Community Corner

🌱 Storm Clean Up Still Underway + Portland Schools Carry Narcan

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Dominic Anaya, Patch Contributing WriterVerified Patch Staff Badge
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Happy Thursday, neighbors! It's a fine spring day and the president is in town, so what more do we need? Whether we need it or not, let me tell you what else the day will bring.

First, today's weather:

Scattered thunderstorms and a high of 56 today. I hope Biden brought an umbrella.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

  1. Wintry conditions last week knocked down hundreds of trees across Portland alone, and the recovery from that storm is still underway. That's the message from Portland Parks & Recreation, who said the cleanup is far from finished as another round of storms threatens to bring down even more. Urban Forestry staff continue to address more than 750 tree emergencies due to severe weather conditions. They said that number is comparable to the major winter storm of February 2021. (KGW.com)
  2. With fewer sweeps during the pandemic, encampments have become a seemingly permanent fixture in many parts of Portland. And in response, city officials have started taking a more hardline approach. In February, Mayor Ted Wheeler issued an emergency order to ban camping near busy roadways. He has also said he plans to create large outdoor sites for sanctioned camping. OPB's "Think Out Loud®" has heard from service providers, policy makers, and elected officials, including the mayor. We also wanted to hear from people who are living on the streets. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
  3. The location for President Joe Biden's Thursday fundraiser in Portland is set: Biden will greet well-wishers (and donors) at the Portland Yacht Club at 2:30 pm today. The president will make a rare visit to Portland (his first since winning election) primarily to talk about the projects his $1 trillion infrastructure bill passed last year. He will also take the opportunity to do some fundraising for fellow Democrats. The site of the latter endeavor, the Portland Yacht Club, is the city's oldest yacht club, founded in 1908. Located at 1241 NE Marine Drive on the Columbia River, the club includes a large ballroom with river views. (Willamette Week)
  4. Human trafficking is a crime that many people think happens most at night or in secret, however, in recent months, the Portland Police Bureau's Human Trafficking Unit said the crime is becoming more visible and traffickers are acting more boldly and out in the open. "We definitely feel like it's becoming more visible, human-trafficking like activities, you'll see street-walking, prostitution related crimes definitely along northeast 82nd, along northeast Sandy," Sergeant Kristi Butcher said. Butcher added it's happening all over the city. (Fox 12 Oregon)
  5. Portland Public Schools announced it will carry Narcan, a drug that can reverse opioid overdoses, on its high school campuses. On Tuesday night, PPS and Multnomah County held a virtual information session for parents and teenagers to talk about addiction issues and the dangers of fentanyl. Something the students and others brought up is that when it comes to prevention and treatment one size does not fit all. When it comes to Narcan in schools, they do not believe it is a preventative tool but say it can and will potentially save lives. (KOIN)

Today in Portland:

  • Denver-based poet Sueyeun Juliette Lee will read from her new book, Aerial Conclave Without Cloud, at this free event held in the Smith Memorial Student Union 327, Portland State University. Raised by immigrant Korean orphans and war survivors, Lee's poetry often contemplates homeland and identity. Her essays on race, contemporary poetics, trauma, and the avant-garde have appeared with Cambridge University Press, Iowa University Press, The Poetry Foundation, Entropy Magazine, and elsewhere. This reading is free and open to the public. This event starts at 4:00 PM.
  • Powell's Books presents Chloe Caldwell in an online Conversation with Claire Dederer. Chloe Caldwell's period has often felt inconvenient, uncomfortable, or even painful. Compelled to understand the truth of what's happening to her, Caldwell documents attitudes toward menstruation among her peers and family, reads Reddit threads about PMS, attends a conference called Break the Cycle, and learns about premenstrual dysphoric disorder, PMDD, which helps her name what she's been going through. The Red Zone (Soft Skull) is a candid, revelatory memoir for anyone grappling with controversial medical diagnoses and labels of all kinds. Caldwell will be joined in conversation by Claire Dederer, author of Love and Trouble and Poser. Register online for this free event. The talk starts at 5:00 PM.
  • The non-profit ALSO Home will be presenting a virtual benefit. They believe housing is a basic human right. Stable housing supports enhanced health, well-being, and community connectedness. Yet, for thousands of people experiencing intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), housing security is an escalating crisis leaving individuals with I/DD and their families with few housing options. Join ALSO for a special evening of stories & celebration. Learn more about your impact on affordable, accessible, and inclusive housing. All funds raised benefit ALSO housing programs, ensuring not only a house but a HOME for the people we support. Register online for this free event. Pre-show starts at 6:00 PM.
  • Telltale is a curated monthly storytelling show for people that like to get vulnerable and take no shit. At Telltale, you can expect about 8-10 performers telling you a story, through a mix of comedy, stories, music, essays, and more. Your evening will likely include honesty, curse words, enthusiasm, dark humor, connection....and sometimes something unexpected. So please come and remind yourself that the world is bigger than we remembered and that you're never alone. Shows happen at the Chapel Theatre in Milwaukie. This show is IN PERSON but also live-streamed. All vaccinated staff, all vaccinated performers, vaccines and masks required for the audience. Tickets available online. Doors open at 7:00 PM.
  • Three indie rock bands will play tonight at Mississippi Pizza in North Portland. The Vagilantes will teach us how to break the patriarchy, Boy Caught Hawthorne will bring a creative alchemy to their brand of indie rock and The Rainbow Witches adds their queer punk rock to the evening. Tickets available online.8:00 - 10:30 PM.

From my notebook:

  • Travel Portland: "@PDXdinorama and @79th_ave_diorama_club are another unique, perfectly Portland attraction. So cool! But we're not going to tell you where to find them; you'll have to do a little Instagram stalking to get the details. Good luck! #ThisIsP..." (Instagram)
  • Portland Audubon: "Bushtits' nests are woven from moss, spider webs and grasses and form a type of hanging pouch in which the entire Bushtit family sleeps in together during breeding season (rather than taking turns, as is more typical of a breeding pair)...." (Instagram)
  • Portland Farmers Market: "Is kelp the new kale? It's beginning to look that way at PFM. We are excited to have Oregon Seaweed that sells out its kelp offerings through North Coast Commons, a new collaborative vendor at PSU Farmers Market every Saturday. Oregon Se..." (Facebook)
  • Plastic is everywhere and as if to prove that, researchers have found microplastics in the lungs of humans for the first time. They identified 12 types of microplastics commonly found in bottles, packaging, clothing and twine. Sort of shocking, but then, not really if you really consider how many times each day you touch plastic. I've tried through small changes to try to eliminate as much plastic as possible, but it's hard. Plastic-free shopping is so difficult because most stores aren't set up for alternatives to plastics. But that's slowly changing in the Portland area. (KINK)
  • Springtime weather in Portland may not always be predictable, but the return of farmers markets throughout the city is something to rely on. Portland Farmers Market's five locations will be in full bloom across the city once again this spring, as neighborhood markets kick off their new season. Four neighborhood markets are preparing to open, joining the flagship, year-round PSU Portland Farmers Market in the South Park Blocks. This season, Portland Farmers Market welcomes 36 new vendors to the markets to share locally grown and produced foods with market-goers. (PDX Food Press)
  • Do you think your kids understand where their food comes from? They can learn all about it in a fun, interactive way this weekend. Oregon Ag Fest is back, live and in person, at the State Fairgrounds in Salem. There are 25 hands-on activities like pony rides, tractor races, a petting zoo, seed planting, and more. You can also watch demonstrations of milking and sheep shearing. The goal is to teach kids, and maybe some adults, where Oregon's food, fiber, and flora come from. (KATU)

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Have a fun Thursday everyone! I'll be back tomorrow to tell you about more happenings in Stumptown.

— 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.

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