🌱 Old Town Shooting + Grant Money For Cannabis + Data Theft

Ah, Friday! You know how I love Fridays, Portland. The end of the week and the time to congratulate oneself for another work week done. But the week isn't quite done yet, I still need to tell you about today.

First, today's weather:

It's another day of rain, with a high of 45, and a wind that's going to make that feel colder.

Here are the top stories today in Portland:

1. In Portland's most recent example of gun violence, a man opened fire on a crowd in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood Wednesday evening. TriMet maintenance worker Reece Nitschke said the shooter was standing near the corner of Fourth Avenue and Glisan Street when he unloaded six or seven shots into a group of four or five people standing in a parking lot. The shooting left one man hurt and he was taken from the scene by ambulance. (OregonLive)
2. The city of Portland is offering help to cannabis dispensaries in the form of grants. Portland’s Office of Community & Civic Life on Wednesday announced that the City Council had voted Dec. 1 to approve a $1.3 million fund that will provide grants to dispensaries impacted by a record-setting number of burglaries and robberies in the past two years, as well as the pandemic and wildfires. (Willamette Week)
3. There's been a lot in the news about tech companies, such as Facebook (now Meta), stealing and selling our data online, but they're not the only ones. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, on Wednesday urged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to prevent credit agencies from selling Americans' private, personal data unrelated to their credit or finances via data brokers. (Portland Patch)
4. With vaccinations increasing, we're beginning to see a decline in COVID-19 cases, but area hospitals are still stretched to the breaking point. One cause for this is a shortage of nurses to staff these hospitals. Nationally, hospitals have been experiencing a nursing shortage for years. The vacancy rate has continued to climb from 8.2% in 2017 to 9.9% in 2020. Kevin Mealy, a spokesperson for the Oregon Nurses Association, said this has been an issue it's been trying to mitigate for years, but the pandemic has ramped up the immediate need. (KGW)
5. It's been weeks since Sen. Betsy Johnson announced her plans to run for governor in 2022. Now, she's gotten an endorsement from a big name in Oregon politics. Knute Buehler, the Republican nominee for Oregon governor in 2018, announced Wednesday morning he’s endorsing Sen. Betsy Johnson, who’s running as an Independent. Johnson is “plain-spoken, independent spirit and proven record of putting the concerns of everyday Oregonians before partisan politics is exactly what Oregon needs right now,” Buehler said in a Twitter post. (KOIN)

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Today in Portland:

• Get your laughs tonight at The Chocolate Factory taking place at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in SW Portland. This is a comedy night hosted by Adam Pasi and featuring Nate Jackson from the NBC series YOUNG ROCK. Also performing will be G.A. Wade, Ikes, T.C. Benitez, Lance Edward and DJ O.G. One. Tickets available online. 7:00 - 10:30 PM.
• Drag queens! Rants! Jazz! Tragedy! Comedy! Confetti! Double entendres! More wigs and sequins than you'd ever thought could be gathered into one place! Come to the Clinton Street Theater tonight for Fierce, Fabulous and Fully Coiffed, a fantabulous romp celebrating the undeniable gloriousness of the multifaceted contributions that the LGBTQ+ community has made to world culture since the dawn of entertainment! Get your tickets online. The show starts at 7:00 PM.
• Are you a Harry Potter fan? Or maybe it's better if you're not a fan. Come see Wizard People, Dear Portland, a live adaption of Wizard People, Dear Reader right here in Portland! Taking place at the Mississippi Pizza Pub in North Portland, watch Lucas Warford of Three for Silver taking the demented role of The Narrator, while musicians present a live soundtrack and Foley sound effects. Proof of vaccination required for entry. Tickets available online. 8:00 - 10:00 PM.
• Head on down to Mighty Moe's Tanker for Shrista's The Mayor Video Release Party. GatoGang Entertainment presents Roulette Delgato's The Mayor video release party hosted by Shrista with performances by Glam Doll, JUSWILD, Kanide-Is, Chain Taylor, Alana Rich, c100 and M3licious. Doors open at 8:00 PM.
• If you're in the mood for listening to some blues, check out The Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge in NE Portland as they present Kevin Selfe and the Tornadoes. Kevin Selfe has been electrifying audiences nationwide since breaking into the blues scene in 2006. And with no cover charge, how could you go wrong? The show starts at 9:00 PM

From my notebook:

• Travel Portland: "Hipster Santa is back for one weekend only at @PioneerPlace Mall! Check out the link in our bio for all the details and to make reservations. Again, he's only here Dec. 9-12, so catch him while you can! #ThisIsPortland #PDX #PDXNOW #Tra..." (Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "Bohemian Waxwings seem to have a simple mission in life and it’s to FIND THE FRUIT. They travel in large flocks constantly in search of it and have an uncanny ability to find it, even in remote areas. Plant a native tree or shrub that ho..." (Instagram)
• Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts: "Just four more days to get your Art on the Land raffle tickets to support clean water for Warm Springs! You might even win a unique piece of art inspired by land. Get your tickets and spread the word! More: https://artontheland.squarespa..." (Facebook)
• If you, or someone on your gift list, is into rare and collectable books, you should know that the Rose City Holiday Book and Paper Fair is taking place this weekend. Put on be Cascade Booksellers Association, it will be held at PDX Night Market in SE Portland. Find a wide array of rare and collectible books, ephemera, maps, prints, photographs and more. Interesting material in all fields at a variety of price points. Tickets available online. (Eventbrite)
• The Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club has been in Portland for over 70 years. Currently located in North Portland, it recently had an open house. If you missed it, don't worry, kind Redditor u/kaidrav filmed and posted it for your viewing pleasure. (Reddit)
• Local band Left on Tenth got a promo video made by the awesome Waypoint Aerial Imagery. This is a drone-shot video that takes us through the SE Portland venue The Goodfoot and then gives us a brilliant overhead shot of SE Stark St. Check it out! (YouTube)

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How is that? The perfect end to the perfect week. Well, nothing is ever really perfect, but when you live in a great place like Portland, you don't really notice. Have a great day, peeps, and I'll be back right 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.