🌱OMSI District +Unfair Tolls+ Students Want Critical Race Theory

Happy Friday, people of Portland! This isn't just any Friday, it's a Friday during the holiday season. In Portland, that means more markets and festivities than you can shake a stick at! Though why you'd want to shake sticks at them is beyond me. Here's what's going on today.

First, today's weather:

Mostly cloudy today and a high temp of only 47, so bundle up.

Here are the top stories in Portland today:

1. Oregon Museum of Science and Industry has been planning to create the new OMSI District since 2008 in SE Portland. The museum unveiled its plans that would cover ten city blocks and include spaces for stores, restaurants and public green space. The plan would also add 1,200 new units of housing and at least 20% of those would be dedicated to affordable housing. (KPTV.com)
2. Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) announced that he will be retiring and will not seek reelection in 2022. The 74-year-old Democrat, whose district includes Eugene, Corvallis, Roseburg and Coos Bay, is the longest serving U.S. House member in Oregon's history. He was first elected to the House in 1986. (Portland Patch)
3. Commissioner Dan Ryan claimed he would open a series of Safe Rest Villages by the end of the year, but he's just pushed that deadline back. His office confirmed on Wednesday that the six planned sites are now expected to open in early 2022. The project has been complicated by supply chain issues, restrictions on the use of the federal funds and resistance from property owners and community members about specific site locations, according to an emailed statement from Ryan’s staff. (KGW)
4. Residents in Clackamas County are not happy with the Oregon Department of Transportation's plan to add tolls to stretches of I-5 and I-205, and they're speaking out. “This is a punitive tax,” said Charlie Dudley, a Donald resident. “A toll is a punitive tax. It’s a regressive tax, regardless how anyone wants to frame this, and we should not be doing that.” Many people called out ODOT saying these tolls are inequitable. (KOIN)
5. Reversing the trend of people demanding that schools not teach critical race theory, University of Oregon's student government wants it to be a requirement. “I think we’ve identified this as an issue across the nation, as something that’s relevant to not only the educational value for students, but also to the wellbeing of our community,” Associated Students of UO President Isaiah Boyd told trustees Wednesday. Critical race theory is an advanced academic concept that shows systemic racism is inherent in American society. Recently, critics have used the term as an inaccurate catch-all to characterize lessons and policies related to race and equity. (OPB)

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Today in Portland:

• Join Jay Ponteri at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in NW Portland as he celebrates the launch of his new book Someone Told Me, published by Widow+Orphan House. In PNCA's Design Corridor, Ponteri will exhibit source materials and read excerpts from the book. Music Composition by Andy Mosiman. 4:00 - 6:00 PM.
• If you're gift shopping and want to find something unique, check out the KEX Makers Market at KEX Portland. They're hosting some of our favorite local makers in their Gym + Tonic event space so skip the long wait time for packages, grab your holiday gifts here and get a tarot card reading while you’re at it! 5:00 - 9:00 PM.
• If you want a little music in your evening, then Artichoke Music in SE Portland is the place to be. Friday Night Coffeehouse is a celebration of up to four local and national touring artists coming together in an intimate, coffeehouse setting, at the venerable Artichoke Community Music - it is a wonderful opportunity to hear artists of all levels in a listening room setting. Tonight's special guest is Lloyd Jones. Tickets available online. The show starts at 7:00 PM.
• If you prefer your musical evening to be a bit more rocking, then perhaps you should go to The Hawthorne Hideaway to hear the Portland-based band Deafhound. They'll take the WTF Stage with Satia and the Other Place. The show starts at 9:00 PM.
• Yesterday was First Thursday, but that doesn't mean that there isn't art to be found on a Friday. Tonight is the Grand Opening of Mizaji Gallery in North Portland. Featuring works from Vincent Schwenk, Jan Sladeko, Andrew Rodriguez and Sam Clover. Bites from Superbuds and Level Beer will be provided, donations will benefit IRCO. DJ’d accompaniments from Schaus. 5:00 - 11:00 PM.

Portland Patch Notebook

• Portland Trail Blazers: "November produced some great photos. Here are some of our favorites taken by @bruceely 📸" (Instagram)
• Travel Portland: "The downtown tree is up and it's glorious. Happy holidays to everyone! #ThisIsPortland 📷: @kirstinaaa_43 #PDX #PDXNOW #TravelPortland #TravelOregon #PortlandOregon #HereForPortland #thesquarepdx" (Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "Winter along the Oregon Coast can be a fabulous time to find uncommon feathered visitors to the state! Join us for an adventurous day of birding in Lincoln County on Dec. 17 where we will start the day at Salishan, watching for waterfo..." (Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "The nest of a Black-billed Magpie is quite extraordinary. It takes about 40 days to construct and is made up of a mud base that serves as an anchor, a layer of twigs, a mud bowl, and then topped off with a grass lining. Photo by Hayley C..." (Facebook)
• Portland has a new holiday! The City Council has decreed Nov. 16th to be Darcelle Day. Nov. 16 is Darcelle XV's birthday. The nightlife icon just turned 91 last month. Darcelle XV Showplace was placed on the National Register of Historic Places last month. It is the longest running cabaret and drag show in the United States. (KPTV)
• Portland is known as a great city to ride a bike, but it's also got a good public transit system. So what mode of transportation is faster? Luckily, City Nerd has done the research. It ran a race of sorts, comparing the daily journeys of three people with identical commutes, but who choose to take three different modes of transportation: biking, driving, and riding the bus. (YouTube)
• We all know that this is the time of year for impressive holiday light shows. One of those is the Sunshine Division’s Winter Wonderland at Portland International Raceway. Kohr Harlan of KOIN 6 News visited PIR and showed AM Extra what to expect at the drive through Christmas experience. (KOIN)

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There's your Friday, my friends, and I hope it's a great one for you. Stay frosty and I'll meet you back here tomorrow to bring you more news of Portland. If you're loving these newsletters, consider bringing some more friends and neighbors along for the ride. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— 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? You can reach me at portland@patch.com.