🌱 Portland Cybersecurity Breach + Gun Violence Research Center

Hi all. We've got another First Thursday for ourselves and that's just awesome! Art, food, fun; today has got it all. Sit down and let me tell you all about it.

First, today's weather:

Mostly cloudy today, with the potential for a shower in the afternoon. It's still going to be warm with a high of 77.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. A cybersecurity breach at the city of Portland occurred in April, leading to a fraudulent $1.4 million transaction using city funds, according to the city of Portland. While staff with the city have declined interviews, cybersecurity experts have been noticing an increase in the number of data breaches that have been happening. "It’s not a matter of if you’re going to get hit but a matter of when you’re going to get hit," said Multnomah County's Chief Information Security Officer Dennis Tomlin. (KATU)
2. A new program on Portland’s streetcars works to prioritize safety while increasing ridership. It’s called the Streetcar Ridership Ambassador Program and it provides support for vulnerable riders. The ambassadors work in teams of two, wearing purple vests and backpacks filled with supplies such as granola bars, socks and water bottles. Portland Streetcar has enough funding to keep the program going until the end of the year, but it’s working to make it permanent. (KGW.com)
3. A researcher at Oregon Health & Science University and the VA Portland Health Care System recently obtained a grant to create a Gun Violence Prevention Research Center to step up research on gun deaths and injuries, their causes and strategies for prevention. Kathleen Carlson, an epidemiologist and gun injury researcher, said the grant of $250,000 a year for three years is enough to hire staff and become a resource center for data on gun violence and injuries in Oregon and across the region. (The Lund Report)
4. After more than two years, most of the City of Portland’s downtown buildings have reopened to the public. Officials said City Hall, the Portland Building and other downtown buildings will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except on holidays. “I want to extend a warm welcome back to the public as we reopen City of Portland facilities,” said Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler. “This is an important step forward as we honor our commitment to meeting community members where they are and continuing our efforts to revitalize our city.” (KATU)
5. At first it was Old Town, but now businesses on 23rd Avenue are hiring armed security to guard against the break-ins and theft that has been on the rise. Business owners say the vandalism started during the pandemic and during the riots in 2020, but never really stopped. Common complaints from business owners are slow responses from 911 and police officers. In addition to armed security, businesses are forming a group to share information and collectively make their neighborhood safer. (KOIN.com)

Today in Portland:

• Holocene is turning 19 and its throwing a party! Come and celebrate at tonight's free event. In attendance will be Moss Wand (healing sound bath to start the evening), Patricia Wolf (ambient musician and sound designer) and Crystal Quartez (electronic musician and sound artist). Register for priority entry. Doors open at 8 p.m.
• The Oregon Historical Society presents Thirty-Six Years on Capitol Hill: A Conversation with Congressman Peter DeFazio, happening at the First Congregational Church in downtown Portland. OHS Boyle Family Executive Director Kerry Tymchuk and Willamette Week Editor Mark Zusman will interview DeFazio about his congressional career and his opinions on the national leaders with whom he has worked. This event is free and open to the public. 7 - 8:30 p.m.
• Come to Alberta Abbey to see Friends Without Benefits. Come see Portland's finest singers, songwriters and best buds sing, play and (most likely) drink together in the classic "session" style! All ages welcome. 6 - 8 p.m.
• The Jeff Chilton Trio will be playing at Produce Row Cafe in SE Portland. They'll entertain you with inventive funk, New Orleans soul, and a jam band approach to improvisation! Chilton has performed in over 30 countries and three continents with notables such as The Platters, The Las Vegas Tenors and The Diamonds during his time with Royal Caribbean Cruiselines. 7 - 9 p.m.
• Authors Rees Hughes and Howard Shapiro will be speaking at Powell's City of Books about their book Crossing Paths: A Pacific Crest Trailside Reader. How do trail names get bestowed and what does it mean when you find yourself roaring back at a mountain lion? How have climate change, technology, and the sheer number of hikers affected life on the PCT? Find the answers to all these questions, and so many more, in the diverse writings gathered in Crossing Paths, an anthology of stories and poems written by PCT hikers. The authors will be joined by Crystal Gail Welcome, experiential educator and founder of the non-profit youth organiza­tion, Only Footprints; Dorothy Brown-Kwaiser, interpretive park ranger; and Russ Mease, PCT and CDT thru-hiker. The talk starts at 7 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Portland Parks & Recreation: "The Portland Parks & Recreation Summer Free For All series is coming back for 2022! Thank you, Portland Monthly, for these highlights, made possible by the 2020 Parks Local Option Levy: pdxmonthly.com/2022/05/portland-summer-concerts-sho..." (Facebook)
• Friends of the Children - Portland: "Come one, come all to our FriendsPDX Fest happening Sunday, June 26 from noon to 4 p.m. Join us for an afternoon of fun carnival-style games, great food and drinks, and a raffle full of prizes.🎪 (Facebook)
• The Circus Project is launching the second season of outdoor entertainment at the Circus Domes. Opened for its inaugural season in June 2021, the Circus Domes are an open-air aerial studio and performance venue located at Zidell Yards. The space hosts circus classes and summer camps during the day, and converts to a performance venue in the evening. (PDX Parent)
• The YouTube channel Right On Pizza has been doing reviews of pizza joints all up and down the West Coast. In this episode, it reviews the beloved Portland pizza spot Apizza Scholls on SE Hawthorne. On a side note, why do I always watch videos that make me hungry? I might be having pizza tonight. (YouTube)
• I love posting animal stories in my newsletter (I mean, who doesn't love animals?) and the Oregon Zoo always comes through for me. This time, it’s released 23 endangered turtles that had been reared at the zoo. The turtles were collected from wild sites shortly after they were born in October and since then, they’ve been enjoying the warmth and light of a simulated summer at the zoo’s conservation lab. The zoo waited to release them until the turtles grew big enough to have a fighting chance in the wild. (KOIN)
• There are few multitaskers that can rival Portland's iconic Unipiper. You try riding a unicycle, while in a Darth Vader helmet and playing a set of flaming bagpipes. So it should shock no one that he's inviting us to celebrate the Pride Ride, as well as World Bicycle Day (June 3). Go make some joyful noise together! (Instagram)

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That's your Thursday, Portland. I wish you more joy than a child in a roomful of puppies. Share the love, my friends, and, if you're so inclined, come on back tomorrow so I can tell you 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.

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