🌱 Online Crime Reporting Tool + Robot Surveillance Dogs

It's another Wednesday, Portland! Midway through the week in this rollercoaster ride of a city. Strap yourself in and let me tell you about today.

First, today's weather:

Morning rain turns into a cloudy afternoon with a high of 55.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. Six weeks ago the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office rolled out an online crime reporting tool and all indications are that it is so far successful. Make no mistake: This is not an emergency response substitute. If you have an emergency, dial 911. But this tool will streamline the reporting process for non-emergency crimes in Multnomah County. A user just needs to go to the site — MCSO My Case Number — and start a new case report. A virtual chat feature will guide a user through the process in filling out the report. (KOIN.com)
2. The Portland Business Alliance Monday filed a challenge to the ballot title and explanatory statement for a proposed Multnomah County ballot measure that would impose a new capital gains tax on county residents to pay for lawyers for people facing eviction. The “Eviction Representation for All” initiative, filed with the county March 3 by a coalition of tenants’ rights and social justice non-profits, is aimed at the November ballot. (Willamette Week)
3. At least four people were injured in a shooting during a street racing event on North Marine Drive early Monday morning, according to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). One suspect, identified as 21-year-old Adrian Dangelo Ramirez, was treated for a gunshot wound and then booked into jail on charges of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. PPB identified those injured as a 21-year-old man, an 18-year-old woman, a 16-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy. It's unclear if the 11-year-old was hit by gunfire or shrapnel, but none of their injuries were life-threatening. (KGW)
4. A preliminary report released this month by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission found some people released early from prison because of the COVID-19 pandemic were not more likely to commit crimes. Gov. Kate Brown commuted the sentences of 963 people during the COVID-19 pandemic between July 2020 and October 2021. The majority were considered medically vulnerable or near the end of their sentences. Brown has faced criticism, and a lawsuit, over the pandemic-related commutations. In January, two district attorneys in Oregon filed a complaint, alleging the governor went outside the bounds of her executive powers to issue the commutations. (OPB)
5. We're used to seeing canines working alongside first responders, but what about robot dogs? The 142nd Wing's new Quadrupedal Unmanned Ground Vehicle - better known as the “robot dog” - is being tested at the Portland Air National Guard Base. It is the first guard unit in the country to receive a QUGV. Its goal is for the four-legged robot, fitted with multiple cameras, to patrol the base perimeter and provide extra surveillance. (KATU)

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Today in Portland:

• Are you a fan of the 80s comedy hit show The Golden Girls? Then you'll want to check out That Golden Girls Show! at the Newmark Theater. That Golden Girls Show! is a brand-new show that parodies classic Golden Girls moments—with puppets! From Sophia’s get-rich-quick schemes, to Rose’s tales from St. Olaf, Blanche’s insatiable hunt for men and the Fountain of Youth, and Dorothy’s daily struggle to make sense of her life. Tickets available online. Doors open at 7:00 PM.
• Curious about the work being done to help reduce congestion by improving mass transit options and accessibility in the Columbia Gorge? Eager to learn how we can support both conservation efforts and increase representation in and connection to the outdoors for Black, Indigenous, all People of Color (BIPOC), & the LGBTQ2S+ communities? How can tools like Ready, Set, GOrge help members of the public looking to avoid crowded trailheads? Join the Friends of the Columbia Gorge for a live, special webinar tackling tourism, trails, accessibility, and representation in Columbia Gorge. Register online for this free presentation. 6:00 - 7:30 PM.
• Join Oregon State University as they virtually celebrate Avel Louise Gordly's 75th birthday! This Women’s History Month celebration will feature readings of Avel Louise Gordly's memoir, Remembering the Power of Words, written with Patricia A. Schechter. Gordly was the first African-American woman elected to the Oregon State Senate and is a longtime activist and community leader. Register online for this free event. 12:00 - 1:30 PM.
• Fans of animation should check out the movie Belle playing at McMenamins Kennedy School. From the celebrated Academy Award®-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu, creators of Mirai, Wolf Children, Summer Wars, and more, comes a fantastical, heartfelt story of growing up in the age of social media. Suzu is a shy, everyday high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters “U”, a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a gorgeous and globally-beloved singer. Tickets available online. Showtime is 4:00 PM.
• The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art presents a virtual artist talk with Jess T. Dugan as they discuss the current exhibition, To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender And Gender Nonconforming Older Adults. For over 5 years, photographer Jess T. Dugan and social worker Vanessa Fabbre traveled throughout the United States seeking subjects whose lived experiences exist within the complex intersections of gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, sexuality, socioeconomic class, and geographic location. Register online for this free virtual event. 6:00 PM.

From my notebook:

• Portland Farmers Market: "Honor farmworkers and all their hard work to feed the world! @withregram • @farmworkerawareness Today, as part of #farmworkerawarenessweek we explore the contributions of Mexican and Mexican-American workers to the U.S. agricultural syst..." (Facebook)
• By the end of May, a downtown storefront that once housed racks of Banana Republic-branded clothing will be transformed into a two-story prehistoric jungle—dinosaurs included. The space at 710 SW Yamhill St., whose glass exterior has been papered over for months after the retailer closed, finally revealed a new tenant would be moving in. You could blink and miss it while strolling by, but a couple of small signs announcing the arrival of Portland artist Mike Bennett’s Dinolandia recently appeared in the windows. (Willamette Week)
• The Canon Shakespeare Company is proud to present its online, filmed production of TITUS ANDARNICUS: a darkly hilarious, 90-minute sock puppet version of Shakespeare's bloodiest revenge play, Titus Andronicus. TITUS ANDARNICUS features five actors across three states playing all the parts, filming scenes from their homes. The finished product is composed of those scenes, edited by Genevieve Larson and set against backdrops drawn by the 4-year-old daughter of one of the performers. (Travel Portland)
• Local producer/artist SittingOnTurtles has created a music video, filmed almost entirely in downtown Portland. (YouTube)
• Local artist/entertainer Kameron Messmer has been called the best balloon artist in Portland. Currently, he's setting up a new art project called "The Joy Store" in downtown Portland. In his own words, "The Joy Store is an art installation created to contrast the difficulties and struggles of the last few years and bring an unexpected shining example of joy to any human walking by needing an extra dose of joy." (Kameron Messmer)
• A podcast set in Oregon is getting international attention. What Happened in Skinner? is a suspenseful mystery about a fictional island off the coast of Florence. The podcast was nominated for a national Ambie Award, in part because of its in-depth expanded universe of content. "It's an online game people can play, a short film, and all these other tie-in elements," explained Aaron Blanton, one of the showrunners. (KGW)

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I hope you all have a fine day. A little work, a little play; that's how we get it done here in Portland. Please come back tomorrow so I can regale you with more tales of this place we call home.

— 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.