State Reopens + Housing Shortage + 82nd Ave Improvements

Hi-dilly-ho, everyone! It’s a new day and a new month. Lot’s of stuff happening, so let me get right into it.

Weather

Oh, the blessed clouds have come back to save us from the sun! Mostly cloudy until the afternoon and evening and a high temp of 82.

Top news stories for Portland

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has officially declared a state of emergency due to the heightened threat of wildfires. This allows the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Oregon Office of Emergency Management to utilize personnel, equipment
and facilities from other state agencies to respond to wildfires. (KGW)

Portland, along with the rest of the state, reopened yesterday and local restaurants couldn't be happier. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has said that restaurants can go back to operating as they were before the pandemic. Cheers to that!(KPTV)

Permit applications for new houses have decreased dramatically and officials are worried that there aren't enough units being built to keep up with rising demand. They believe that this will cause rents in the area to skyrocket, creating a new housing crisis. (KATU)

Oregon lawmakers have passed a new bill that aims to eliminate carbon emissions from the Oregon power grid by 2040. House Bill 2021 sets a time table by which the state's two major power companies, Portland General Electric and Pacific Power, must eliminate emissions associated with the electricity produced. In addition to this, the bill bans the construction of new power plants that burn fossil fuel and sets labor standards for renewable energy projects. (OPB)

Ownership of 82nd Avenue has just transferred from the state to the City of Portland, allowing for improvements to pedestrian safety infrastructure and public transportation. The Portland Bureau of Transportation is expected to begin new construction on the street at the start of 2022. (Portland Mercury)

Today's events for Portland

It’s First Thursday again and the group Art Geeks are planning their traditional Art Walk. The meet up time is 5:45, at the Armory in downtown Portland. 6:00 – 9:00 PM.

Sometimes you just want to relax with a little chamber music. If that describes you to a tee, then check out Opening Night with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra. It will be performing at Reed College, Kaul Auditorium, playing masterpieces by Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. Buy
your tickets online. 7:30 PM.

Climate action folks are invited to Grant Park in NE Portland for a pot luck summer social. Hosted by the Climate Reality Project, there will be drinks and snacks. Dogs and children are welcome. Attendees should register online. 5:00 – 7:00 PM.

Local guitar store Strum PDX in SE Portland presents John Del Toro and Dean Mueller for a night of low down blues and country. Tickets and reservations can be made by stopping by the store, calling them at 971-229-0161 or emailing them at strumguitarspdx@gmail.com. 7:00 PM.

The Rooftop Cinema at Lloyd Center will be showing The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Hosted by the Portland Art Museum, the film stars Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson. Tickets can be booked online. 8:00 – 11:00 PM.

Portland Patch Notebook

A local restaurant owner has just published his first cookbook, but this is no ordinary cookbook. The Cool and Kooky Kids Coloring Cookbook by restaurateur Marcus Oliver and graphic artist Amanda Kill is filled with fun, easy recipes that kids can do. A portion of the proceeds will go to Rose Haven PDX, a women's and children's day shelter. (KATU)

The Waterfront Blues Festival is this weekend, this year taking place at The Lot at Zidell Yards. It begins tonight and runs through to Monday. Changes to the festival this year include ticket holders being seated in "pods" and having only one stage. Acts will include local favorites Marchforth, Hillstomp and Marc Broussard. (Waterfront Blues Festival)

Tickets are now on sale for the first of Portland's Summer of Feast events. Feast Flicks pairs outdoor movies with meals by Portland chefs. Tickets will be for two-person and four-person pods complete with welcome cocktails and bottles of wine. Some notable pairings will be the movie Eat Drink Man Woman paired with food from Hat Yai and the animated film Ratatouille paired with dishes from Vitaly Paley. (Feast Portland)

Whew, this being Portland, I knew there'd be a lot going on, but, seriously, how much fun can a person take? Let's find out, shall we? I'll be back tomorrow to tell even more about what's going on around town.