🌱 Portland Trees Dying + Busy Primary In May

It's the weekend, people! And a weekend in Portland is like a Spring Break anywhere else. There's lots to do, so, without further ado, let me tell you what's going on today.

First, today's weather:

The rain returns and the day will be a bit cooler with a high of 51. Will this ruin our weekend, Portland? No, we're used to this.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. The tree canopy in Portland has shrunk since 2015, a new report by the city of Portland found. It shrank from 30.7% to 29.8% in a five-year span—the equivalent of 823 acres. No city land was spared from the loss: Business and residential areas, industrial complexes and undeveloped space such as parks all lost trees, but no landscape was hit harder than residential areas, where 64% of the total loss occurred. Residential areas are a little over 30% canopied. (Willamette Week)
2. New polling data shows Portlanders of all ages and backgrounds support broad changes both to Portland’s form of government and how city leaders are elected. A survey was conducted between February 27 and March 3, among 620 likely November 2022 voters in Portland. The survey found that the majority of Portland voters want ranked choice voting, multi-member districts and a change from the current commission structure. (KATU)
3. Commissioners who oversee Oregon’s public defense system want to examine and potentially overhaul how the state provides attorneys for poor people charged with crimes. One idea could include moving toward a state employee model, something lawmakers have pushed back against in the past. It’s not the first time the state has studied its public defense system or public defense leaders have suggested alternatives, but the possibility of changes comes at a time when some estimates suggest the state needs as many as 1,300 more public defenders to provide constitutionally-adequate services. (OPB)
4. Beginning next month, individuals and companies no longer are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to do business with the City of Portland. On April 1, in alignment with the State of Oregon, the City of Portland’s vaccination requirement for vendors, consultants, contractors, volunteers and grantees will be removed. The decision ends a policy enacted in November 2021 that applied to anyone who worked inside a city facility for 15 minutes or longer. (KOIN)
5. Two Portland City Commissioner seats are on the ballot this year, and incumbents Dan Ryan and Jo Ann Hardesty are each facing multiple challengers in their bids for reelection. Ryan has eight opponents on the ballot for Position 2, and Hardesty is facing 10 opponents for Position 3. The primary ballot is going to be one of the most packed elections Portland has seen in recent years. The 2020 ballot had 35 commissioner candidates, but 18 of them were running in the special election to finish out Fish’s term, rather than for one of the two regular seats. (KGW.com)

Today in Portland:

• If you love owls, come out to Tryon Creek State Natural Area for Owl Fest, an afternoon owl celebration with activities for the entire family! Activities include owl information tables, owl pellet dissection and crafts, guided hikes throughout the day. Also on the schedule, owl presentations and close-up encounters with a live educational owl. Hosted by Friends of Tryon Creek. 12:00 - 6:00 PM.
• SisterSpirit presents PAGANFAIRE at Oaks Park (provided the COVID situation allows). The theme is “Seeds of Change – A rite of initiation, transformation, and magic.” Michael Agee is the guest ritualist. Everyone is invited! There will be classes, merchants and performances. 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
• The Rose City Book Club presents Beer Education with Peigi and Dan: Stouts and Porters. Explore the flavors of various stouts and porters from around the world while learning about the history and methods of production of this style of beer. This is a limited event, so get your tickets early. 7:00 - 9:00 PM.
• Uplifted Boutique in SE Portland and local artist Collin Murphy have partnered to present an art auction benefitting Feed The Mass. Feed The Mass is a nonprofit community kitchen that creates and serves free, nutritious meals to Portland neighbors in need. The event will also feature a vibrant community of artists and makers. Join them for good times and good stuff, and help Feed The Mass keep up the good work. 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
• The time honored tradition of the Midnight Comedy show is back at Beulahland in NE Portland. From Portland, OR’s comedy stages comes Stoolhumpin’. A monthly show held at the legendary Beulahland Coffee and Ale House. Stoolhumpin’ will not be your ordinary run of the mill comedy show. Stoolhumpin’ will be bringing the heaviest of heavy hitters to the stage. Hosted by Portland's Funniest Person 2019 winner and town favorite Adam Pasi, World Series Of Comedy participant Sam Whitley and Hard Times writer and podcaster Ryan Danley. Register online for this free show. Did I tell you that this starts at midnight?

From my notebook:

• If it’s true that the more things change, the more they stay the same, then Portland’s cultural ecosystem is in for a lot of same old, same old. Since 2021, the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Opera, Oregon Symphony, Regional Arts & Culture Council, and Artists Repertory Theatre have all seen shakeups at the highest levels of artistic leadership—and those are just the heavy hitters. Toss in handovers at smaller organizations like Corrib Theatre and the Portland Actors Conservatory, plus a pandemic (perhaps you’ve heard?), and it’s hard not to see 2022 as a major fork in the road for Portland’s arts ecosystem. (PDX Monthly)
• Exciting news! Portland Sunday Parkways presented by Kaiser Permanente is back in-person for its 15th anniversary! Join us for this special occasion as we open the streets at two events this year. We will kick off the summer on Sunday, June 26 in Northeast Cully and end the summer on Sunday, August 21 in East Portland. (portland.gov)
• A California-based non-profit is flying 28 rescue dogs to Portland Thursday, hoping the city’s high demand for adoptable pets will help the K-9s find new homes. Wings of Rescue is transporting the dogs from the Tulare City Animal Shelter in California. The plane they’re flying in is expected to land in Portland at around 12:15 p.m. and the dogs will be taken to Oregon Humane Society facilities where they’ll be placed for adoption. Wings of Rescue says OHS adopts more animals from its Portland shelter than any other single-facility shelter on the West Coast. (KOIN)
• There's concern on Metro West ambulances about an alarming overdose death rate. The team at Metro West headquarters in Hillsboro is responding, pulling out all the tools in their kits amid a growing discussion of how they should treat pain. “Oh god, we talk about it. Yes, we talk about it all the time. We do. We have to," said Metro West spokesperson Jan Lee, who has been a paramedic for 34 years. Lee said the crews have been carrying non-opioid pain medications to give the people they treat an alternative pain management option in an emergency. (KATU)
• The Central Park Five is Portland Opera‘s upcoming production. The Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, composed by Anthony Davis (libretto by Richard Wesley, conducted by Kazem Abdullah, stage directed by Nataki Garrett), recounts the horrifying 1989 tale of innocent youths aged 14-16 accused and convicted of beating and raping a woman in New York’s Central Park, after they falsely confessed but then recanted, with no physical evidence connecting them to the crime. (Oregon Arts Watch)

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Whew, now that's a Saturday! But that's about par for Portland. Which, I guess, is why we live here. Enjoy your weekend, my friends. You know where to find me next week for more news 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.