🌱Vegas Poaching Portland Cops + Multnomah Co. Homeless Deaths Up

It's another Friday and the end of another fine week. It's an awesome time to be in Portland. Here's what's going on today.

First, today's weather:

It's cloudy today, but no rain, so there's that. The high temp will be 44.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. Hey, Las Vegas, hands off of our police officers! According to the Las Vegas Police Department, finding officers is so competitive right now, they’ve decided to look out of state too, especially in places where they said there doesn't seem to be as much support for law enforcement. "Come work in a community that supports law enforcement” is the first sentence in a Facebook post from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department about recruiting in the Portland area. (KPTV.com)
2. Multnomah County had a record number of deaths among its homeless population. One hundred twenty-six people without homes died in 2020 in the Portland area. This number represents an 11% jump from 2019′s figure. It is the highest annual figure since local officials began compiling deaths on the streets. Amphetamines, including meth, were an outsized killer in 2020 — 62 deaths involved meth or another amphetamine, and those deaths represent 78% of total deaths that involved some sort of substance. Overall, 62% of deaths involved a substance or multiple substances. (Willamette Week)
3. Although Safe Rest Villages could provide vital shelter for homeless individuals, community members are concerned about the locations of two proposed sites. Neighbors said the Sears Armory site was announced a couple weeks ago, which came as an unpleasant surprise for many residents and parents who send their children to a nearby school. In the meantime, those who live or send their children to a school near the proposed Southwest Naito site are also trying to get more answers from the city. (KOIN.com)
4. With the increased awareness of the contribution of natural gas to climate change, activists are proposing bans of the fossil fuel in new commercial buildings. Burning fossil fuels in homes and businesses is the second biggest source of global warming pollution in the Northwest, after the transportation sector. That prompted Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to propose an array of new measures Monday to transition away from natural gas for heating and hot water. (OPB)
5. A growing number of Portlanders who call 911 are holding for several minutes, as the average time it took dispatchers to answer calls hit a high point in 2021 at 57 seconds in November, according to the Bureau of Emergency Communications monthly report. A KATU News investigation found Portland's dispatch center, which serves all of Multnomah County, has consistently failed to meet national standards in answering 911 calls. The bottom line, according to the bureau’s director, Bob Cozzie, and the commissioner-in-charge, Mingus Mapps, is the city needs more people answering the phones. (KATU)

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Today in Portland:

• A performance of the short play Sea Wall will occur at The Shoe Box in SE Portland. Brian Pater, directed by Tom Williamson ("The Fosters" and many other shows/movies), in this 45-minute moving play about loss and self-forgiveness. Written by multiple Olivier award winning playwright Simon Stephens. A Q&A with the performers and director will follow. Showtime is 6:30 PM.
• Come to Good in the Woods, a fundraising event hosted by the Wy'East Mountain Academy and held at Nemo Design in SE Portland. Your $20.00 ticket includes 1 adult beverage and 1 raffle ticket. Additional raffle tickets can be purchased upon entry. There will also be an art show, a silent auction, fun activities and more. 7:00 PM.
• Golden Tropicana Tiki presents Making Spirits Bright, an intimate holiday speakeasy at The Laurelhurst Club in SE Portland. There will be Hawaiian style chicken, rice and veggies, baked sweet potatoes, baked mac and cheese, salad, Hawaiian rolls and various hors d’oeuvres. As for cocktails, there will be hot buttered rum, eggnog, mulled wine, a mai tai, and several other tiki cocktails. Tickets available online. 6:00 - 9:00 PM.
• If you want a dance party, then head over to the Spare Room Restaurant & Lounge for Luchini. A legit, old school, NE Portland jam, featuring all vinyl sets by DJ Wicked, DJ Mafia, Alabama Slim, and DJ Chaos! Hip-Hop, funk, soul, Reggae, boogie, R&B, party classics, throwbacks, and feel-good jams…. No laptops allowed in this DJ booth! Round up your squad and come shake it! 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM
• A Friday night of laughs is sure to be had at the Funhouse Lounge in SE Portland at its stand-up comedy event Dark Web Tonight. Dark Web Tonight is a stand-up variety show from the black heart of the internet. Ben Harkins, along with cohosts Calaix and Noah Watson, showcase their funniest friends along with some of the strangest videos the dark web has to offer. You’ll laugh, cringe and recoil in fear at the darkness within. Doors at 9:30 PM.
• Join Canadian band Moontricks for their At Long Last Tour at The North Warehouse in North Portland. With Gurley at the production helm and Rodman on songwriting and vocals, they’ve birthed an authentically raw and seductive sound infusing grassroots blues, wistful soul, and gritty, boot stomping bass. With special guests Defunk, Megan Hamilton and Captain Planet. Tickets available online. Showtime is 9:00 PM.

From my notebook:

• Portland Audubon: "Thanks to your advocacy, the Pacific Fishery Management Council passed new protections for two critically important species of forage fish – northern anchovy and short belly rockfish. 👏👏👏 Dozens of species of breeding and visiting se..." (Instagram)
• Portland Art Museum: "On the latest episode of Art Unbound, our very own Jeannie Kenmotsu, Sara Krajewski, and Stephanie Parrish ask @karacooney a handful of awkward questions related to our current exhibition, Queen Nefertari's Egypt, as well as exhibiting a..." (Instagram)
• Friends of the Children - Portland: "Many celebrations are observed during the winter months, including Diwali, Winter Solstice, Bodhi Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Yalda. Here at Friends of the Children—Portland, we are honored to participate in and educate about these cultu..." (Facebook)
• Portland-based Dark Horse Comics has teamed up with Oregon Emergency Management, producing the third book in their "Without Warning" series. These are all scenes from Without Warning! Wildfire, the third installment in their series of comic books promoting emergency preparedness. The two previous books dealt with tsunamis and earthquakes. (Portland Patch)
• There's a huge, holiday-themed and interactive art installation at the Portland Playhouse in NE Portland. "Snow much Joy" was created by "Portland’s Best Balloon Artist,” Kameron Messmer in an effort to create joy and wonder in our community and world. (YouTube)
• I've mentioned the spectacle of Peacock Lane a few times in my newsletter, but if you haven't gotten around to seeing it yet, here's KOIN 6 News checking it out this year. How festive! (YouTube)

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That's Friday in the big city. I hope it's a pure delight for you. But no matter how it turns out, tomorrow is another day and I'll be right here to tell you all about it.

— 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.