Salmon In Danger +COVID Making Comeback+ Forest Park Fire Danger

Hey, hey, my friends, let's celebrate! It's not just any old Thursday, today is National Chili Dog Day! Yum! But first, I've got some things to tell you.

First, today's weather: It's gonna get hot! Sun all day and a high of 95. Stay frosty Portland.

Here are the top stories in Portland today:

1. Portland police have killed 2 people who were experiencing mental health crises this year, demonstrating how ill-equipped law enforcement is at dealing with such situations. This also demonstrates how much alternatives to the police, like the Portland Street Response team, are needed. (OPB News)
2. Salmon in the Columbia River are in danger due to warming waters, which can be deadly for the species. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife are blaming the federally controlled hydropower dams. Dam operators were asked to release more water into rivers to help bring down the temperature, but they refused. (KATU)
3. I'm tired of writing about COVID, but it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. On Tuesday, the Oregon Health Authority announced a sharp rise in cases, reporting 1,032 new cases and 5 deaths. It also reported that 90% of the cases, hospitalizations and deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Oregon are people who are unvaccinated. Along with this, numbers show that the Delta variant is on the rise, from 30% of cases to 50% in a two-week period. (KOIN)
4. With all the wildfires in the news, Portlanders may feel a safe distance away, but Portland officials worry about one happening in our own backyard. Forest Park is 8 square miles of Douglas firs, elms and cedars along the ridgeline of the Northwest Hills. It’s the largest urban forest in the nation. The city first identified wildfire in Forest Park as a “mounting” threat a decade ago in its 2009 Wildfire Readiness Assessment. (Willamette Week)
5. I hate to say it, but the heat is coming back. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for SW Washington and NW Oregon, from late Thursday morning until Saturday evening. While we won't be seeing the record breaking highs that we did during the last heatwave, high temperatures could reach over 100 degrees. (KXL)

Today's Portland Daily is brought to you by our friends at FTD, the most trusted name in flowers. FTD's network includes over 8,800 local florists in communities around the country. Send flowers to someone you care about today and get a 15% discount on your order. Click here to make someone feel awesome.

Today in Portland

• The Portland Audubon Society presents Birds of a Feather: Haematopodidae - The Oystercatchers, an online class about the evolutionary history, physiology, anatomy, and natural history of these large shorebirds. Register online. 6:00 - 7:00 PM.
• The Portland Lindy Society is proud to announce the return of Thursday Swing at the Billy Webb Elks Lodge in North Portland. Music by the Hot July Sextet, so put on your dancing shoes and bring proof of vaccination (I'm not kidding, proof of vaccination is required) to swing the night away. Doors open at 7:15 PM, beginner's lesson at 7:30 PM. 8:00 - 10:00 PM.
• It's a night of blazing hot rockabilly at SE Portland spot the Hawthorne Hideaway Pub. Tonight's line up features The Rocketz, Bleeding Fire and The Roostertails. There is a cover at the door. 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM.
• The NE Portland art gallery Blind Insect presents a night of all things Russian as part of its BARRIO series. It will feature artworks from several Russian artists, Russian music from songwriter Irina Myachkin and dance music with the Dj Zhenya, plus a Russian tapas pot luck. 6:30 - 9:00 PM.
• There is a Last Thursday event happening at the Alberta Street Gallery in NE Portland. While not quite the multi-block party it used to be, there will be art by Veronica Arquilevic and Leslie McMillan, and live music from NEW SINGLE: ANIMAL | JERMAINE & Tommy Twimble. 6:00 - 8:30 PM.
• SE Portland bar Dig A Pony is turning 10 and it's celebrating with a free show from local favorite Jujuba. Also performing are Blossom, Raquel Divar, DJs Papi Fimbres & Daniela Karina. Music starts at 8:00 PM, Jujuba comes on at 10:00 PM.

Portland Patch Notebook

• Portland Trail Blazers: "️ 21 points (7 3s), 5 assists, 2 rebounds in 23 minutes ️ @damianlillard led USA Basketball to a 120-66 win over ..." (Instagram)
• Ivan McClellan is a Portland-based photojournalist, designer and the creator of “Eight Seconds,” a photography project dedicated to showcasing the culture of Black cowboys. He was astounded by their rich culture after attending a rodeo in Okmulgee, Oklahoma and is now considering making a documentary. (The Skanner)
• Portland company B-Line has been hauling freight with its electric-assisted trikes since 2009. It has just released its 2020 "impact report" with some impressive figures. Through pedal power, the company avoided pumping 807,065 lbs. of CO2 into the air and saved 39,944 gallons of gas. Read more about it here. (Bike Portland)
• Gather: Make: Shelter is a local organization that connects people experiencing houselessness and poverty (PEHP) with collaborators in creative professional fields. It is currently hosting an online auction leading up to a summer fundraiser event at Pomarius Nursery. Check out what's on offer.
• Portland is nothing if not a dog town. No, seriously, there are a lot of dogs here. And those dogs need to run and play, but where in a city like Portland can they do that? Fear not, Portland Monthly has compiled a list of its 10 favorite dogs parks so that man's best friend can have some fun. (Portland Monthly)

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Free Family Mini Photo Sessions (July 31)

That's quite a Thursday. Let's have some fun with it, but don't forget to meet me back here tomorrow for another daily dose of Portland! If you're feeling these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to follow along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— 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? You can contact me at portland@patch.com.