🌱 Monkeypox Cases On The Rise + Gun Control On November Ballot

What up, peeps? It's a fine Wednesday here in Portland and I'm here to tell you all about. Get comfy, because I've got a lot to say.

First, today's weather:

Today will be nearly identical to Monday, sunny and warm with a high around 90.

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Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. A fire broke out at an apartment building laundry room in Southeast Portland early Tuesday morning. Crews were called to Southeast 90th and Division just before 4 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they found a community laundry room on fire. Flames were also burning up the wall of an adjacent unit. No injuries were reported, but four people and a dog were displaced due to smoke and water damage. They are being helped by the Red Cross. (Fox 12 Oregon)
2. A northeast Portland business has made it onto the U.S. National Register of Historical Places. Dean’s Beauty Salon and Barber Shop at 213 NE Hancock is the longest continually operated Black-owned business in the State of Oregon. Benjamin and Mary Rose Dean started the business in 1956. Since then, many of the businesses on NE Hancock street have left but Dean’s has continuously provided employment and a sense of community for the neighborhood. (Fox 12 Oregon)
3. As if the coronavirus weren't enough, monkeypox cases are on the rise in Oregon. According to Oregon Health Authority, there are 25 cases in the state, with more likely on the way. Oregon has the 13th most monkeypox cases in the nation, with most of them coming from Multnomah and Lane counties. All cases in the state have been men. Experts say it’s highly unlikely someone would contract the virus by going to work or the grocery store. (KOIN.com)
4. We'll be voting on a gun control measure come November. Initiative Petition 17, a measure that would ban the sale of high-capacity magazines that are over 10 rounds and require gun buyers to get a permit, formally qualified Monday for the November ballot. The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office completed verification of the signatures gathered. (Willamette Week)
5. Many hospitals in the Pacific Northwest are once again at or above capacity. As of Monday, nearly every hospital bed in the Portland metro area was spoken for. Health care officials said rising COVID-19 cases are once again a factor, but this summer there are many other challenges, including staffing. It's a challenge that's not just impacting hospitals but long-term care facilities too. And therein lies another challenge; some patients are using hospital beds they no longer need while waiting for a transfer to long-term care facilities. (KGW)

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Today in Portland:

• The Get Down and Northwest String Summit present Road to Northwest String Summit with The Jauntee & Wood Belly. The Jauntee is a jam band out of Boston and Wood Belly is a bluegrass band from Colorado. Tickets available online. Doors open at 7 p.m.
• Melange presents Oh Daddy 5 at the Clinton Street Theater. For the last four years, Melange has brought you a night of sexy drag kings, and they're not going to stop now!! Come out and enjoy local, royal, melanated deliciousness!!! Get your tickets online. Showtime is 8 p.m.
• Come to the Hollywood Theater for the World Premiere of ELEMENTAL, a film that invites you to reimagine your relationship with wildfire as you follow fire scientists and indigenous fire managers who are leading the way toward living with this essential element. Tickets available online. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
• Reel Science: James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge will be at OMSI tonight. As a boy, filmmaker James Cameron dreamed of a journey to the deepest part of the ocean. This film is the dramatic fulfillment of that dream. It chronicles Cameron's solo dive to the depths of the Marina Trench — nearly seven miles beneath the ocean's surface — piloting a submersible he designed himself. Tickets are available online. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
• The Lecture Series: Changing Climate - Changing World will be at the Leach Botanical Garden. Three exciting speakers will help us understand the science behind our changing climate and the ecological and social implications of climate change on urban areas in particular. We will learn about applied strategies for addressing these impacts on our gardens, our city, and our planet. 6 - 8 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Portland Trail Blazers: "The Championship Game MVP is also a member of the All-Summer League squad. Congrats, Trendon! 🏆" (Portland Trail Blazers via Instagram)
• Travel Portland: "Oregon adventures with Oregon beer, that's what summer is all about. Please remember to explore and imbibe responsibly! #ThisIsPortland 📷: @explorewithbeer 🍺: @wayfinderbeer #PDX #PDXNOW #TravelPortland #TravelOregon #PortlandOregon ..." (Travel Portland via Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "Which species waits until late June through early August to nest due to their diet of summer ripened fruit? (Active nests have been seen as late as September and October!) a. Yellow Warbler b. Western Bluebird c. Cedar Waxwing." (Portland Audubon via Instagram)
• Portland has a new champion, an air guitar champion! On Saturday night, 20 competitors took to the Air Guitar stage at Dante’s in Portland for the US championship and a berth in the world championship in Oulu, Finland on August 26. Over three hours of performances, five judges — using the old figure skating scale of 4.0 to 6.0 — ranked the performers who gave it their all in a short air guitar routine. At the end of the night, Hott Mess, AKA Rachel Sinclair, earned the title. (KOIN)
• Parents in Portland, Oregon can now send their kids to a free social justice summer camp founded by anarchists. A group called Budding Roses, which was founded as a project of the Black Rose/Rosa Negra Anarchist Foundation, will hold a free two-week summer camp this month open to students in 4th through 8th grades. A registration portal indicates students at the camp will explore “social justice issues, youth leadership, arts activism, games and more!” (The National Desk)
• Do you like chess? Then the SE Portland spot Dots will be the place to be on Thursday. You don't need to be any good, they're just playing for fun, so check it out. (Reddit)

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That's your day in a nutshell. Now go out there and live your best life, Portland. I'd do it for you, but I'm too busy living my own. And part of that is being back here tomorrow to tell you more news of the City of Roses.

— 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