🌱Street Racing Closes Burnside + Mental Illness Homelessness Factor

Hey, all, and Happy Flag Day! Yes, I know, it's a Tuesday, but doesn't Flag Day sound so much more celebratory? And it's always good to have something to celebrate. Here's what's going on today.

First, today's weather:

We'll have some morning rain, but otherwise a fine day with a high of 67.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. Illegal street racing is not a new problem in Portland and drivers got to witness it first-hand Sunday night, when racers blocked off several places through the evening, including Marine Drive near I-5, the Burnside Bridge, and Multnomah Street near Holladay Park and Lloyd Center. Some people said the groups blocked traffic in some places for over an hour. (KATU)
2. If you think it's been raining more than normal in Portland, you'd be right. Record rainfall over the past few days has water levels rising in area rivers and coupled with the snowmelt, has officials concerned about possible flooding. The Willamette River has risen high enough that the city has closed Portland's Eastbank Esplanade. There are flood watches in effect for the Columbia River at two locations, Vancouver and Longview. If you're going to be near the water, be careful out there, people. (Portland Tribune)
3. Portlanders have known that mental health issues have one of the many problems contributing to the homeless crisis, but now, a new report sheds more light on the subject. A survey of 300 unsheltered Portlanders commissioned by The Oregonian/OregonLive in late 2021 found 63% reported suffering from mental health issues. That number is 20% higher than a 2019 federal report on people who were homeless in the city. (The Oregonian)
4. An entertainment venue giant may be coming to Portland, much to the concern of smaller, local venues. This week, WW reported that an indoor, 3,000-capacity music venue may come to Portland’s Central Eastside. City documents show two of the people involved in discussions of the proposal are top executives of Live Nation, the Beverly Hills-based events promoter whose name chills most local music venues and industry players. Live Nation dominates the national market for tour contracts with major artists, which means in cities where it operates a venue, its artists play there. (Willamette Week)
5. If you've been shopping at Gateway Shopping Center and noticed shards of glass and a boarded up storefront, it's because of a failed get away of a shoplifter. The Portland Police Bureau said 40-year-old Nigel Davis shoplifted from Ross and when he tried getting away in a stolen car, T-Mobile employee Jacy Banco said a bystander blocked Davis in with a car, trying to stop him. In the chaos that followed, the car that Davis was driving hopped a curb and veered into a vacant building. He then fled on foot and got onto a bus, but it wasn't in service and he was arrested. (KPTV)

Today in Portland:

• Powell's City of Books in downtown Portland provides an evening of authors with not one, but two different conversations with writers. First up is an online discussion between novelist Dan Chaon and Shawn Vestal, author of Godforsaken Idaho. They'll be talking about Chaon's high speed and darkly comic book, Sleepwalk. This is happening at 5 p.m. A live conversation will be happening between author Sloan Crosley and Arthur Bradford, author of Turtleface and Beyond. They'll be discussing Crosley's new hilariously insightful and delightfully suspenseful book, Cult Classic. This talk is at 7 p.m.
• In what may be one of the most Portland-esque events that it's been my pleasure to tell you about, there is a Full Moon Naked Bike Ride happening tonight. It's all part of Pedalpalooza, as one might guess. This ride is hosted by Naked Hearts: PDX. Meet up is at Colonel Summers Park at 7 p.m.
• It's the second Tuesday of the month, which can mean only one thing. That's right, the Jug Band Jam at Oakshire Beer Hall! Come on by for some traditional, good-time jug band music. Bring a song to lead or pick one from their book. All abilities are welcome. Acoustic instruments only. Come to play or listen! 7 - 9 p.m.
• Wow, talk about an evening of Portland-esque events! There will be a New Mutants: X-Men themed Drag Show at The Mississippi Pizza Pub & Atlantis Lounge. To have the fashion sense to pull off drag AND the nerd acumen to know the New Mutants? That's some next level stuff right there. Hosted by PhanTomX and beats by DJ Aurora. Some of your favorite drag performers take the stage as their favorite X-men! Get your tickets online. 8 - 10:30 p.m.
• Last Call Trivia will be holding trivia nights at 2 local breweries. If you're in the North Portland neighborhood, head over to Migration Brewing on N. Williams; trivia is from 7 - 9 p.m. Not too far away, on NE Broadway, Steeplejack Brewing will be offering discounted pints for trivia players. Their trivia is also from 7 - 9 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Portland Art Museum: "In just three weeks, @pam_cut launches a month of movie magic under the stars with 16 outdoor movie nights. Bring a chair and join us at OMSI’s Bridge Lot for food, drinks, and themed pre-show activities. Thursday, July 7 - Being John Malk..." (Portland Art Museum via Instagram)
• To Bob Ortblad, a retired civil engineer who lives in Seattle, the team behind the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBRP) – the plan to expand I-5 bridge between Vancouver and Portland across the Columbia River – have it all wrong. While other advocates have proposed alternatives to the highway expansion, like congestion pricing or a project that better incorporates public transit light light rail or even high speed rail, Ortblad has spent the last three years trying to convince planners to consider scrapping the bridge idea altogether, opting instead for an immersed tube tunnel (ITT). (Bike Portland)
• I'm not sure if our frequently cloudy skies will cooperate, but sky gazers could get a treat tonight. June's full moon is commonly known as the strawberry moon, a name that comes from the Algonquin Native American tribe in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada and refers to the region's strawberry harvesting season (not the moon's actual hue). And tonight, it happens to be at its closest distance to Earth in its orbit, making it a supermoon by most standards. (OPB)
• The Portland metro area grew by 196,000 people from 2010 to 2020, or 12%. But that growth has been uneven, driven primarily by construction on previously undeveloped land and by new apartment buildings across central Portland neighborhoods. Some of the most dramatic growth in the metro area from 2010 to 2020 was in large suburban developments, just like North Bethany, an analysis of population data by The Oregonian/OregonLive shows. Overall, nearly 60% of the population growth was in Clackamas and Washington counties, and the rest in Multnomah County. (The Oregonian)
• Me and every other news outlet in the area has been talking about atmospheric rivers and rising water levels. Redditor u/core-377 posted a dramatic photo of what the effects of the rain have been at Sellwood Waterfront Park. Here's another photo of the park from Redditor u/withurwife.

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There's a Tuesday that I'll raise up the flagpole and see who salutes. Let your own freak flag fly, Portland, but come on back tomorrow so I can tell you more about this lovely place we call home.

— 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? Contact me at portland@patch.com