Morning, friends, and welcome to the Daily Drip for Friday, July 27, 2018. Anybody melted yet? They’ve dropped the heat advisory for Portland, because a little bit of marine air from the coast is coming in; it’ll still be ninety-plus today, and warmer yet for the weekend, with no noticeable relief until Tuesday. That’s when a wind shift will usher in cooler ocean air from the southwest of us–but ahead of it, we might have smoke from the fires down there. Perhaps the smoke will stick to higher altitudes, and all we’ll get is some camera-ready sunrises and sunsets. Speaking of which: Sunrise today is 5:49 AM, sunset 8:44 PM.
Portland, the Willamette Valley, and most of central and eastern Oregon are now in a severe drought, according to the United States Drought Monitor.
There’s a big new brush fire in Wasco County. Locals say it was caused by a spark from a combine during the wheat harvest.
Scientists at NOAA say we are unquestionably seeing the effects of climate change, as a warming Arctic has resulted in a “stuck jet stream” that’s creating stagnant high and low-pressure areas, with extreme temperatures in some regions of the world and flooding in others. “What once was record-breaking is now normal,” said one climate scientist.
Three guys jumped in the Lewis River at Battle Ground and saved a 15-year old boy from drowning.
It’s Day Two of the Banfield Blues, but we have every reason to hope it’ll be a better commute than yesterday’s city-wide snarl-up that was necessitated by the need to get help for a suicidal man on the very bridge that commuters were expected to use as the alternative to the ramp that’s closed for road work. Today, I-84 westbound’s ramp to I-5 northbound is still barricaded as scheduled, and that alone will put thousands of cars onto Portland’s surface streets. Speed limit 20 MPH, folks.
Have you seen the new scooters buzzing around? Whoever’s running the twitter feed at PBOT may have gotten their tailfeathers burned over a snarky tweet wondering aloud about how the pilot project will work out: “…maybe they’re toys that tech bros leave lazily strewn about, blocking corner ramps needed for people with disabilities.” That dig was followed quickly by an apology.
North Korea has returned the remains believed to be of American soldiers killed during the Korean War.
President Trump knew in advance about the Trump Tower meeting between his son and Russians who promised dirt on Hillary Clinton–according to his ex-fixer Michael Cohen. Trump defender Rudy Giuliani says Cohen’s “been lying all week, he’s been lying for years.”
An update on the kids separated from parents at the border: The government says it has reunited more than 1,800 children with parents and sponsors in time for the court-ordered deadline. But 700 are still separated.
In news from the Moon, there’s a total lunar eclipse today, lasting for 103 minutes, the longest of the entire 21st century. They can see it in Asia, Europe, South America, Africa, and Australia–practically everywhere but the continent where we live. We will see the full moon, rising around 9 tonight. Native peoples called it the Buck Moon, because that’s when male deer start sprouting new antlers. And it’s a Micro Moon, because it’s at the orbital point farthest away from the earth.
Here’s proof that the hot weather won’t last forever: Seattle Seahawks training camp began yesterday.
Big changes for Duck games! The Autzen Stadium parking lots will now open six hours before kickoff, instead of four. Beer and wine will be sold in general concession areas, but not in the student section. There’ll be a lot more alcohol monitors, and people won’t be allowed to leave and re-enter the stadium, because they were basically doing that to get hammered in the parking lot during halftime.
The Portland Timbers play the Houston Dynamo tomorrow night, game time pushed back from 6 to 8 to escape the heat.
Doesn’t sound like they’re dressed for the weather, but the Psychedelic Furs play at the Oregon Zoo Amphitheater tonight.
Foreigner–backed up by the Battle Ground High School Choir on “I Want To Know What Love Is–plays the Sunlight Supply Amphitheater tomorrow night.
The Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Band is at the Roseland Theater tonight.
Happy 70th birthday tomorrow to Portland native and Grant High grad Sally Struthers, a 1970s household face and two-time Emmy winner as Gloria Stivic in “All in the Family.”
Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the debut of National Lampoon’s made-in-Eugene “Animal House.” Favorite line from John “Bluto” Blutarsky: ” Over? Did you say ‘over?’ Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no!”
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Sunday would have been the 38th anniversary of the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The story ended tragically, of course, but Diana is remembered with love and reverence. Some quotes from Princess Diana:
“Call me Diana, not Princess Diana.” (OK, sorry)
“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”
“They say it is better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable, but how about a compromise like moderately rich and just moody?”
“There are only two mantras … yum and yuk. Mine is yum.” Oh, wait. That’s still Tom Robbins.
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“And now, here’s something you’ll really like! ” (Rocket J. Squirrel)
–“When construction changed a blind man’s route, Wisconsin bus driver Thaddaus Turner took a detour to help him
–“A 4 year old rang the police because he wanted them at his birthday party…and they attended.”
–“15 members of the public lift up a garbage truck to free elderly man”
–“Metal detectorist finds ring lost in sea”
–“Chefs across the country are leaving restaurant kitchens to work in school cafeterias”
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The funny thing about doing a news blog in the morning is that essentially, nothing has happened yet. There’s an old Swedish saying that goes, “The afternoon knows what the morning never expected.” So…knowing that it’s a blank page…let’s have a Friday!
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