🌱 Oregon's Aging Bridges + Homicide Detectives Overwhelmed

Good morning, people of Portland! What's on your collective minds? Hopefully thinking about the fun you're going to have today. Let's talk about our Wednesday.

First, today's weather:

Morning clouds give way to afternoon sun and a high of 47.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. The state is having trouble keeping its bridges in good repair. The Oregon Department of Transportation says its 2021 Bridge Condition Report showed a decline in bridge conditions for the 10th straight year. The department says in the last two years, 25 bridges had improved condition ratings, but 53 bridges had declining overall condition ratings. (KOIN)
2. Some members of the Portland Police Bureau could have body cameras by August, according to a timeline in city documents released Friday. The timeline, which is outlined in the city's request for proposals, targets Aug. 1, 2022 as the potential launch date for the body worn camera pilot program. Approximately 175 body cams will be tested during the pilot. If all goes well, body cameras could roll out to the entire agency by Spring 2023. (KGW.com)
3. Hundreds of Oregon patients are stuck in hospitals waiting to be discharged as staffing shortages across the entire health care system have hospitals keeping patients longer, unable to release patients to lower levels of care. Oregon Health Authority data show 577 patients were stuck in hospitals waiting to be discharged to lower levels of care. Another 229 people were waiting for a hospital bed. (KGW)
4. Intel is pausing its vaccine mandate for employees following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to block President Biden's mandate for large companies. Oregon's largest employer had initially required employees to get the vaccine back in November. The tech company told FOX 12 on Tuesday that it will continue to monitor state and federal guidelines. While the vaccine is not required, the company will still encourage employees to get vaccinated and boosted. (KPTV)
5. Overwhelmed -- that's how a Portland homicide detective describes the unit he works on. And as a result, 2021 ended with the lowest percentage of closed homicide cases in Portland in the last decade. The frequency of deadly crimes began to increase in June 2020 and has hardly slowed down since, totaling roughly 150 incidents since January 2020. That's more than the number of cases from the five years between 2015 and 2019. (KATU)

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Today in Portland:

• The Meet-Up group Portland Effective Altruism and Rationality (PEAR) is gathering at Cartopia in SE Portland tonight. If you're new, this is a great way to meet people in the group and find out what they're about in a low - key social setting. If you've been before, you know it is where some of the most unexpected and insightful conversations take place. 5:30 - 7:30 PM.
• The Hollywood Theater in NE Portland is having a Battlestar Galactica Double Feature! Two episodes from the Ronald D. Moore re-imagined series, "33" and "Flesh & Bone"! This series received critical acclaim for its unmistakable parallels with the post 9/11 world, making it far grittier and intense than the original 70s show which inspired it. Showtime is 7:30 PM.
• If you're looking for stand-up comedy, head over to the 4th Wall in SE Portland. The one and only Reel Roasts is back and better than ever. Three local standups and one terrible movie make for a highly hilarious evening. And, best of all, it’s only $5! 7:00 - 9:00 PM.
• African American Alliance for Homeownership's (AAAH) Power to the People program invites you to join them for their HEALTHY HOMES AND CLIMATE RESILIENCY workshop. In partnership with Advanced Energy Inspections, this webinar workshop will give you the chance to learn about how to safely prepare your home for the extreme weather caused by climate change. Online registration is required. Webinar starts at 6:00 PM.
• Bars Over Bars PDX Presents: Bars at the Big Legrowlski: Vol #2! Bars Over Bars is a New England & Oregon hip hop media company that is focused on throwing shows 100% free for the artist. 5:00 - 8:00 PM.

From my notebook:

• Portland Trail Blazers: "4 wins 6 cities 12 days 🙌" (Instagram)
• Portland Police Bureau: "Join WomenStrength in February for free self-defense classes." (Facebook)
• Portland Audubon: "Due to popular demand, we have added another Beginning Field Birding series out at Sauvie Island! Increase your birding skills with the help of experts by exploring different habitats, learning bird calls, and looking for various speci..." (Instagram)
• Nearly every cuisine features some form of dumpling, and we're fans of them all—Polish pierogi, Chinese dim sum, Caribbean cornmeal dumplings, and even Jewish matzo balls (yes, those are dumplings, too). If you're a fan of delicious dumplings, you're in luck, because Dumpling Wek 2022 is almost here. The Oregonian/OregonLive’s annual celebration of all things wrapped in dough, returns for its eighth year this week, running Jan. 30-Feb. 5. (The Oregonian)
• Portland police officers will be outfitted with body-worn cameras to record their interactions with community members. This is a 3 hour video of a forum that was organized by the Portland Compliance Officer/Community Liaison and Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing to gather input from community in order to offer guidance to the city on crafting a body-worn camera policy. (YouTube)
• If you've lived in the City of Roses for any length of time, you've probably seen the 31-foot-tall statue of Paul Bunyan that looms over the Kenton Neighborhood. Have you ever wondered how such a statue came to be? Here is the story. (Only in Your State)

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How's that for a hump day? there's so much going on and we're only halfway through the week. Take it easy, my friends and come on back tomorrow for more tales 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.