🌱 Tree Destroyer Comes To Oregon + Slow The Flock Down

Yo, I'm back and bringing you a basket full of joy. Well, maybe not a basket full; would you settle for a few sprinkles of pleasantness? Here's what's going on today.

First, today's weather:

It'll be a mostly sunny day with a high of 81. Ah, back to delightful summer weather!

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Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

1. Protect your trees, Portland, the most destructive insect in the country has been found in Oregon. The emerald ash borer is a metallic, green beetle which has an appetite for, as the name would imply, ash trees. Scott Altenhoff is with the Oregon Department of Forestry. He told KLCC, “early detection is going to be key, so if folks have ash trees, or suspect they have ash trees, if folks can familiarize themselves with the basic signs and symptoms of emerald ash borer and then call in early, that will help us.” (OPB)
2. The gun violence continues in our fair city. From Friday evening to Monday night, three people were killed and one injured in separate shootings across the Portland metro area. No arrests have been made. Police officers in Gresham were also busy this weekend. They investigated a shooting in downtown Gresham and another in a southeast Gresham neighborhood. While nobody was hurt, KGW has learned more than 25 bullet casings were found at those shooting scenes. (KGW)
3. The fight over whether or not Portland City Hall will get a top-down overhaul this November has officially kicked off. On Monday morning, the Portland Business Alliance sent a letter to the city’s elections officer, Louise Hansen, and City Auditor Mary Hull Caballero, asking that they reject the ballot question. At issue for the PBA is the bundling of the three major reforms proposed by the Charter Commission into one ballot question, leaving Portlanders with an all-or-nothing choice to change how Portland is governed. (Willamette Week)
4. The Pacific Northwest’s largest cities are trying to wing it with a new ad campaign aimed at getting drivers to “slow the flock down!” The message was released Monday from the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and the Seattle Department of Transportation. They said the campaign’s intent to get drivers to decrease their speed will help both cities move toward their Vision Zero goals. (KATU)
5. Oregon is currently in the middle of another COVID surge, which means grim news for those that need care as hospitals are full of patients with other illnesses. Recent numbers from the Oregon Health Authority show 46,000 COVID cases last month, over half of those were vaccine breakthrough cases. Less than 3% of vaccinated cases were hospitalized. Vaccinated people that did get hospitalized are, for the most part, not in the ICU. (KOIN)

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Today in Portland:

• Tonight is the kick-off of the 15th annual Music on Main concert series. It's starting with a bang with the Afro-Cuban Latin jazz sound of Melao de Cuba. The free outdoor concerts are held on Main Street next to Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall — between Southwest Broadway and Park Avenue in downtown Portland. 5 - 7 p.m.
• The second of three "Summer Nights" event will be happening tonight, brought to you by Historic Parkrose. These events will provide free family-friendly activities and resources to the community as well as offer an evening night market where handcrafted items, food, and beverages will be sold! 5 - 9 p.m.
• Come to Pioneer Courthouse Square for Portland N.O.W., a public outdoor event with live music and encouraging messages! This is open for anyone and everyone to come and participate in. 7 - 9 p.m.
• Arrowood restaurant in NE Portland will be hosting an art reception for Christopher McMurry and his solo exhibition In Your Face. When asked about his work Christopher stated; "In Your Face is a series of work that is focused on humanity, freedom and restitution through unapologetic creative expression. The work merges realism and abstraction, minimalism and expressionism using a variety of mediums including acrylic, ink, pencil and crayon."6 - 8 p.m.
• Brian Granse performs Americana originals and covers on guitar and keys at SE Portland's Star Day Tavern. Lots of originals plus some new covers by John Moreland, Jason Isbell, and Leif Vollebekk. NO COVER CHARGE! 6 - 8 p.m.

From my notebook:

• Portland Art Museum: "July 31: How are botanical gardens relevant in our fast-paced and ever-changing world? Join us for a lecture with Richard Deverell, Director of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (U.K.)—a leader reimagining the role of gardens in the 21st century." (Portland Art Museum via Instagram)
• Portland Audubon: "Portland Audubon is pleased to be a sponsor of the premier of "Elemental," a film that invites you to reimagine your relationship with wildfire through the eyes of top scientists and indigenous fire managers who are leading the way." (Portland Audubon via Instagram)
• If you live in Multnomah County, you may feel that we have the biggest homeless population in the country. While it is a significant problem, there are other counties that have it worse. This article is primarily about researchers Clayton Page Aldern and Gregg Colburn and their University of California Press book “Homelessness is a Housing Problem.” Part of the piece, however, is a graph of the rate of homeless per 1,000 people. Multnomah County comes in as having the fourth highest rate. Taking the top 3 spots are Los Angeles County, Santa Clara County and King County, WA respectively. (LA Times)
• A building that was a pharmacy for over 100 years is now a place for Portlanders to have a drink and step into a bit of Rose City’s film history! FOX 12′s Ayo Elise stopped by The Pharmacy to learn more about its history, and how the owner of the bar is looking to make it a welcoming place for all Portlanders. (KPTV)
• One of the defining features of downtown Portland are the Benson Bubblers. The bronze bubblers were a gift from entrepreneur Simon Benson in 1912. Local lore says it was a way of keeping loggers out of the saloons at lunchtime. But how safe are they to drink from? This piece looks at that exact question. The reporters took water samples from five different Benson Bubblers and had them tested. The results? The water came back clean and absent of bacteria at every site. (KGW)
• Here's a PSA for those of you who use the Hawthorne Bridge. This weekend the Hawthorne Bridge will close to motorized vehicles, bikes and pedestrians for maintenance and inspection work. On Saturday, July 16 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. the Hawthorne Bridge will be closed for a contractor to conduct survey and inspection work. On Sunday, July 17, the Hawthorne Bridge will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for maintenance crews to grease the bridge’s counterweight cables. (The Skanner)

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Now this is a Wednesday with a lot going on! We've got our troubles, but we've also got our pleasures. May you avoid the first and maximize the latter. And since it is my great pleasure to talk to you all about Portland, I'll be back tomorrow to bring you more local happenings for those out and about.

— 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