Good morning, my friend! Here’s the Daily Drip for Monday, January 29, 2018. Portland’s weather looks cloudy with rain rolling in from the north late in the day and highs of 55. The Valley felt spring-fevery yesterday as Salem and Eugene hit 62. Sunrise 7:35 AM, sunset 5:13 PM. We’re being warned of dangerous avalanche conditions in the backcountry of Mt. Hood, particularly above the tree line.
Vera Katz was remembered with love and respect during an hourlong memorial Sunday at the Portland Art Museum. The late mayor’s son Jesse recounted her escape, as a child, from Nazi Germany; her former City Council colleague Mike Lindberg recalled how she led a planeload of Portlanders to visit New York City after 9/11. The Oregonian reporter who covered her cancer battle, Erin Hoover Barnett, told of her annoyance at having to leave a council session for a life-saving transfusion, and of her return to take charge before the meeting ended. Others remembered her guts, her smile, and her lasting impact on every corner of the city.
We’ll find out more in the light of day, but a four-alarm fire ripped through a commercial building containing several businesses in the 5100 block of SW Macadam. That’s across the SW Richardson from the building where K103 was located for over fifteen years, and we were steady customers of a sandwich shop, a gift shop, and a hair salon there. We’re all hoping for the best for these businesses. We do know that both Macadam and Corbett will be closed through the morning commute.
A three-alarm fire damaged a burger restaurant, a wedding caterer, and a dance studio along Beaverton Hillsdale Highway.
The seafloor off the Oregon coast took a solid jolt from a magnitude 4.9 earthquake at 2:46 Sunday afternoon. The quake was six miles deep along the very active Blanco Fracture Zone, about 140 miles west of Coos Bay.
Looks to me like 101 is open again after being mudded over by a slide near Garibaldi.
A sea lion waddled into a store parking lot in Astoria. A local cop coaxed it back to the ocean.
The wrecking ball will soon tear into Portland’s original McDonald’s, at SE 91st and Powell, where it has stood with its yellow arches and slanting roof since 1962. It hasn’t actually been used, except for special occasions, in years.
Neighbors of Jefferson High School–named for the author of the Declaration of Independence who, like 41 out of 56 signers, owned slaves– are discussing whether to advocate for a name change. The Humboldt Neighborhood Association meets at the North Portland Library at 5:30 PM today to talk it over.
Some guy in a big motorhome caused a commotion in Salem by driving it erratically on Oregon 22, then bashing into a two Salem PD patrol cars. Four officers fired their guns, but a spike strip and a taser are what brought the episode to an end.
Bruno Mars, the young Hawaiian pop star who was an accomplished Elvis impersonator at 5, captured six Grammys including song and record of the year. Portland’s Portugal. The Man beat out Justin Beiber for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the incredibly catchy “Feel It Still.” Miley Cyrus showed a growing talent, dueting with Elton John. The comedic reading of “Fire and Fury” was a highlight, and things were said that needed to be said about sexual harassment and inequality. I stayed with it for an hour, my limit for these things, long enough to conclude: Good show!
Ooops…a map on the Internet that shows the locations of people with GPS-based fitness trackers seems to have inadvertently revealed the whereabouts and activity of American military personnel in secret locations, including the war zones of Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, and a clandestine CIA base rumored to be in Somalia.
Oprah Winfrey is 64 today. Let’s see what we can find in that big book of quotations: “Turn your wounds into wisdom.” “Everyone wants to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” “The thing you fear most has no power. Your fear of it is what has the power.” “Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”
H4aHH:
–“Arizona DPS trooper drags man from car seconds before train hits it”
–“Adelaide doctor plans to sail to Pacific Islands to perform eye surgery”
–“Adopt-a-Doll rescues, restores, and donates Barbies to disadvantaged kids”
–“Fleetwood Mac helps raise $7 million for charity”
–“Mechanical engineer who hid a vast fortune donates $37 million to libraries, hospitals, nonprofits, and programs that help low-income youth and families.”
–“Vietnam War veterans unite to build a club with their former foes, welcoming veterans from both countries.”
Big week! Superbowl Week, of course…but first, the State of the Union tomorrow night…a total lunar eclipse before dawn Wednesday… a Katy Perry concert at the Moda Center Friday. (Earlier I said the Olympics opening ceremony was this Friday. Wrong! Next Friday. Gotta love Monday)!
Portland's Daily Drip 