Morning! It’s Friday, September 7, 2018! Portland’s weather starts out starry and clear, and we should touch 80 degrees, but we’ll see clouds wisping in from the northwest later on, and there’s a possibility of showers late tonight and tomorrow morning. The rest of the weekend looks fine, with highs in the 70’s, but a showery and cool pattern sets up next week. Sunrise 6:39 AM, sunset 7:36 PM.
The main road from here to California remains closed by wildfire, which has exploded in size and now covers 34 square miles. I-5 is shut down roughly between Mt. Shasta and Redding.
Washougal teachers were unanimously in ratifying their contract agreement, so the school year begins there today. No progress to report in the teacher strikes in the Evergreen, Battle Ground, and Longview school districts.
Portland, Oregon, the cleanest city in America! Did you just spit out your coffee? Mayor Ted Wheeler says he hears more complaints about the trash festooning our town than any other gripe, and he hears a lot of them. So he’s set a goal of making Portland “the cleanest and most livable city in the United States.” Our trash receptacles are scattered and overflowing, and the Mayor’ll have to solve a problem to fix that: trash pickup in Portland is shared by a jigsaw puzzle of jurisdictions, haulers, and other random entities. Good luck!
One of the most talked-about faces in America turned up in town yesterday. Colin Kaepernick was here for Nike’s rollout of the 30th “Just Do It” campaign, in which he takes the lead role. The two-minute spot, filled with inspiration to challenge one’s self, and not a word about the National Anthem, debuted on NBC’s NFL game last night. It’s the product, by the way, of another Oregon company- the Portland ad agency Wieden + Kennedy.
Odd anecdote from the forthcoming Bob Woodward book: President Trump, angry about plans to spent $10 billion on a high-altitude missile defense system protecting South Korea, is quoted as saying, “‘F*** it, pull it back and put it in Portland.” A city where he got 17% of the vote.
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This Sunday is Kyron Horman’s 16th birthday. Will we ever know?
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Randomness:
Twenty years ago today St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire hit his 61st home run of the season, equaling Roger Maris’ single-season home run record, which he would later shatter. Better living through chemistry.
On this day in 1960, JFK made a campaign tour of Portland, Salem, and Eugene
Rose City ComicCon starts today at the Oregon Convention Center with celebrity guests Val Kilmer, Ralph Macchio, and Robbie Coltrane.
Cycle Oregon starts tomorrow. It begins and ends in Baker City.
This is Sisters Folk Festival weekend.
It’s Buddy Holly’s birthday.
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The Seattle Reign play the Portland Thorns at Providence Park tonight; the Timbers are at Colorado tomorrow.
On our regional Saturday college football card…Portland State pays a visit to the Ducks at 11 AM…Oregon State hosts Southern Utah at 5 PM…The Huskies entertain North Dakota at 2 PM…and San Jose State comes to Pullman to play WSU at 8 PM.
Fresh from a joyfully-reviewed concert at Colorado’s Red Rocks, Jason Mraz is on the sold-out lawn at Edgefield tonight. Everything he and his rainbow-clad 10-piece band does “represented positivity, good vibes and reminded us of the good things in life,” said 303 Magazine in Denver.
Multiple-Grammy-winning Brit superstar Sam Smith brings his “Thrill of it All” tour to the Moda Center tonight. Some tickets are available, mainly at the bring-oxygen level.
The Oregon Symphony does “Star Wars: a New Hope” tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday. We have major fans in the family who are geeking out about this. It’s why I have a play date with an almost-4-year-old tonight!
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Good news here! If you’d like to know more, or share, that’s what our Daily Drip link collection is for. Click here.
–“Facebook SOS message saves 2 injured tourists after they plummet off cliff”
–“Sweden opens new road that charges electric vehicles like real-life slot cars”
–“Cat and chicken found ‘huddled together’ after deadly California fire”
–“Beer maker to replace plastic six-pack rings with recyclable glue”
–“Century-old Congolese refugee finds ‘miracles’ like washing machines, refrigerators, and Mountain Dew in Buffalo”
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OK, look what I’ve done, written up a DD on my day off. Time to circle around and head for the dark at the top of the stairs. G’nite! Have a nice weekend!
Portland's Daily Drip 