🌱Providence Nurses Strike + Cannabis Emergency Relief Fund

Here we are at another Wednesday, Portland. But not just any Wednesday, it's 4/20! And you know what that means. That's right, it's Volunteer Recognition Day! So give a shout out to all those fine people that donate their time to making the world a better place. Let me tell you about today.

First, today's weather:

No surprises here. It's going to be another grey, rainy day with a high of 53.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. Nurses at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center will vote on whether to authorize a strike, representatives announced Monday. The workers are represented by the Oregon Nurses Association which says the vote will be on whether to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice strike against the hospital. The vote will begin April 19 and conclude May 3. “Nurses are affirming our rights to speak up and advocate for our patients and coworkers to make sure work is safe for nurses and patients,” said ONA Executive Committee President at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center John Smeltzer. “Instead of interfering with nurses’ rights, Providence should be working with us to raise staffing standards, improve patient care, make health care more affordable and retain the frontline nurses and health professionals our community counts on.” (Fox 12 Oregon)
2. An arson investigation is underway after someone threw an explosive device at an occupied RV in Northeast Portland early Monday morning, according to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). Firefighters from Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) responded to reports of an RV fire shortly before 5 a.m. at Northeast 33rd Drive and Northeast Sunderland Avenue. The fire crews arrived to find that community members had already extinguished the flames with fire extinguishers. The fire had been caused by some kind of explosive, firefighters learned. They called in arson investigators and Portland police to investigate. (KGW)
3. Wearing a mask inside Portland International Airport is now optional, the Port of Portland announced late Monday. It's a reversal from earlier in the day when the plan was to keep the mandate in place. The developments came on the heels of a federal judge appointed by President Trump ruling that the CDC had overstepped its bounds by extending a mask mandate recently. (Portland Patch)
4. Chinook Book, the popular Portland-based retail discount app often peddled as a fundraiser by schools and nonprofits across the Northwest, abruptly announced last week that it will shut down operations after more than 20 years. The company added that it will be “ceasing operation” of the app on April 20. Despite the announcement, as of Monday afternoon, Chinook Book’s website had no indication that the company was closing. Instead, it was still advertising offers and a free 30-day trial to sign up for the app. (OregonLive)
5. This month, a group of nonprofit organizations began distributing $1.33 million in taxpayer funds to Portland cannabis businesses. The program and its financing, called Cannabis Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), are unconventional, for the beneficiaries—cannabis-related businesses—, for the relative speed with which they moved through City Hall, and for the lack of transparency as to where those taxpayer dollars have been distributed. Approved in December 2021, CERF diverts cannabis-generated tax revenue to support the economic recovery of local cannabis businesses, which endured financial troubles caused by wildfires, increased burglaries and the pandemic in the last two years, but were ineligible for federal relief dollars. (Portland Mercury)

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Today in Portland:

• Celebrate 4/20 at the Hollywood Theater with the tale of a boy who is magically transported to a psychedelic wonderland after he blows on a magic flute—that's right, it's PUFNSTUF (1970), the film adaptation of Sid and Marty's Krofft's classic, bonkers television series H.R. Pufnstuf! Get your tickets online. Showtime is 7:30 PM.
• Reserve your spot to watch Third Rail's #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence that calls on teens to confront gun violence by creating new works of theatre that will spark critical conversations and meaningful action in communities across the country. The plays, all written by high school students, address gun violence through a variety of lenses and experiences. Tickets are FREE! Reservations are required for both in-person and virtual attendance and in-person seating is limited. The show starts at 7:00 PM.
• Celebrate 420 from the comfort of your home with The Flower Power Tokeativity Social. This virtual ganja gathering encourages participants to light up and join in from all over the world. Events include speed networking with Women Employed in Cannabis, a Cannapreneurs lounge, giveaways, a digital photo booth, and more. Register for free. 1:00 - 3:00 PM.
• You are invited to RECESS 4.20 at Rainbow City! It's going to be the most "FUN" 4/20 Party in Portland. We all remember when recess was the highlight of our day. A break with friends where we could just have fun, play, and be ourselves. The event will be just that (A BREAK). We are bringing back some of everyone's favorite blacktop games like 4 Square, Tetherball, and MORE! Door gifts go to the first 60 people. Tickets available online. 2:00 - 6:00 PM.
• Join On Running at Great Notion Brewing NW for some light trail miles and beer! From Great Notion you will take a short paved route to the newly refreshed Lower Macleay trail, out to the Witches Castle and straight back to Great Notion. On Running will have demos of its new trail shoe, Cloudvista, for you to be able to try out for some miles. Post run, the first round of beer and fries are on us! Register for free online. 6:00 - 8:30 PM.

From my notebook:

• Portland Audubon: "Join us on a birding and rafting adventure from May 24 - 27! Explore the birds and natural history of the stunning Deschutes River by raft. The Deschutes River is Central Oregon’s largest waterway, featuring towering basalt cliffs, remot..." (Instagram)
• Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts: "Earth Day is just 4 days away! Mark your calendars for April 22 and join us to celebrate Earth Day Oregon alongside more than 70 nonprofits across the state. This year, we've teamed up with some of our friends to celebrate and help ampli..." (Facebook)
• Portland Farmers Market: "Visit our Volunteer table at PSU Farmers Market this Sat, April 23 10am - 1pm. We'll have volunteers and staff members available to answer your questions and provide more info! Can't make it on Saturday? Check out our website and apply! ..." (Facebook)
• In front of a Black Lives Matter stencil at a small Portland venue in March, a trombone player began a concert by sharing a personal and political truth. "My name is Denzel Mendoza," he said. "I am an illegal immigrant and a trombonist." Mendoza then read British-Somali poet Warsan Shire’s poem "Home," which reckons with the desperation of forced migration, before picking up his instrument. Trombones are uncommon instruments of protest, but in Portland, musicians use any and every tool to bring people together and push for social justice. These days, there may not be a "Portland sound," but the scene coheres around progressive politics. That may reflect the city’s continuing turmoil, including a mass shooting at a protest in February and another dumpster fire near a police station just this week. (Grammy Awards)
• Smoke from wildfires is becoming a reality that individuals and communities face each fire season. Want to learn how you can protect yourself and those you care about from wildfire smoke? Join us as we hear from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Health Authority about how to prepare for a smoke event. Speakers will talk about smoke impacts to human health, how to access important air quality information and how to differentiate between the levels of air quality. They will also discuss things you can do right now to prepare. (Oregon State University)
• A message from Tri-Met: Masks are now optional on our buses and trains due to a change in federal law, but the CDC does recommend continuing to mask up on transit. We know our riders have mixed feelings about the mandate ending. We ask everyone to be respectful of others as we all adjust to this change. (Twitter)

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There's your Wednesday and that's your 420. Celebrate the day in whatever way you choose. I'll meet you back here tomorrow and tell you all about another awesome day in 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.