Well, here we are bright and early!…or at least early…on Thursday, February 7, 2019! It’s a biting 22 degrees as I write this at 0300. Today should bring increasing clouds, with highs in the low 40s, and then..
There’s a good reason we made a point of not sticking a fork in winter way back during our sunny January: an additional surge of arctic air pours into the Northwest Friday night through Sunday, and though it’s too soon to say with certainty, we’re anticipating a potentially significant amount of snow in the days to come. We’ll know a lot more today, but already there are websites and news stations warning of two major snow events: one Saturday, and one sometime between Sunday night and Tuesday. These all depend on computer models, and not all agree, but whatever you do to get ready for a big snow, do it now. And check the links I posted last night if you want an idea of the moving parts that need to come together before we know whether it’s going to be Snowpocalypse…or a Maroon 5 halftime show.
On the bright side…literally…We have over 10 hours of daylight today for the first time since early November. Sunrise 7:24 AM, sunset 5:26 PM
Headline of the Day: “Portland’s Worst Day of the Year Ride postponed because of bad weather.” Scheduled for Sunday, it’s been postponed for two weeks.
All Portland freeways are open for your commuting pleasure today, unlike yesterday’s 14-hour closure of I-84.
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A whole lot of prison time may await a 52-year-old photographer from Carlton in rural Yamhill County, who is accused of preying on at the very least eight women and girls, many underage, by assaulting them in various despicable ways during photo shoots purportedly to launch them on careers as Playboy models. The FBI says he’d been running his nasty scam from 1994 until recently, so there may be many more victims out there.
Rarely shy about taking a stand–and less than ever, with Jo Ann Hardesty aboard–Portland City Council today takes up a resolution that “condemns white supremacist and alt-right hate groups.” Chances of passages are pretty good….it’s sponsored by the entire City Council. That same council voted 4-1 to approve that six-figure settlement with a fired police officer who made a racist comment about killing black people.
The Multnomah County health department has sent exclusion letters to almost 5,000 parents in Multnomah County, warning that if their kids don’t get their shots before Feb. 20, they won’t be allowed in school.
A six-seat single-engine Piper Malibu Mirage cracked up after hitting a radio antenna during a landing at the Aurora Airport. Happy to report that the pilot and passenger made it out with minor injuries. (So many questions…what radio antenna?)
This’ll be pretty in snow–the Portland Winter Light Festival plugs in today at 5 PM. It’s described as “a city-wide event showcasing illuminated art installations, vibrant performances, and stunning kinetic fire sculptures throughout our city.” You’ll see displays all over town, but the main locations are Tom McCall Waterfront Park at Salmon Springs, PGE Headquarters/World Trade Center, the Eastbank Esplanade south of the Hawthorne Bridge, and near OMSI. I hear that people come to this all lit up–I mean, with lights on their clothes!
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Today Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Sen. Ed Markey are introducing what they call a “Green New Deal” a 10-year national mobilization designed to eliminate all U.S. carbon emissions.
The Flood of 96 was at its deadliest, on this date in 23 years ago. This was the day when Verna Wenger, 84, of Corvallis died when her car went into a drainage ditch near Monmouth; Amber Bargfrede, 8, of Scio drowned when she slipped and fell into a culvert on her way to get the mail ; Doug Andrews, 45, of Brownsville died after abandoning his car in Linn County; and Jacqueline Jank, 62, of Troutdale drowned when a landslide knocked her riverside house into the Sandy River.
The Cowboy Junkies…a great Canadian country/rock band that was formed in the 80s and still has its original personnel–all siblings but for one– play at Revolution Hall tonight.
It was a Fab 4 day in Feb when Beatles arrived in the US for the first time on this date in 1964.
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There are days….I’m sure you understand….when I’m tempted to whittle this report down to just this section: the good stuff!
–“Artist creates beauty in the ashes after the Paradise fire”
–“School asks for 50 mentors, 600 showed up”
–“Sarah Haycox – The Power of A 4th Grader to Change the World”
–“How this amateur painting became a hilarious social media sensation”
–“Dad Writes Heartfelt Message To The Man Who Entertained His Daughter At The Airport”
I really like these links today. They’re in the DD coffee cup below.
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Say, yesterday we talked about the thanks that are flowing to TriMet’s drivers for their work under the pressure of a snow day. Now the gratitude is flowing the other way. This was posted on the Portland subreddit:
A huge thank you to the courteous drivers in Portland today! I drive for TriMet (yeah, yeah, I know). Driving a 40 ft, 20 ton vehicle is difficult and stressful (in the top for most stressful jobs) on a good day. Today, they decided to send us out unchained. Some buses had them from earlier in the morning but most of us only had the drop downs if they were available.
People were so nice. They let me out, made space for me, gave me room, and just generally made it easier to move around. There were a few who pulled the usual, which I won’t get into here, but the vast majority were amazing.
Finally, a reminder to be nice. That’s all, so easy. I thank you!
Portland's Daily Drip 