Friday, February 9, 2018

Hi there! Here’s a quick cup of fresh-ground wakeup info on a Friday, February 9, 2018. PDX weather calls for a morning spritz, then cloudy and 50. Here’s now the NWS puts it: “Other than the leftovers of our decaying front, a strong ridge of high pressure remains large and in charge off the U.S. West Coast. This will lead to mainly dry weather through Saturday.” Sunrise 7:21 AM, sunset 5:29 PM. We switch to DST one month from Sunday.

The self-ejection of State Senator Jeff Kruse takes effect March 15. He says he didn’t do what ten women say he did. I suppose there’s a good reason this wasn’t handled months ago, when grabby guys were dropping like flies, and the legislature wasn’t trying to jam a lot into a short session.

In the middle of the night, Congress approved a budget deal ending a brief government shutdown. The vote was delayed by deficit hawk Rand Paul, who expressed dismay that the tax cut and the military buildup are piling unfathomable sums onto a national debt that must be reckoned with someday.

That hissing sound is from the 401K’s of people who invest in stocks, as the Dow coughed up a thousand points for the second time in a week. That means we’re now in a correction, and corrections are a normal part of the market. We were due, the economy has been getting stronger for years, and we’ll be OK. I think.

Schools in Lincoln County are closed because of some kind of threat.

Portland teachers finally have a contract, ratified by the school board on a 7-0 vote.

Some guy tried to kidnap a 20-year old woman whose car had broken down at 4 AM on a ramp from I-5 to Market Street in Salem. Luckily a witness drove by, shouted something, and the suspect ran away.

Trimet expansions planned in the coming year: All‑night bus service to PDX, and 24‑hour bus lines.

Olympic opening ceremonies began around 3 AM our time, and will be on TV in prime time tonight.

Canada’s National Anthem is now gender neutral. Ours always has been, unless you count the third verse which nobody knows (“Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand/Between their loved home and the war’s desolation).

Chicago could get a foot of snow today. Southwest Airline’s 5:15 from PDX to Midway is already scrubbed.

Amazon has launched two-hour delivery from Whole Foods stores to Prime members in Austin, Cincinnati, Dallas and Virginia Beach. Expansion is planned this year.

Heads up for dog people! Daily Drip member and veterinarian Kristy Bussman sends word from Oregon State Veterinarian Emilio DeBess that “there is a huge canine influenza outbreak in San Francisco, expanding every day, and on its way here. We have a strain-specific vaccine, but it has to be given as two boosters 2-3 weeks apart. Please encourage people to spread the word and talk with their veterinarian. Each vaccinated dog will help prevent the outbreak from spreading.”

A trio of baby goats has moved into the Oregon Zoo. They’re named Ruth, Elena, and Sonya, and collectively are called the Justice Goats.

On this day in 1996, the Willamette River crested in Portland at 28.55 feet, more than 10 feet above flood stage, and just below the top of the permanent downtown seawall. Good thing it stopped there–Vera’s Wall, made of plywood, wouldn’t have held back the torrent. Our garage in Lake Grove was an oily swimming pool, my collection of vinyl records was destroyed, and we ended up getting a disaster check from FEMA.

Huge day in music history. It’s the night in 1964 when the Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. They followed commercials for shaving cream and shoe polish, and alternated between acrobats, an impressionist, and the Broadway cast of “Oliver.” Maybe a plate-spinner or two. Teenage garage bands immediately sprang up across America, and some of those kids are now in the Rock Hall of Fame.

Headlines…to brighten up the morning….

–“A kind-hearted restaurant worker became the savior of hungry drivers stranded in snow when he cooked 500 meals and dished them out for free.”

–“Salinas 4th graders ask for better TP; Charmin sends 6,000 rolls”

–“George and Amal Clooney reveal they are sponsoring an Iraqi refugee”

–“Pastor eases onto icy pond to rescue dog”

And…out the door I go! I’m on dual KEX/K103 morning drive duty this morning. This kind of plate-spinning could have gotten me on Sullivan. Very nice, lads from Liverpool. Now here’s something you’ll really like!