Thursday, March 15, 2018

Good morning! It’s your radio daddio, dishing up the Daily Drip for Thursday, March 15, 2018. Portland’s weather is mainly nice, with an isolated light rinse, and highs of 55. Might get a tiny dusting of snow above 1000 feet. Sunrise today 7:23 AM, sunset 7:16 PM.

A student at Portland’s Franklin High School saw fit to bring a gun to class on Tuesday–and share a photo of it, sticking in his waistband, on Snapchat. Another student who saw it immediately notified authorities, and the kid with the gun was arrested at his home.

People who were there say those were seventeen powerful minutes of perfect silence at schools in our area during yesterday’s national walkout against gun violence. I’m seeing comments from teachers who were filled with respect for their students who took part. One teacher wrote, “It was absolutely beautiful and I’ve never been more proud of my students. The tone was somber, the leaders were gentle, inclusive to differing viewpoints, and optimistic.” An elementary teacher added, “They all took the walkout extremely seriously which amazed me. I’m used to one or two kids always goofing off, but this morning there was none of that. I cried. I’m so proud of them today.”

A Keizer police officer shot and killed a man suspected of robbing a Pizza Hut.

Hillsboro police officers peacefully diffused a situation with a suspect armed with a machete.

OregonLive interviewed the man whose girlfriend allegedly attacked him with a samurai sword because she found a dating app on his phone and red hair in the shower drain though hers are green. He said the attack “scared the living poop” out of him and that he’s still in the hospital with lacerations. He claims he never had time to cheat on her because he was playing elite competitive video games 13 hours a day, and doing training exercises to improve his mouse moves. I’m not a nerd, he said. “I’m an Ethlete.”

A wealthy Portland hotel magnate is in line to be named U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, according to the Wall Street Journal. Gordon Sondland is founder and CEO of the company that owns the Benson, Heathman, Sentinel and other hotels; he or his company donated a million dollars to the Trump inaugural committee.

The general manager of McCormick and Schmick’s Harborside restaurant–one of our favorite spots to grab an outdoor table on a sunny day–is suing a pest control company for a million bucks because he was bitten by a brown recluse spider. No doubt something bit him, but brown recluses don’t live in Oregon, a little fact that I found on the web.

While we’re at the river, Waterfront Blues Festival early-bird tickets go on sale today.

The LeBron James show comes to Portland tonight as the Trail Blazers put their 10-game winning streak up against the 3-time defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers–who, for some reason, have a habit of getting blown out in Portland.

Sen. Marco Rubio has filed a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent across the country.

Strange: NASA scientists have discovered that astronaut Scott Kelly’s genes are no longer identical to those of his identical twin after spending a year in space.

“I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid,” the old jingle went. But, as hinted last week, Toys R Us is pulling the ripcord on the entire operation, closing all 800 stores including eight in Oregon. Analysts say people are buying toys from Amazon, now, along with Walmart, and Target.

We get to relive a bad-dreamy episode of Oregon history soon as Netflix releases a 6-part series on the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh tomorrow. We all remember that gray-bearded guru with the fleet of Rolls Royces who attracted thousands of blissful followers, and they overwhelmed a tiny town in Wasco County in the early 1980’s, and then things went bad. Might be a good series, though; titled “Wild Wild Country,” it’s done by the same people who produced “The Battered Bastards of Baseball,” the doc about the Portland Mavericks.

Tell me something really good, OK?

–“Environmental initiative: Adidas sold 1 million shoes made out of recycled ocean plastic in 2017”

–“Dude wearing an “Elsa” costume from the movie “Frozen” pushed a Boston police paddy wagon from a snow bank.”

–“A new study says talking to your dog like you would a baby is the best way to build a good relationship with your puppy.”

–“Motor Neurone Disease charity site crashes after surge in donations in honor of Professor Hawking”

–“‘Wonder girl’ beats tumor with robotic surgery”

–“Toddler with rare liver disease needed a liver… so her new nanny donated part of hers.”

The Ides of March! Beware of friendly strangers in black sedans…and have a very fine Thursday!