🌱 Unsafe Air Quality + Fire Station Closing

Welcome to Wednesday, my hale and hearty readers! Come one, come all and let me tell you about the terrors that haunt our city. We have:

• A Starbucks closing because of insidious dangers
• Pinball wizards casting their spells
• The beastly spectacle of Howloween

Read on, if you dare!

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But first, today's weather:

You know what's frightening? How much sun we've been getting. Today is no different, giving us a high of 76. Fear not, dear Portland, the rain comes on Friday.

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Here are the top stories in Portland today:

1. You can smell it in the air. You may even be able to feel it in your eyes, but the unmistakable presence of smoke from wildfires has been a Portland feature since at least yesterday. "Along with the mostly sunny days that should last through Thursday, the metro area is under an air quality advisory." The Nakia Creek fire is probably responsible for most of what we're breathing and it's only about 5% contained. The rains coming later this week (Yay!) should provide some relief, if we can make it until then. (OregonLive)
2. Have you seen this child? This is Jayla Mae Warren, 12 years old, last seen in the neighborhood of SE 122nd and SE Powell. She is "described as a 5′6″ Black girl, weighing 110 lbs. She has black hair and brown eyes and typically wears tank tops and sweatpants," Oregon Dept. of Human Services said on Monday. She's been missing from her foster home since Oct. 13. If you see her, ODHS is asking that you call 911 or the police. (KPTV)
3. Hey, didn't Portland Fire & Rescue get a $2 million grant? Evidently it was too little, too late, because PF&R is so short-staffed that they had to shut down a whole fire station. Fire Station 4 is the one being shut down, which is unfortunate for anyone going to Portland State University, since that's the closest station to the university. Lt. Mariya Fuge, vice president of the Portland Firefighters' Association, says "Fire Station 4 was not the only fire house impacted by the staffing crisis over the weekend. She says Fire Station 25 was, too." (KGW.com)
4. Yet another Portland-area Starbucks is closing its doors due to safety concerns. This one is "at the corner of Northwest 11th Avenue and Lovejoy Street." "This July, Starbucks announced a slate of 16 store closures in big cities across the county, citing safety issues, including two in Portland." Oh, no, now where will we get our coffee? (Willamette Week)
5. It's not just the firefighters who are short-staffed; the Portland Public School District is saying there's a shortage of special education paraeducators, as well. These paraeducators are people who "are crucial to giving teachers a helping hand in the classroom and also helping students with special needs learn." Administrators point to a number of reasons for this shortage. When schools shut down during the pandemic, "some paraeducators left for other jobs and never came back." Also, given how difficult the job can be, the pay is relatively low, in the range of $19.20 to $25.49 an hour. (KGW.com)

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Today in Portland:

• Get a few laughs tonight at Stormbreaker Brewing with their live comedy show. The lineup includes Kyle Kinane, Delaney Malone, Imani Denae and Nariko Ott. They've also got good food and great beer. Showtime is 7:30 PM.
• I love doing crossword puzzles, but watching them? That's what's happening at Mississippi Studios and The Crossword Show. "Zach Sherwin ("Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," "Epic Rap Battles of History") hosts a panel of guest comedians as they solve an actual crossword puzzle live onstage, with everything displayed on a giant screen for the audience to follow along." Doors open at 7:00 PM.
• And you thought planetariums were just for looking at the stars. Come to OMSI's Kendall Planetarium for Third Rail's presentation The Big Reveal. "The program includes northwest premieres of two co-commissioned works—a quartet by Oregon Symphony Creative Chair Gabriel Kahane and a clarinet quintet by Chris Cerrone—along with music of Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate and Adolphus Hailstork." Showtime is 7:30 PM.
• I guess there's a lot going on at OMSI tonight. Their Science Pub is presenting "Reel Science: Indie Hops with Jim Solberg, CEO of Indie Hops, Baerlic Brewing, Migration Brewing, Upright Brewing." In addition to the educational offerings, there will also be a beer tasting. It all starts at 6:00 PM.
• Do you think you've got what it takes to be Portland's next pinball wizard? Then come compete in the Flipper Kontrol Pinball Tournament at Ground Kontrol. There will be "5 rounds of 4-player games and finals for the top qualifying players. Cash prizes will be up for grabs for A-division finals and bonus prizes for B-division finals!" Registration takes place from 6:30 - 7:00 PM.

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From my notebook:

• Who's excited for next month's election? Yeah, me, too! And we won't have long to wait before we start voting. Ballots for in-state voters get mailed out today, so be on the lookout. I couldn't find when the Voters' Pamphlet gets mailed out and I still haven't received one, but if you can't wait for that, the Multnomah County website has it up as a PDF. (Multnomah County)
• This Saturday marks the beginning of Howloween at the Oregon Zoo! "The zoo provides a fun and safe setting for this Halloween tradition, where costumed trick-or-treaters learn about healthy habitats for wildlife in a fun scavenger hunt throughout the zoo." (Oregon Zoo)
• If you were in Portland in the pre-pandemic era, you know that this city LOVES Halloween. Now that we seem to be getting a handle on COVID-19 and most of the restrictions have been lifted, Portland is ready to get right back into All Hallows Eve. Here's a list of some local businesses trying to do the holiday right. (Portland Monthly)
• Looks like we might be in the Halloween edition of my newsletter, because there are so many Halloween-themed events happening! And it just wouldn't be Halloween without Edwards Pumpkins. They're hand-carved "custom highly realistic portraits on artificial pumpkins," and you can see them this weekend at the Oddities & Curiosities Expo at the Oregon Convention Center. (Edwards Art and Design)
• Have I mentioned how excited I am for next month's election? One of the reasons is that there are so many candidates and measures we'll be voting on. One is Measure 111. If this measure passes it would make Oregon the first state in the nation with a constitutional right to access health care. That's a pretty big deal! OPB wants to explain it to you and they've done so in the most Portland way ever: through comics. (OPB)
• Nucleus Portland: "Cat Rabbit's show, 'A Frog Fable', opens this Friday @nucleusportland 🐸 from October 21 - November 7th." (Instagram)

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Now I must leave you, intrepid adventurers. Fear not the shadows and spirits that will surely stalk you with malicious intent. Should you survive, I'll meet you back here tomorrow and share more terrors of the City of Roses.

— 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