🌱 Pedestrian Fatalities Continue + Andrew Yang Endorses Betsy Johnson

It's Friday, Portland, and that is cause for celebration. Fortunately, we live in the City of Roses, where every day is a party. And the city is bringing it today. Let me tell you what's going on.

First, today's weather:

The atmospheric river that they've been talking about moves in and we've got rain on and off all day. The high is 64, so not too bad.

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Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. Despite the Vision Zero Program, Portland streets remain deadly for cyclists and pedestrians. According to data from the Portland Bureau of Transportation and the Portland Police Bureau, pedestrian and bicycle rider deaths have been rising since 2019. So far in 2022, Portland has had 13 bicycle rider and pedestrian deaths. “It’s gonna take years to transform our streets and transform our driver behavior to reach our goal of Vision Zero,” said PBOT spokesperson Dylan Rivera. "These last couple years during the pandemic have changed traffic patterns in ways that many people could’ve never foreseen, but there are some signs of progress.” (KATU)
2. The Perennial Pooper strikes again! Bags containing human feces are still being collected along East County roads, according to Multnomah County. Since late 2018, the county said a “perennial pooper” has been disposing of bags filled with human poop and kitty litter along rural roads near Troutdale, Springdale and Corbett. Some of the bags have remained intact, but others have been ripped open and splattered by passing cars, with poop left to wash into the drainage ditch. The county said human feces can carry diseases and when that poop washes into drainage ditches, it can contaminate waterways where people spend time. (KPTV)
3. Officers on Tuesday arrested a man suspected in about three dozen robberies across the metro area since April after a four-hour standoff with Portland police, they announced Wednesday afternoon in a news release. Andrey Mazur, 32, of Portland, was charged with two counts of robbery in the second degree, police said. He pleaded not guilty, according to court records. (Portland Patch)
4. Is the grocery chain New Seasons anti-union? Its latest legal tactic sure makes it seems that way. Confronted with a revitalized unionizing effort among its workers, New Seasons has hired a national law firm that's helped fight union organizing at Trump-owned companies to quash the labor movement. According to the National Labor Relations Board filing, New Seasons has hired a lawyer with Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart to represent the company in the face of two union efforts at both a Portland and Hillsboro New Seasons store. (The Portland Mercury)
5. Former Democratic presidential candidate (and former Democrat) Andrew Yang is endorsing Betsy Johnson, the former state senator who herself left the Democratic Party to run for Oregon governor, Johnson’s campaign announced. Yang developed a loyal following during his presidential campaign and both he and Johnson have argued that our current political problems are in part caused by partisanship. (Willamette Week)

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Today in Portland:

• North Portland spot The Waypost is back and hosting a Local Music Friday! It's got a great line up of hip hop artists, such as Pure Art, Soul Fiya and DDwili, just to name a few. Sounds by Tac0, hosted by Dub Dynamite, great food from The Waypost, not to mention great drinks, and that's just the beginning to a great Friday night with local music. Get your tickets online. Door open at 6:30 p.m.
• We're still celebrating Pride Month and tonight the party is at Lloyd Center. Come join the fun with its PRIDE Rooftop Roller Disco! The Rose City Rollers will be hitting the rooftop at Lloyd Center with @DJSappho for an evening of danceable tunes as the sun sets over gorgeous PDX. Skate and gear rentals available via Skatemobile, concessions for purchase, RCR’s Plowstop Bar will be on-site and stocked with drinks! Tickets are available online. The fun starts at 6:30 p.m.
• Wasn't I just talking about Andrew Yang? Well, he's in town. Holocene is having a happy hour to welcome Andrew Yang and Forward Party to the Portland Direct Cash Community. Come have a cocktail and dance with them. Hosted by Oregon People’s Rebate. Entry is free with registration. Doors open at 5 p.m.
• Fans of Studio Ghibli, the night for you is here! Come out to Wyrd Leather and Mead for a full night of themed ambiance organized around the works of Miyazaki and the beloved Japanese culture. Enjoy themed music, chill low-fi vibes, Neo-noir and cyberpunk ambiance and perhaps a few small food options themed around it all as well! 5 - 10 p.m.
• Friends of Noise is proud to present ‘Spring into Fridays,’ a series of creative showcases that will highlight some of the city’s best all-ages talent. This will be happening at the Welcome Dome in Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland's Living Room! Join them as they uplift young people of color, LGBTQ+ youth and their allies through music and community building. 4 - 10 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Summer is almost here and for many, myself included, the season is synonymous with barbecue. Portland has a lot of great places to get some tasty brisket and ribs, but we're not limited to the U.S. Grilled meat traditions from Mexico to the Philippines to the Mariana Islands abound in our city, too. Here's a run down of some of the best joints to get your que on. (Portland Monthly)
• Tradition returned Wednesday afternoon to a small pocket of Northeast Portland, where, to the delight of hundreds of attendant children, the Fred Meyer Junior Parade wound its way down Sandy Boulevard in the city’s Hollywood District. The Unipiper, long a symbol of Portland’s quirkier side, served as the parade’s grand marshal. (The Oregonian)
• Faced with rising inflation, things are getting tough for people in the Pacific Northwest. Groups who provide free meals in Portland are seeing an increase in people using their services. Blanchet House, a soup kitchen in Old Town, said it has had more people coming in for food lately. Meal services say for food insecure families and seniors, the price of food going up can mean deciding between being able to pay bills and buy prescriptions or being able to eat. If you are in such a situation, or know someone who is, check out SignUpWIC.com. It provides food assistance to those who are pregnant or have a child under 5. We've got to look out for each other, Portland. (KOIN)
• Save the date! The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Congressman Earl Blumenauer Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge is having its Grand Opening on Sunday, July 31. Visitors are encouraged to arrive by 11:30 a.m., ahead of the ceremony and afternoon pop-up block party. It's located at the NE Seventh Avenue and NE Flanders Street intersection on the south side of the bridge. The NE Seventh Avenue and NE Lloyd Boulevard intersection will provide access to the north side. See you there. (Portland.gov)
• If you hate doing the laundry, then you're in luck. There's a new laundry service in town! The start-up Loopie Laundry provides bags to customers, who leave their laundry out to be picked up, then returned clean and folded for $29.99 with a 24-hour turnaround. Eric Lyon is the superhero star of Loopie’s advertisement and the director of operations. He says the convenience factor of Loopie is key. “If you have the extra income, if you can use that extra time to be with your family or make a good meal or get more work done, it’s a cool opportunity for people to not have to do more laundry,” he said. (KOIN)
• Once again, Portland makes a Top 10 list. This time it's for our glorious Forest Park and World Atlas's Top 10 City Parks In The United States. At 5,156-acres, Forest Park was the largest entry on the list. With over 70-miles of trails meandering through the park, it's no surprise that it made the list. Not to mention that more than 112 species of birds and 62 species of mammals can be found along Forest Park's 8-mile stretch of land. What is surprising is that it only scored the No. 8 spot, though it did have stiff competition. Boston Common took the top spot and New York's Central Park was right behind it at No. 2. (World Atlas)

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How's that for a Friday? There's no shortage of things to do, so get your party on people. But we've got more weekend to go, so come on back tomorrow where I can share all things 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.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Portland Daily? Contact me at portland@patch.com