🌱 Argay New Year’s Day Gun Violence + People’s Jam In SE

Wow, so it's a whole new year. I hope you're doing well, Portland, and I'm happy to be back and telling you about all the happenings about our city. Here's what's going on today.

First, today's weather:

More rain for the day and a high of 42. Enjoy.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. So much for a fresh start. Less than two hours into 2022, Portland saw its first two gun homicides of the year, a double slaying in the Argay neighborhood. At 1:47 am on Jan. 1, police found three people injured by gunshots along Northeast 131st Place. One man died at the scene, another at a hospital. A third is expected to survive. (Willamette Week)
2. With a new year comes new laws in Oregon. Legislators passed hundreds of new laws in the 2021 sessions and many of them went into effect Jan. 1. There are new laws meant to prevent hiring discrimination, that allow human composting, and that require additional training for law enforcement. Read this piece to find out what's changed for our state in this new year. (KOIN)
3. The temperature plunged below freezing, and four of the hundreds of people who call the streets of Portland home were injured in fires that they'd hoped would keep them warm. Portland Fire says all incidents happened on New Year's Day. (Portland Patch)
4. Wintry weather combined with the pandemic to frustrate air travelers whose return flights home from the holidays were canceled or delayed in the first days of the new year. More than 2,500 U.S. flights and more than 4,100 worldwide were grounded Sunday, according to tracking service FlightAware. At Portland International Airport 14 arriving and 17 departing flights were canceled on Sunday. (OregonLive)
5. Thousands of power outages were reported Monday morning as heavy rain hit the Portland area and western Oregon. PGE reported more than 4,805 customers were in the dark Monday morning. PGE confirmed that weather likely played a role in the outages. (KATU)

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Today in Portland:

• Greet the new year with some good old fashioned rock at North Portland spot the White Eagle and local band The Departures. Most of The Departures have been together since playing a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Rock & Roll for a talent show their freshman year in high school in 2015. Tickets for tonight's show are available online. The show starts at 8:00 PM.
• Music abounds tonight as the Goodfoot presents jamband Lost Ox. Lost Ox have been unleashing its uniquely progressive brand of outlaw funk & Americana upon the once unsuspecting public since 2017. Doors open at 8:00 PM.
• We can all agree the past couple of years have been a massive upheaval that left us wondering, “What the F is next?” Is this intense energy going to continue into 2022 or will we get a little break from the madness? That’s why the city of Portland has brought four incredible women together for one mind-blowing live panel discussion featuring an astrologer, an intuitive, an Akashic Records reader, and a tarot reader. It's free to register for this online event. 4:00 - 6:00 PM.
• Would you like to be part of the music? Then come on down to Show Bar in SE Portland for the People's Jam. A trio will play the first set. They will have a sign up sheet with 10 tunes picked out as well as openings for songs of choice and originals. The space has an open floor plan with bistros and seating in the back. Please be respectful and wear a mask when not drinking, eating or playing a horn. The venue will have a PA set with 2 mics, keyboards with amp, guitar amp, bass with amp, drums, and 2 di boxes. Bring your sticks, instrument, instrument cable, or anything less the keys and drums. Cheers!! 7:00 PM.

• Looking to start some healthy habits for the new year? Why not join the Mazama's for their Tuesday night street ramble? Various leaders will lead walks every Tuesday starting at REI in the Pearl. Multiple groups will be led at different paces. These rambles average 4-8 miles, 500- to 1500-feet elevation gain. Bring a water bottle, flashlight and rain jacket. All participants are required to sign the release and sign-in form. Ramble costs are $2 per person, $1 for over 55. All rambles start promptly at 6 pm.

From my notebook:

• Portland Trail Blazers: "December through the lens of @bruceely 📸" (Instagram)
• Who knows what the new year is going to bring? If you're in the mood to prepare for the worst, this website teaches you about the wild edible plants of the Pacific Northwest. I am not at all suggesting that civilization is going to collapse, but it's always good to be prepared. (Shared Survival Knowledge)
• After a year marking the highest ever number of gun-related deaths in Portland as well as an historic response by local stakeholder groups, it’s clear that the work of the Portland Peace Initiative is very much needed. (The Portland Observer)
• Have a listen to local musicians the Departed sing their songs around Portland. (YouTube)
• We're all mourning Betty White's departure from this mortal coil, but let me remind you of her Portland Rose Festival connection. (The Oregonian)

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I am very happy to be welcoming you into the new year. I don't know what it's going to bring, but I'm always hopeful that things will be good and, if nothing else, I'm happy that we're doing this together.

— 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.