Thursday, January 4, 2018

Hi all! Let’s punch that mythical red “start” button, and launch ourselves effortlessly into a Thursday, January 4, 2018. We’re waking up to a possibility of freezing rain in the Columbia Gorge, and I suggest tuning into Janine’s traffic reports on 103.3 for real-time updates, one of the benefits of being live and local. Otherwise it’ll be our first rainy day in awhile, with breakfasttime temps in the 30’s, warming into the low 40’s by happy hour. Sunrise 7:50 AM Sunset 4:41 PM.

People can’t stop talking about the truly epic sunrise yesterday. Thanks to the Dripsters who took time to post photos, for all of us to share in the glorious morning!

Thousands of flights are canceled–including nine, so far, out of PDX, as the eastern seaboard hunkers down ahead of a massive blizzard. We have a number of folks in the Daily Drip circle living in the path of this beast; stay safe and warm, friends, and please share your pix and experiences!

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is taking action against medical marijuana, rescinding the Obama administration’s hands-off policy. The new policy, expected to be announced today, leaves it up to each state’s US Attorney to decide whether to aggressively enforce the federal law against medical pot. (He’s apparently never had a loved one make it through chemo thanks to the benefits of a well-targeted strain of cannabis).

A big “oops” scared the whee out of a lot of people on the North Oregon Coast, as an announcement went on the City of Seaside’s tsunami warning system that a tsunami would clobber the coast within four hours. Turns out to have been a computer problem. It was supposed to be a test. False alarm. Never mind. Apologies.

A freak wave on the southern Oregon Coast has swept a Nevada man out to sea, according to the police department in Brookings. The 21-year old was standing on a rock alongside US 101 when he was taken away by the ocean.

There’s been a moderate earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area, measuring 4.4, epicentered under Berkeley, at 2:39 AM.

Following yesterday’s M 3.9 earthquake in the Mt. St Helens area–the second strongest there since 1981–grumbly little aftershocks have continued/somewhat abated overnight. Geologists assure us that they’re unrelated to volcanic activity. Rather, they’re direct evidence of the tectonic stresses that underlie our entire region, as mighty slabs of continental underlayment grind against each other, causing fractures and cracks along the spidery web of faults beneath us.

The White House and all who follow the drama therein are in an uproar over a bombshell book by an author who was granted extraordinary access by former top aide Steve Bannon. It’s filled with stories that range from blockbuster headlines (“Donald Trump Didn’t Want to be President”) to tales of palace intrigue and alleged treason, and curious details about Trump’s hair (quoting daughter Ivanka as describing the elaborate manner in which it covers up a pate rendered completely bare by “scalp reduction surgery”). Trump is said to be in a rage, and has lawyers ready to sue both Bannon, for violating a confidentiality and nondisparagement agreement, and author Michael Wolff, for defamation, libel, and slander.

Spotted on the Multnomah County Commission agenda today: first reading of an ordinance that could lead to banning fires in fireplaces and wood stoves on high-pollution days.

There are now 22 women serving in the US Senate. The most ever.

The Eagles come to Portland on May 5…that’s a Saturday night! Tickets go on sale January 12, with a presale for American Express cardholders on January 9. The band lineup, according to its website, is Don Henley…Joe Walsh…Timothy B Schmidt….Vince Gill..and Deacon Frey, son of the late Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey.

If there’s a restaurant you love that you haven’t visited for awhile, it might be time to book a table. The new year has brought an epidemic of eateries calling it quits in Portland. Pazzo Ristorante is shuttered, though it’ll reopen with a new name in the spring. The House of Louie…..of course the original Taco House(s)…Mandarin Cove at SW 1st and Columbia….some beloved neighborhood spots…tough business all around. (Like I’m some kind of expert. I was an underage 14-year old busboy at the Brown Palace coffee shop in Denver, and dumped a pitcher of ice water right into the lap of Mayor Tom Currigan)

The high desert town of Bend, Oregon became a city on this date in 1905. Its original name was “Farewell Bend”–a narrow spot where pioneers could ford the Des Chutes river. But the Post Office simply called it Bend, and Bend it is.

Happy birthday to KPAM news director–and not only that, but Coin Toss Brewing founder–Tim Hohl.

President Trump has signed an executive order abolishing his controversial election fraud commission, which was set up to find support for his claim that millions of illegal immigrants had cast ballots.

The Attorney General of Washington is suing Motel 6 for turning over the personal information of thousands of guests to immigration officials, resulting in the ICE detainment of six people.

Let’s wash out our ears with Headlines for a Happy Heart…actual news headlines, deftly copied and pasted by your host, with all the blanks filled in by your imagination!

–“High school football players help rescue puppies abandoned in cold weather”

–“Snowmobilers rescue moose buried neck-deep in snow in western Newfoundland”

–“Police officers deliver baby girl after panicked father speeding to hospital sparks car chase”

–“Mom of two wins $5M on lottery ticket bought by mistake”

–“Iceland makes it illegal to pay women less than men”

–“Pilot proposes to flight attendant girlfriend in plane full of passengers”

I propose we have a wonderful Thursday. Thanks for checking in!