🌱 Long 911 Wait Times + Downtown Portland Stabbing In Broad Daylight

Hi all! We've got a fine Wednesday here in Portland. The birds are in the sky and singing. Oh, and there's some on the ground. And one's on the deck. I guess we have a lot of birds here. Never mind, let me just tell you about today.

First, today's weather:

We've got a generally overcast day with a high of 74.

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Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. Long waits continue for those calling 911 in the Portland area. The cause? A combination of not enough people to answer those calls and a historically high number of 911 calls. “It’s become quite common for the non-emergency number to wait much longer than we’d like because our priority is on answering the emergency 911 calls,” said Public Information Officer for the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications Dan Douthit. (KATU)
2. A scathing report from the Portland City Auditor said the Joint Office of Homeless Services “spent $850,000 over 16 months to provide apartments to veterans but allowed the property to deteriorate into unsafe, unsanitary housing.” The “apartments” were actually rooms in a rundown motel on Sandy Boulevard in Northeast Portland, the Sandy Studios. An investigation of these properties showed leaking pipes, missing drywall and dysfunctional doors, among other things. (KOIN)
3. Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced on Monday that it is currently accepting applications from psilocybin training programs for curriculum approval. Ballot Measure 109, which was passed in Nov. 2020, directs OHA to license and regulate the manufacturing, transportation, delivery, sale and purchase of psilocybin products and the provision of psilocybin services. Those interested in being psilocybin facilitators must complete a training program with OHA curriculum before applying for a license. (KOIN)
4. The conflict continues between homeless campers and residents of the Laurelhurst neighborhood. The latest salvo came in the form of large, water-trough planters placed along a street adjacent to Laurelhurst Park in an effort to deter unhoused campers from moving their tents back in. Photos shared with Willamette Week taken by activists who support unhoused campers show about 10 people shoveling soil and gravel from two large mounds into wheelbarrows that were then awkwardly deposited into the planters, which look like water troughs. By Sunday morning, someone had dismantled and removed all the planter boxes. (Willamette Week)
5. One person was hurt after a broad daylight stabbing in downtown Portland. The Portland Police Bureau told FOX 12 the organization “Clean and Safe” reported a stabbing in the area of Couch and Broadway on Monday. One woman who spoke with FOX 12 said she was standing on the corner of the street, not far from where she lives when she heard a commotion. Then, she witnessed the suspect go towards the victim with a knife and stab him in the chest. Police say the victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. (Fox 12 Oregon)

Today in Portland:

• Visit Historic Parkrose for its first of a series of three “Summer Nights” events near its new office at 104th and Sandy. These events will provide free family-friendly activities and resources to the community as well as offer an evening night market where handcrafted items, food and beverages will be sold. 5 - 8 p.m.
• Visit Lincoln Hall in SW Portland for a concert reading of "Three of Swords," a new play. Enjoy a staged reading and opportunity to offer feedback afterward. Directed by Sophie Short, "Three of Swords" follows one queer woman on her messy journey toward understanding love and learning from the pain of her past. Content warning: there is discussion of sexual assault. Register online for this free event. Showtime is 7 p.m.
• Baby Spit Presents: Body Bag (a night of live drag) at The Sïx Below Midnight in SE Portland. The event features performances by Kat Monster, NxThing (OHIO), Issa Man (Washington) and MiMi Gina. DJ Trashliegh will spinning through out the evening, with a special appearance by Majesty. Tickets are available online. The fun starts at 9 p.m.
• Join the Oregon Historical Society for "Pioneering Death: The Violence of Boyhood in Turn-of-the-Century Oregon," a reading and conversation with Peter Boag and Ryan Dearinger. On an autumn day in 1895, 18-year-old Loyd Montgomery shot his parents and a neighbor in a gruesome act that reverberated beyond the small confines of Montgomery’s Oregon farming community. Free and open to the public. 7 - 8 p.m.
• Come join in on the discussion about Arrowood's current gallery exhibit "Birds in my Life." Jackie McIntyre will be share her process and give insight around her exhibit featuring her fine feathered friends. It is followed by a salon-style discussion in which you can share your thoughts and stories inspired by her beautiful oil paintings, collage and assemblage. 4 - 9 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Portland Audubon: "Male black-headed grosbeaks usually get all of the attention for their striking plumage but the females are pretty spectacular in their own way, too. Have you ever had the pleasure of hearing a black-headed grosbeak sing? " (Portland Audubon via Instagram)
• Portland Art Museum presents an artist who stood out from the flock. 🐑 This month and year-round we explore collection works by artists who identify as LGBTQ+. Many artists have lived marginalized or closeted lives due to societal norms or restrictive laws." (Portland Art Museum via Instagram)
• The Royal Rosarians were out judging rose gardens across the city of Portland on Monday. After a two-year break because of the pandemic, judges Kathy Fastenau and Paula Sorensen said they were thrilled to be out in local rose gardens again. The contest is open to any amateur rose gardener, within Portland city limits. “We as rosarians travel around the world with our slogan, ‘For you a rose in Portland grows,’ and that's what this rose garden contest is all about,” said Fastenau. (KATU)
• We live in the city of Portland, but Oregon has enough rural areas that it's not hard to find a quirky county fair. One such fair is the Tillamook County Fair, which might not seem very notable, except for an annual tradition. This would be the world famous Pig-N-Ford Races that have been a part of the Tillamook County Fair for the past 97 years. I could try and describe it to you, but why don't you see for yourself? (YouTube)
• Watch out Oregonians, our state is being invaded by turtles ̶ ̶ snapping turtles! Snapping turtles are more at home in the eastern United States. It’s believed several came to Oregon decades ago as part of the exotic pet trade, abandoned in the wild by their owners. Susan Barnes of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says snapping turtles have been found in the Willamette, Umpqua, Rogue, Clackamas, Columbia and Tualatin river systems. (OPB)
• Kickstand Comedy announced on Friday that it will reprise its hugely popular Comedy in the Park series in Laurelhurst Park this summer. The shows will start promptly on July 1, the first Friday of that month and run through September. "Our kickoff show will be Julia Corral, Shain Brenden, Zak Toscani and some surprise guests," Kickstand's Artistic Director Dylan Reiff told the Mercury. "Expect everything you loved about last year, but with some smart, fun growth and a slightly larger budget." (Portland Mercury)

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That's your day, Portland. Don't work too hard, but don't play too hard, either. And meet me back here tomorrow so I can tell you what's going on in our fair city. Now I'm going to spend the rest of the day watching these birds.

— 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