🌱Northeast Deadly Shootings Rise + Rent Moratorium Expires

Happy National Pancake Day! Yes, it's a whole new month, but, according to IHOP, it's also a day to celebrate the culinary delicacy known as the pancake. Go get yourself a free stack! But first, let me tell you about today.

First, today's weather:

Rain on and off all day, with a high of 56.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. Not long ago, proposing to force the homeless population in one of America’s most liberal cities into three massive shelters would have seemed a political, potentially career-ending non-starter. But, in late January, mayoral aide Sam Adams signaled times had changed. In a now infamous eight-page memo sent to multiple government offices, Adams, a former mayor himself, not only posed the idea but suggested such an action could be politically palatable. Adams included screenshots of three responses from polls paid for by a group called People for Portland. Each showed the public overwhelmingly fed up with regional leadership’s approach to homelessness and trash piling up near campsites. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
2. Businesses and neighbors said they're on edge after two people were killed in two separate shootings in Northeast Portland, about ten hours apart. Portland Police said there have now been 17 deadly shootings so far in 2022. Several people who work in Northeast Portland said the violence is getting worse. (KATU)
3. Hundreds of people showed up in the rain in downtown Portland to display their support for Ukrainian families in the region and those still in Ukraine. More than 20,000 Oregonians are of Ukrainian ancestry, and some at the rally are themselves refugees whose family members are now in the war zone. They gathered to send a message of support and an offer to help loved ones in Ukraine, now fully under an unprovoked attack from Russia. (KOIN)
4. Today is the day that tenants who are behind in their rent payments have to pay what they owe. Landlords can now start taking steps to collect owed rent. Oregon's eviction moratorium expired over the summer, but tenants were given an extension until Feb. 28 to pay back any rent they owe from April 1, 2020 -June 30, 2021. The extension was to give the state more time to chip away at a massive backlog of applications for rental assistance. Now that the deadline is here, some tenants are worried. (KGW)
5. Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority announced Thursday the state will end indoor mask requirements for public indoor spaces and Oregon schools on March 19. Ben Gaskins, a political science professor at Lewis and Clark College, told KOIN 6 News it “was a little bit surprising at one level that the announcement was made this early.” (KOIN)

Today in Portland:

• The Mardi Gras Parade on Mississippi Avenue is back! Watch from the sidelines or join the parade in the Second Line. The Krewe will have plenty of beads and a limited number of mini-umbrella throws. Be sure to dress for dark and chilly conditions – lots of lights encouraged! The Parade starts at Humboldt/Albina and rolls down to Cook St. near Ecliptic Brewing. Step off time is 7:00 pm.
• Come on down to The People’s Jam at Show Bar in SE Portland. A trio will play the first set. They have a sign up sheet with 10 tunes picked out as well as openings for songs of choice and originals. Please to be respectful and wear a mask when not drinking, eating or playing a horn. There is a PA set with 2 mics, keyboard with amp, guitar amp, bass with amp, drums, and 2 DI boxes. Bring your sticks, instrument, instrument cable, or anything less the keys and drums. The music starts at 7:00 PM.
• Threedom will be playing at the Goodfoot in SE Portland. Threedom is a truly All-Star instrumental power trio featuring keyboardist Asher Fulero, bassist Brett McConnell, and drummer/Everyone Orchestra founder Matt Butler. Doors open at 8:00 PM.
• It's B Movie Bingo at the Hollywood Theater in NE Portland. Tonight's feature is the cult classic “Midnight Angels.” It takes the viewer to a place where only the best practitioners of Hong Kong Cinema dare to go, with its wall-to-wall mind-bending action sequences and a nod to the American Western. Martial arts connoisseurs will be talking about the final battle-to-the-death sequence for years to come. Directed by Teresa Woo. Tickets available online. Showtime is 7:30 PM.
• Mr. Sun will be playing at The Old Church Concert Hall in downtown Portland. Legendary fiddler Darol Anger is at home in a number of musical genres, some of which he helped to invent, and is a member of the original "nuclear" generation of pickers who extended bluegrass, jazz, and classical music to find their common ground; Mr. Sun is the latest iteration in that legacy. Also performing will be Never Come Down. Tickets are available online. Doors open at 7:00 PM.

From my notebook:

• Portland Art Museum: "Bring Her Home" is a stunning photograph by Leah Rose Kolakowski (@leahrosephoto), a member of the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Tribe that reflects on the epidemic of murdered and missing Indigenous women across Canada and the United States. Kolakowski’s images of Native people are acts of defiance against stereotypical, expected depictions—often imbued with a hint of magical realism as she manipulates color and imagery to create luminous, striking portraiture. (Instagram)
• Do you care about community involvement in County decision-making? Do you want to help reduce barriers to civic participation? Do you enjoy working with a diverse group to identify common goals that benefit the community? If so, apply to join the County's Community Involvement Committee (CIC). The CIC serves as Multnomah County’s advisory body on community engagement and involvement. We are currently recruiting for four new members. (Multnomah County)
• Avalos is the executive director of Verde, co-founder of the Black Millennial Movement and chair of Portland’s Citizen Review Committee. A resident of Portland, she also serves on the city’s Charter Review Commission. In her latest column for The Oregonian, she discusses the homeless issue in Portland. (The Oregonian)
• Portland restaurant Kachka is trying to help the Ukraine with their new cocktail, Chervona Wine. 100% of proceeds of the Chervona Wine cocktail will be donated to @redcrossukraine. (Instagram)
• YouTuber My Boring Channel tried to give a video representation of a typical Saturday in Portland. Of course, this video was taken over 10 years ago, so this is definitely a Portland past. Still, in these times, a bit of nostalgia can be a comforting thing. Enjoy the time travel. (YouTube)

Loving the Portland Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business listed in front of readers
• Send me a news tip or suggestion at portland@patch.com

Welcome to March, my friends.In like a lion and out like a lamb and all that. Spring is on it's way and I couldn't be happier. Have fun, everyone, but meet me back here tomorrow for more news of Portland.

— 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.