🌱Racial Disparities In Traffic Stops+I-5 Bridge Replacement Program

Happy Friday, Portland! It's a fine day and everything's coming up roses. Pull up a chair and let me tell you about today.

First, today's weather:

It's another marvelous day that will be filled with sun and have a high of 82.

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Here are the top stories today in Portland:

1. Portland leaders have unanimously agreed to pay $200,000 in attorney fees after a doomed bid to avoid releasing decades-old legal documents. The documents the city officials were forced to release deal with the long-contentious issue of how utility bureaus are supposed to handle ratepayer money, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. Retired developer Mark Bartlett first requested three legal opinions and a memo from the city in September 2015. He believed the documents would show the city was knowingly violating its own rules in regard to a land deal. (KGW.com)
2. A report released earlier this week by the Portland Police Bureau shows little progress in reducing racial disparities in traffic stops, despite a highly publicized effort by Mayor Ted Wheeler and Police Chief Chuck Lovell to no longer pull over motorists for minor infractions like broken taillights. As WW previously reported (“Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” June 22), the discontinuation of low-level stops contributed to a 90% drop in all traffic stops in two years. But this week’s report shows the percentage of drivers pulled over who were Black actually increased from 17% in 2020 to 18% in 2021. (Willamette Week)
3. The I-5 Bridge Replacement Program took a step forward as both the Portland City Council and the Port of Portland gave it the thumbs up. The Portland City Council, along with other Oregon and Washington government groups, has set conditions on its approvals that will be addressed as the plans evolve in the coming years. Four groups have endorsed the bridge plan so far: TriMet, the Vancouver City Council, the Port of Vancouver and C-Tran. Barring unforeseen complications, construction is expected to begin by late 2025. (The Columbian)
4. A new app from the Portland area has launched, with the goal of helping to find missing people. The app, named Q5id Guardian, is launching in Portland, before expanding to key cities in the West such as Seattle and Las Vegas, then nationally. Oregon has the third-highest rate in the United States of people who go missing, at 10.4 per 100,000 people. The Guardian app works by building a verified community of volunteers who can help greatly expand the search for a missing person and send highly localized alerts using the technique of geofencing. (KOIN)
5. Gas prices have continued to fall across the nation this month — and Oregon is no exception. According to AAA, prices for fuel are falling week after week in all 50 states, with rates dropping 15 cents this week to an average of $4.63. In Oregon, AAA reports gas prices have fallen by 12 cents to an average of $5.35 per gallon. The declines applied to Portland too, where prices dropped almost identically for the week by 11 cents, averaging $5.42 per gallon. The reason? Experts say the lower prices at the pump are largely thanks to the price of crude oil being down 20% the last month. (KOIN.com)

Today in Portland:

• Are you an Ursula Le Guin fan? Then you should know about Better Worlds: A Panel on Ursula K. Le Guin's Legacy of Pacifism and Environmentalism at Literary Arts in downtown Portland. Join Becky Chambers (A Prayer for the Crown-Shy), Juhea Kim (Beasts of a Little Land), and Michelle Ruiz Keil (Summer in the City of Roses, All of Us With Wings) for a discussion moderated by Theo Downes-Le Guin about Ursula K. Le Guin’s literary legacy—and the authors who are carrying it forward today. The talk starts at 6:00 PM.
• A sure sign of summer in Portland is the return of Zoo Nights at the Oregon Zoo. Tonight it will feature a performance from the ever-popular Too Loose Cajun/Zydeco Band. Do the two-step to the sound of two fiddles, accordion, electric and acoustic guitars, piano, the traditional Louisiana rub-board, and a kickin' rhythm section. There will also be local music, food carts, activities for all ages, and the chance to get to know some of the animals active during twilight hours. Tickets available online. 5:30 - 8:00 PM.
• Jef and Jesse, the same two that brought you Pedalpalooza's 2021 Steal Your Face: A Grateful Dead Ride, are doing it again. Join the ride and celebrate the music of the Grateful Dead as you ride bikes, dance, and get weird. The ride meets at Peninsula Park at 7pm. Wheels roll at 7:30pm
• Ever wanted to take your turn at one of the Funny Friday standup nights at the 4th Wall? Well, now you can! Local legends Jane Malone & Amelia Evans are back hosting their hugely hilarious Comedy Open Mic Night. Tickets are just $10, available at the door only, and there is no fee to sign up. See you on stage! Showtime is 7:00 PM.
• The play Matt & Ben will be at the 21ten Theater in SE Portland. When a mysterious script titled “Good Will Hunting” falls from the sky into the middle of Ben’s bachelor pad, they are forced to face the future of their careers, and their friendship, under circumstances beyond their wildest imaginations. Hilarity erupts; chaos ensues. Get your tickets online. 7:30 - 8:30 PM.

From my notebook:

• Portland Audubon: "Did you know that Swainson’s Hawks have a different diet depending on whether it’s breeding season or not? It’s the three R’s during breeding season (rodents, rabbits and reptiles). But the rest of the year, their meals consist of inse..." (Portland Audubon via Instagram)
• Fancy a cup of tea? Then celebrate the return of Teafest PDX after a 2 year hiatus. Portland’s Teafest PDX event seeks to shine a light on the multitude of amazing regional tea vendors, spread knowledge about craft tea through tastings and classes, and provide a space for a vast array of tea experiences. The event started back in 2013, when Teafest’s founder first imagined a local tea festival. Jennifer Brenner—the festival’s founding director—was attending the Northwest Tea Festival in Seattle and realized how many people from Oregon would go up. (PSU Vanguard)
• Wow, there's almost too much to do this weekend! We've got The Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, Paseo and now there's Milwaukie Porchfest! Porchfest is a free festival of performances on porches, driveways and public spaces across Milwaukie. People are encouraged to walk or bike their neighborhoods, meet their neighbors, and share their talents with the community. The first of three Fridays is today, with subsequent Fridays being on July 22nd and July 29th. (Milwaukie Porchfest)
• Vintage Portland is a project of the City of Portland Archives and Records Center (PARC). Their website shows little snapshots of Portland's history. This is NE 39th Avenue (NE Cesar E Chavez Boulevard) and NE Sandy Boulevard, 1988. Just look at those gas prices! (Vintage Portland)
• This is why we can't have nice things. Organizers of the Cully Farmers Market in Northeast Portland have canceled the remainder of its 2022 season over what they describe as safety concerns. The organizations that run the market said the concerns stemmed from a confrontation between a market organizer and a “disgruntled” neighborhood resident but offered few other details. The market, they said, also has struggled to attract vendors — and customers — since the pandemic. (The Oregonian)
• From the Unipiper: Best Local Celebrity 2022 - The Unipiper @willametteweek 🏆Thank you to everyone who voted, and also to everyone else! I could never have anticipated this strange, weird journey of the Unipiper, but I know I couldn't have done it without everyone's support over the years! (Instagram)

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You're all up to date on the crazy happenings in Portland. Now go pounce on your Friday with all the playfulness of a kitten! I'll be back tomorrow to do this all over again.

— 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