Morning y’all! Today’s Thursday, June 28. 2018. As the regular clouds shuffle in, we’ll feel a puffy breeze, brush away a passing shower, and enjoy a cool high of 70 in Portland, 62 at the coast, and 57 at Government Camp. A peek-a-boo moon looms above, with Saturn riding along. Sunrise 5:24 AM, sunset 9:03 PM.
This came in from the Federal Protective Service at 5:22 AM:
PORTLAND, Ore. – At approximately 5:30am today, federal law enforcement officers initiated a law enforcement action to reopen the federal facility at 4310 SW Macadam Avenue in Portland.
That’s the Portland ICE HQ. Eviction of demonstrators is their intention, and Macadam is a place to avoid for sure.
Sooner or later, baseball’s gonna break your heart, said my son’s high school coach. And that will happen tonight to one great college team, while the other hoists the trophy of the best in all the land. I loved the ninth inning magic, how Oregon State won last night when they were down to their last strike, and when good luck came their way they absolutely seized it with a two-run home run by future Minnesota Twin Trevor Larnach. I feel bad for the three Arkansas fielders who surrounded but couldn’t catch the pop foul that would have ended the series. In volleyball, they call that a “campfire.” But winners leap when the moon is smiling, and the Beavers turned that extra out into two runs and a highly unlikely, except for these guys, win. So tonight we’re all Beaver fans, OK? It’s like when Oregon or Washington plays for the national football crown. Oregon State is up for the championship in baseball today, and guys, either way, we’re all behind you. Game time 3:30 PM on Rip City Radio 620, and on ESPN 2. ESPN had a “Dewey Defeats Truman” moment last night when they sent out a push alert proclaiming Arkansas the champions. Whoops.
A security guard at City Hall had his nose bloodied by a protester, who’d grabbed a microphone and spewed obscenities at an unimpressed City Council. This hotheaded bozo’s hostility was totally misdirected, because the Council is unanimously in the same camp as those who’ve pitched more than 90 tents outside ICE HQ on Macadam. Says Amanda Fritz: “ICE is stupid.”
Oregon’s influential public employee unions are smarting from the Supreme Court decision that essentially makes union dues optional. They vow to take it in stride.
There may be a lot to take in stride in the years to come, as the retirement of swing-voting Justice Anthony Kennedy clears the way for Trump to appoint, for life, someone of more reliably conservative views. Five-four becomes 6-3. It’s a good time to remind ourselves that effective things can happen locally; Oregon has always been a maverick. Remember how this progressive state thrived in the Nixon era? by going its own way, with gutsy creative leaders from both parties who disdained the national regime. States’ rights! Let’s insist on them, and on leadership that makes the most of them. Kate, are you up to this? Knute? You’re at bat.
Oregon is one of only a dozen states with mandatory, age-appropriate sex ed…and a study funded by the Annie E. Casey foundation reveals that Oregon’s teen birth rate is half what it was a decade ago.
Tsk. The DEQ has fined the city of Rainier $23,700 for failing to report raw sewage discharges into the Columbia River…no fewer than 36 different times. At least Portland owns up to it.
Now, some downtown Portland factoids! If somebody asked you to name the busiest intersection for foot traffic, what would you guess? The answer, according to Downtown Clean and Safe, is SW 6th and Morrison. That’s the main entrance to Pioneer Place at a MAX stop, where I rang Salvation Army bells every year with Mark Hatfield and Craig Walker and Vic Atiyeh and Mike Donohue and Shirley Hancock and Lars Larson a few times…followed by 5th and Morrison, 10th and Burnside, yay Powell’s…and 10th and Morrison. What’s there? Target! The downtown group reports a 7 percent net “hike” (ha) in foot traffic over one year ago, demonstrating “continued vibrancy in the downtown core.”
The Portland Thorns battle Blue Sky to a 1-1 draw in front of 18,237 at Providence Park.
Superbowl QB and Pacific NW native John Elway was born in Port Angeles on this day in 1960.
The inventor of the future, Elon Musk, was born this day in 1971.
Lottery news! A millwright in the Douglas County town of Riddle who’s retiring next week bought himself a ticket at a market on Main Street…and won a thousand bucks for life. But remember that $151 million Powerball ticket that somebody scored in Salem last week? Still unclaimed. Either the winner is lining up their financial and legal ducks–or the ticket’s in a glove compartment, pants pocket, or the landfill. The winning numbers were 04-14-23-27-56 and Powerball 13.
Tee emm ess gee!
–“Injection proven to eliminate tumors in mice”
–“Orlando Police Go To Prom As Dates For Special Needs Students”
–“Suicides in Japan decline for 8th-straight year amid a stronger economy and improvements in counseling programs”
–“Teen collects and donates 25,000 books to Cleveland children in need”
–“Lady looks for and warns others about pickpockets on subway”
–“In Sweden, Jews and Muslims united around Israeli flags at a gay pride parade”
–“Soda sales in the United States dropped for the 12th year in a row”
That’s the Daily Drip from a momentarily hobbled radio daddio. Had an ingrown toenail luridly but effectively dealt with yesterday. It’s been haranguing me for months, ever since an incident involving a bicycle in Germany. Not ideal for someone who makes a sacrament of doing 10,000 steps a day. Plus my Mac’s in the shop for one more day. Tapping out much of this Daily Drip on my phone, like sending one big text message. Impressed? Me neither.
Sent from my iPhone
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