer-songwriter is backed up by an Allstar crew: Lewi Longmire (TK & THKNs, Kassi Valazza), Ned Folkerth (Kassi Valazza), Sydney Nash & Jay Cobb Anderson (TK & THKNs)… and MORE! This is a free show. 6:00 - 8:00 PM.
• Jakki and the Pink Smudge will be at Kelly's Olympian in downtown Portland this evening. She is a solo indie/ punk/ funk artist with a revolving, dynamic back up band, based in Portland, OR. Joining her will be Coma Girl and Heirloom. Tickets available online. Doors open at 8:30 PM.
• Join the fun and plumb the dizzying heights (or murky depths?) of your factoid knowledge with Untapped Trivia tonight at Swift Cider in NE Portland. Play in-person at the taproom or connect to play virtually from home. Event prizes are provided for the top three online and in-person teams. And remember the more you play… the more your team's point totals collect to place on the Untapped Trivia leaderboard to win special prizes at the end of each quarter. Register online to play. 7:00 - 9:00 PM.
• Singer-songwriter Jake William Capistran will be performing at the White Eagle in North Portland. Blending indie-rock and folk-style songs with elements of modern production, unique song structures and catchy hooks, Capistran's music feels at once familiar and novel - inviting and intriguing. The show starts at 8:00 PM.
• Join Sports on their Get A Good Look World Tour as they play at SE Portland club Holocene. Sports inspires images of the youthful idyll of bygone times through dulcet melodies and sun-drenched funk synths. Their elaborate, mind expanding arrangements are warm and enveloping, creating a world where David Bowie, The Beach Boys, and The Clash collide. Doors open at 7:00 PM.

From my notebook:

• Portland Trail Blazers: "We’re officially starting the MIP campaign…who’s with us?! 🐜" (Instagram)
• Portland Art Museum: OPENING THIS WEEKEND! “Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism.” Featuring more than 150 works, the exhibition celebrates Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and such contemporaries as Manuel and Lola Álvarez Bravo, María Izquierdo, Ca..." (Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "Won't you be my Valentine...forever? Sandhill Cranes mate for life and, for a bird that can live for more than 30 years, that means decades in partnership with the same mate. When courting, Sandhill Cranes will do a whole variety of move..." (Instagram)
• Portland Farmers Market: "Orange you excited it's Valentine's Day?? 🍊♥️ If you know anything about us, you know we ♥️ fruit & veggie puns! Here's some weird vintage Valentines we got a kick out of. Enjoy! Happy Love Day! Posted @withregram • @gotweird These vint..." (Facebook)
• Stretching just over three miles through the heart of Portland's southeast side, it's one of the city's main thoroughfares, a street that's home to eclectic and local shops with a vibrant food scene. We know it today as Hawthorne Boulevard but it's gone by many other names. How did it get the name Hawthorne? Take in a little Portland history and find out. (KGW)
• Mayoral aide Sam Adams’ proposal to build mass camps for unhoused Portlanders and staff them with unarmed military personnel, as with his attempts on social media to launder the idea as a casual step in finding a solution to homelessness, has all the tact and aplomb as one suggesting they feed their leg through a woodchipper when they stub their toe. (Street Roots)

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Hey, we're halfway through the week and we're just getting started. Enjoy the day and meet me back here tomorrow for more Portland talk.

— 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.