🌱 Blazers Optimistic For New Season + Charter Reform Still Popular

Step right up, step right up! Today's Portland show will astound and amaze you, my friends! Get to experience thrills few will ever know. Through these curtains, you'll see:

• A fully recovered Damian Lillard, optimistic for the NBA season
• Trees from across the globe
• 44 acres of haunted houses

Come and let me guide you through our city of wonders!

But first, today's weather:

We're getting rain today. Some sun, but the rain is returning. Am I excited? Yes, I am. Oh, and the high temp will be 70.

Here are the top stories in Portland today:

1. After a summer of declining gas prices, Oregon has seen a steep rise in prices at the pump. The average price of gas in the state is up to $5 per gallon again after prices spiked by nearly 40 cents in the last week. GasBuddy.com petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan said, “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a wider gamut of price behaviors coast to coast in my career.” He went on to say that the spike is caused by a number of national issues, including refinery disruptions in the Western U.S. and Hurricane Ian in the Southeast. (KOIN)
2. Are you ready for the season, Blazers fans? It's tough to get pumped after witnessing last season's 27- 55 record — the third-worst in the NBA’s Western Conference last year. This year, the Trail Blazers are again rebuilding, in the hope of making a quick return to the postseason with Lillard leading the way. He says he's got a renewed optimism for the upcoming NBA season following a whirlwind of roster moves. Bring it on, Rip City! (OPB)
3. If you frequent SE Division Street, get ready for some changes. The Portland Bureau of Transportation has some big plans as part of their Outer Division Safety Project. "It’s really up there as one of our most dangerous streets in the city, which meant that we really needed to do some major changes to that street to make it safer for people to use," said Hannah Schafer of the Portland Bureau of Transportation. But this major change has some businesses and neighbors upset. (KATU)
4. City charter reform is going to be a hot issue on November's ballot, but it may not be as divisive as one might think. According to a new poll commissioned by the metro area’s most influential business organization and several industry groups, nearly two-thirds of likely Portland voters say they’ll back a contested ballot measure this fall. Only 16% of those polled said they remain undecided as ballots head for mailboxes in mid-October, those briefed on the results said. (OregonLive)
5. Cut it out with the heat, Portland! The city is on track to have its warmest September on record, right after its warmest August on record. Right now, Portland is 3.7 degrees above the average temperature for the month. Perhaps we're just balancing things out; we had one of the cooler Aprils on record, with a fairly cool May and June. But, if you were hoping for warmer climbing weather and great late summer and early fall hiking conditions, your wish has been granted! (KOIN.com)

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Today in Portland:

• Take a stroll through Hoyt Arboretum with "A World Tour of Trees." Casey Clapp, of the podcast Completely Arbortrary, will lead a walk around Hoyt Arboretum’s tree collection and spotlight trees from six different continents of the world (they have to skip Antarctica). Class size is limited and pre-registration is required, so don't wait. 5:00 - 7:00 PM.
• Not into Hoyt Arboretum? Are you more of a Forest Park type of person? Then Hike Forest Park with WRISE! Who are WRISE, you may ask? I certainly did, so I looked them up. They're the Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy. They're taking a short hike to the Witch's Castle. Registration is required. Meet up at 5:00 PM.
• Put on your spandex and get out your hair spray for the Decadent '80s Hair Band Tribute Night at The Mad Hanna! If you know and love '80s alternative music, then this is your night. Best of all, no cover! The music starts at 8:00 PM.
• It's Trivia Night at the Rose City Book Pub. The team with the highest score wins the respect and resentment of their peers. Don't want to leave the house? You don't have to. There are both online and in-person options for joining in on the fun. 7:30 - 9:30 PM.
• It's Open Mic Night with Rhythm DeLucco at Artichoke Music. Bring your songs, poetry, comedy and stories. Help build a creative community while honing your artistic craft. Beer, wine and light snacks are available for purchase in the café. 7:00 - 9:00 PM.

From my notebook:

• Spooky season is fast approaching and Oaks Amusement Park is doing its part to bring on the scary. They're bringing back their Halloween walk-through experience, ScareGrounds PDX, for all of October. 44 acres! Three, count them, three separate haunted houses! ScareGrounds kicks off Sept. 30, so get your costume ready! (Willamette Week)
• When the "Big One" hits Portland, will we be prepared? Some people are already training for it at the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management's Disaster Relief Trials. This is a race designed to mimic four days of chaos after catastrophe hits. It features rough terrain to traverse, rubble to clear, messages to deliver, water to carry. As in a real disaster, the participants won’t know what the route is or what they need to do until they’re handed their maps an hour before the start. (Wired)
• If you've been looking for a hug, I've got some bad news for you; Portland's professional cuddler is calling it quits. She created the business "Cuddle Up To Me" and opened her first storefront office in 2014. She was even open during the pandemic, but after nine years of touching people and their lives and just listening, it's time to move on. (KGW)
• Oh, Salt & Straw, do you just spend all day thinking of the weirdest ice cream flavors possible? Their new Halloween flavors are out and, while not as strange as their fried chicken ice cream, they're different. The flavors, which will be available starting Sept. 30, include “Jack-o’-Lantern Pumpkin Bread,” “Black Cat Licorice and Lavender,” “The Great Candycopia,” “Don Bugito’s Creepy Crawly Critters” and “Double Bubble Toil and Trouble.” I may have to try them out just to see what they're like. (KOIN)
• Someone pinch me, I may be dreaming. Downtown Portland might get a comics museum. For nearly a year, a sizable group of Pacific Northwest comics world professionals has been working toward a significant goal. They want to create a Northwest Museum of Cartoon Arts (NWMOCA) and place it in Portland's downtown. (Portland Mercury)
• The organization Literary Arts has put together a bimonthly reading series intended to prioritize the safety, creativity and stories of Black people, Indigenous people and People Of Color. Come listen to their featured readers or sign up to share your work in their open mic. Readings will be followed by a short community discussion. The theme for October is “Shadow.” (Literary Arts)

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I hope today's show lives up to your exacting standards. We've got excitement beyond compare, but it's also just another Wednesday in Portland. I'll be back tomorrow my friends, for an encore.

— 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