🌱 Portland's Batman Saves Day + Clackamas County Elections Complaint

If you want something to be thankful for, this weekend in Portland is it. It's going to be glorious! More sun than we've seen in a while and temperatures in the 70s. Somebody pinch me. And there's so much to do, so let me get on with the business of me talking about what's happening.

First, today's weather:

A few clouds in the morning, but those will clear up and leave us with mostly sun and a high of 71.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. Has Batman left Gotham for Portland? A Portland man helped to recover a truckload of stolen valuables belonging to him and several neighbors — including his custom-made Dark Knight Batman suit. The thefts happened in the early morning hours of April 29. Thieves broke into several storage units at the Terrazzo Condominiums near Southeast 20th and Division in Portland. “I thought immediately, they can't get away with that,” said Bruce Lawson, who had belongings in one of the storage units. “It's just stuff — but it's such an invasion.” (KGW.com)
2. Nick Kristof made a brief gubernatorial campaign out of railing against entrenched Oregon Democrats. Now he’s endorsed one. The Democrat and former New York Times columnist on Thursday came out in support of former House Speaker Tina Kotek, who clinched her party’s nomination for governor in a convincing fashion two days earlier. “Oregon faces huge challenges, and we need real leadership. That’s Tina Kotek,” Kristof said in a statement released by Kotek’s campaign. (OPB)
3. Ash Smith was 31 and homeless when she was shot in the head and killed by someone she'd likely never met, according to Portland police. Smith was attending a drum circle on May 8 at Eastbank Esplanade when she was killed, police said. It was around 11:45 p.m. when a man walked up behind her and shot her in the head. (Portland Patch)
4. Friday, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that Michael Edgar Bivins, 34, has been arraigned on 11 charges including one count of arson in the first degree, five counts of criminal mischief in the first degree, and five counts of bias crime in the second degrees. The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office was an active participant of the Oregon Attorney General's Hate Crimes Task Force and helped draft the language that was in Senate Bill 577. (Press Release Desk)
5. More problems surrounding the ballot fiasco in Clackamas County were present Thursday as Jamie McLeod-Skinner’s campaign filed a formal complaint saying that it wasn’t given equal access to observe the tallying process. That official complaint made its way to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, stating that an elections observer for the McLeod-Skinner campaign arrived at the Clackamas County elections office shortly after 8 a.m. on Thursday. According to the complaint, the observer rang the front doorbell twice but wasn’t let into the building until 8:30 a.m. (KOIN)

Today in Portland:

• Join the longest running ’90s night in the NW for our 90s vs 00s party, SNAP! Y2K at the Welcome Dome in Pioneer Courthouse Square. A nostalgic trip back to all your favorite music from the early 90s to the early 00s. Spanning genres from hip hop to house to alt rock to modern re-edits you will feel like you are back in middle school. Free (limited) pizza from Pizza Slut. 7 - 10 p.m.
• Welcome to Mycelia. Nestled within the talented community of The Haven in partnership with JaJa PDX, Evolved Mushrooms brings you a stacked lineup of local mycology educational speakers and presentations during the day with an immersive music experience at night. The best of both worlds combined into a single event. Get your tickets online. This event starts at 2 p.m.
• Drink Up Me Hearties Yo Ho! Come out to the Wyrd Hall for an evening full of sea shanties and pirate garb! All evening long they will be playing pirate tunes and encouraging any and all Pirates to come out! If you have Liars Dice, bring it! MASKS ARE REQUIRED WHEN NOT SEATED AT YOUR TABLE. COSTUMING STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. 5 - 10 p.m.
• Prepare for an afternoon of weird snorts and overwhelming cuteness. This fundraiser for Pacific Pug Rescue invites pug lovers and owners alike to bring their dogs along for a pug parade and pup photo booth. There'll be drink specials from Stem Wine Bar, too, but tell your dog that part's just for you. 1 - 4 p.m.
• Witness a night of adults telling stories about their lives by sharing their most mortifying childhood artifacts (diaries, letters, lyrics, poems, home movies) … in front of total strangers. This is Mortified Live at The Alberta Rose Theater. Tickets available online. There are two shows; an early one at 6 p.m. and a later one at 9 p.m.

From my notebook:

• If you have seasonal allergies, you're not going to like this news. Spring-like temperatures are finally back in the forecast for this weekend, but for those who suffer from seasonal allergies, get ready for a blast of pollen. Pollen allergy forecasts are expected to rise significantly over the next few days in the Portland metro area. The pollen that will be out the most includes tree pollen from oak and ash trees, along with grass pollen. (KOIN)
• If you're a fan of folk music, you may be interested to learn that the Portland Folk Music Society has a Virtual Song Circle every Saturday. The Virtual Song Circles are surprisingly fun. And it's convenient because it's in the comfort of your own home - you don't have to take a bus or drive to get there. This is open to everyone. Come when you like, stay as long as you like, leave when you need to. The music starts at 5:30 p.m. (Portland Folk Music)
• The Mt. Tabor Art Walk is this weekend! 36 artists will be showing their work at 21 locations throughout the Mt Tabor neighborhood. Come see a wide variety of amazing, high-quality art work for sale in a small area; you can walk from place to place! Go to mttaborartwalk.com to get a map of sites (houses) where artists are showing. This is happening both Sat. & Sun., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Facebook)
• Not into art? How about flowers? Check out Floratopia happening at the World Forestry Center. Enjoy beautiful Floral exhibits including suspended aerial designs. Delight in Botanical Jewelry crafted entirely from plant materials and gaze at wonderful Landscape and Floral Photography. This is free to the public and open both Sat. & Sun., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Facebook)
• Homelessness is a major problem for the city of Portland and a hot topic during this election year. But how much do we really understand about homelessness or the many ways it's being addressed? Multnomah County Joint Office of Homeless Services has put out a page regarding five myths about homelessness in the Portland Area. (Multnomah Country)
• Do you live in SE Portland? Then you should probably learn more about the Lower SE Rising Area Plan online open house and survey! Residents of Brentwood-Darlington and parts of Mt Scott-Arleta, Woodstock, and Lents want improvements to their neighborhoods and streets. This open house presents ways to do that, which you can comment on in the survey. (Portland.Gov)

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This weekend is packed full of goodness, so get out there and have fun with it. Whether you're into art or pugs or dressing up like a pirate, there's bound to be something to tickle your fancy. Live your best life, my friends, and get back to me next week so I can share even more of Portland with you.

— 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