🌱 Portland Schools Too Hot + More Violence Over Weekend

It's another Wednesday in Portland, my friends. We've got schools that aren't built for this weather, lectures about the James Webb Space Telescope and people just handing out money. Such is the mixed bag of emotions that is Portland.

First, today's weather:

Another hot, sunny day. The high temp will be around 92. Hot, but nothing like yesterday.

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Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. The 2022-2023 school year is set to begin, but teachers are worried how Portland schools will be as temperatures in the 90s continue to show up on the forecast. Roughly half of school buildings in Portland are almost 100 years old, without built-in air conditioning. Angela Bonilla, the president of the Portland Association of Teachers, handed out thermometers Monday to help staff keep an eye on the heat. Bonilla also contacted the district to ask for portable AC units and fans for classrooms. (KOIN)
2. One person died and two others were hurt when a masonry column collapsed on the Lewis & Clark College campus Monday night, according to Portland Fire & Rescue. Terry Foster, spokesperson for the fire bureau, said a 19-year-old man was killed and two 18-year-old women were injured. One of the women’s arm was injured and the other suffered injuries to her abdomen. They were taken to the hospital in stable condition. (KATU)
3. The members of AFSCME Local 328, a union representing about 7,000 workers at Oregon Health & Science University, have voted to authorize a strike. Local 328 members are social workers, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, cleaners, and chaplains, among others and make up about a third of the hospital’s total workforce. The central disagreement is over pay increases. The union is seeking a 24% across-the-board wage increase for its members, spread out over the course of three years. OHSU leaders have counter-offered a 12% wage increase over three years. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
4. Investigators are still looking into what caused the explosion that destroyed a downtown Portland food cart and caused damage to the surrounding area. While investigators still have not determined what caused the blast, they said propane “is the most likely source of fuel” that exploded. The force of the blast damaged multiple nearby food trucks, shattered windows on buildings across the street and scattered debris throughout the block of SW 5th and Harvey Milk. (KOIN.com)
5. It was another violence-filled weekend for Portland, as gunfire kills 4 and injures 9. The first incident happened just before 9:30 p.m. Friday on Northwest 6th Avenue and Northwest Flanders Street where officers found a man who was shot. He was taken to the hospital where he died. The final shooting police reported happened at about 3:11 a.m. Monday at a gas station in the 600 block of Southeast Grand Avenue. Police said a rideshare driver was held at gunpoint by a passenger and was forced to drive around the area. The victim was able to convince the suspect she had to get gas, and she was able to get away from the vehicle and suspect. The suspect left on foot and fired a single shot. (KPTV)

Today in Portland:

• Come visit OMSI tonight for OMSI After Dark: Out of this World. Discover the mind-boggling hugeness of the cosmos and our place in it at this intergalactic OMSI After Dark. There will be science demonstrations, fun activities, lectures about the James Webb Space Telescope and planetarium shows. And, of course, many fine vendors selling food and drinks. 6 - 10 p.m.
• Visit Wellspent Market for a drink and a bite to eat. It is celebrating the return of its vermouth bar. The management is also excited to show you the new in-store partners including Fieldwork Flowers operating a full service flower shop in the store, Fulamingo, the DIY Japanese market run by two restaurant industry vets and Wild Roots Farm that is now supplying the cooler with fresh seasonal produce. 5:30 - 7 p.m.
• Come catch hardcore punk band Vein.FM at Mano Oculta. In 2017 the band was signed onto Closed Casket Activities, who would issue their first full-length work Errorzone to warm reception among critics, even appearing on Revolvers early "Best Albums of 2018" list. Showtime is 7 p.m.
• It's a free music show with Arthur C. Lee at the Laurelthirst Pub. Come on down for the big end-of-summer extravaganza rock n roll show. Opening act is New Victorian. 9 - 11 p.m.
• The Church of Film presents PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE CINEMA at the Clinton Street Theater. PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE CINEMA collects a variety of Palestinian film perspectives, from the experimental narrative short The Visit, to the guerilla films of the PLO Film Unit, and the invaluable work of Lebanese filmmaker Joceylne Saab, all which captured the struggles, the tragedies, the massacres, and the faces of an occupation and diaspora as they happened. Showtime is 8 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Portland Trail Blazers: "Had a wonderful time unveiling the court at McCoy Park! Special thanks to @portlandparks and @nike ❤️" (Portland Trail Blazers via Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "It’s always fun to spot a Northern Flicker - their plumage is such a delightful combo of colors and patterns, you could use them as the inspiration to decorate a room! " (Portland Audubon via Instagram)
• Portland Art Museum: "We hope to see you soon! Here are a few tips: ✅ Open Wednesdays–Sundays, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. ✅ Reserve your tickets in advance online OR in person ✅ Coat check is on hold—please plan ahead ✅ There are exhibitions big and small across 2 buildi..." (Portland Art Museum via Facebook)
• Here in Portland, we're used to seeing people standing by the side of the road hold a sign that is a desperate plea for money. What if you saw someone with a sign offering to give you money? Here is a news broadcast from the '90s in Southern California reporting on a Portland man who was doing just that, giving his own money away. (YouTube)
• For months, Oregon has failed to meet its constitutional requirement of providing defendants with adequate representation. A lack of public defenders is leaving hundreds of people without attorneys for weeks or even months on end, including many people in custody. VICE News brings you this look into our legal system. (YouTube)
• Local theater group hand2mouth brings us an immersive new performance. HOME/LAND let's audience members travel through a live performance installation to question their relationship to home, comfort, and safety. Within a context of critical instability, when displacement and forced migrations have caused many to leave their homes and everything they hold dear, audience members are each assigned a temporary unit in a government-run shelter village called Lot 6B. (hand2mouth theater)

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That's your Wednesday, people. Whether your grab a bite at Wellspent Market, take in a lecture about the James Webb Telescope or dance your butt off at a hardcore punk show, you're bound to have a great time. I'll find my own fun, but I'll still be back tomorrow to tell you what I know about 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