Greetings! Tuesday, is what this is, April 2, 2019; yesterday’s rain that was promised for Portland decided that it likes the Valley better, leaving the city warmer than expected at 69, but it crept north overnight, and today we’re left with scant showers and random sunpops and highs around 60. A gray day, but think of it as a silvery backdrop to the cherry blossoms and flowering plums that have erupted all over, as allergy sufferers know. But so gorgeous this year! Sunrise 6:49 AM, sunset 7:40 PM.
As fire investigators dig through the ash for the cause of the fire in Wilsonville that burned 20 rowhouses and condos and 14 vehicles and put two dozen people out of house and home, we want to lift up a fundraising event being held today for the folks affected. It’s a bake sale and raffle being hosted by Lux Sucre Desserts in Charbonneau from 4 pm to 7 pm. They say “Our case will be stocked with treats with ALL of the proceeds going to the families in need. Help us SELL OUT! This is a CASH ONLY EVENT! Additional donations of Food, Pet Supplies, Children’s Items, Clothing, & Toiletries will be accepted on Tuesday from Noon until 7 pm.”
Regarding the fire itself….they still don’t know how it started. The fire began in units that were under construction and had neither gas nor electricity yet or sprinklers, then spread to occupied homes in the densely-built upscale neighborhood. Residents have sent their security video to investigators, and if somebody was prowling around that night, we might be seeing that footage on the news soon.
A major cleanup begins today of the camp debris strewn in the gully along I-84, Sullivan’s Gulch it was called in the Depression, and so it is today.
Somebody accidentally triggered the emergency lockdown system at Wilson High School. Scared the willies out of people, but everything’s OK.
Gun laws are front and center in Salem this morning as the Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee hears SB 978, an NRA-infuriating package that includes requiring safe storage; imposing liability on owners if their gun is stolen and used to commit a crime; banning untraceable guns; empowering local governments to regulate firearms in public buildings; and requiring hospitals to report injury data to the state. The NRA has sent out a “Take Action” alert, urging members to show up for this morning’s hearing.
Portlanders love for their views to be heard, as well they should…and if you have opinions about the budget for the next year, tonight is the first town hall forum, 6:30 to 8:30, at 10301 NE Glisan.
Today is the Urban League of Portland’s 2019 Career Connections Job Fair, 10 AM to 3 PM, at Lloyd Center, in the space that used to be Sears. And the Oregon Professional Educator Fair is today and tomorrow at the Oregon Convention Center. It’s a job fair too; recruiters from districts all over are there. I’m a big fan of the notion that if you’re less than fulfilled or rewarded in your work, it’s up to you to find a place that deserves you.
The matchup is set for the Ducks in the Women’s Final Four: Oregon (33-4) will take on the overall-#1 Baylor Bears (35-1) on Friday at 4 Pacific on ESPN 2.
The Blazers beat Minnesota on the road 132-122, moving into a tie for the third playoff spot in the West. It won’t unbreak his leg, but the GoFundMe effort to put up a billboard for Jusuf Nurkic blew right past its $8000 goal, collecting nearly 12K, and the folks behind it announced yesterday the sign will go up on Weidler a block east of I-5 by May 13. It says, in English and Bosnian, saying, “We Love You Jusuf Nurkic.”
A whistleblower says the White House insisted on security clearances for about 25 people despite their background checks. The whistleblower, who has dwarfism, says she was retaliated against…by having files placed out of her reach.
Interesting revelation from Deborah Norville, the anchor for “Inside Edition”…she got an email a while back from a viewer who said she’d noticed something on her neck, and it turned out to be a lump that morphed into thyroid cancer, for which she’ll undergo surgery. A sharp-eyed viewer and high-definition television may have just saved her life.
This was the day when the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped out at what is now Cathedral Park in Portland, as they explored the lands that the government subsequently seized from the native inhabitants, opening the door to all that modern civilization would bring. That site was the scene of Portland’s latest Naked Bike Ride.
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Let’s warm up the coffee cup with some good news!
–“April Fool’s Fail: When you introduce a ‘fake’ burger, but people actually want it”
–“The Egyptian Egg Ovens Considered More Wondrous Than the Pyramids”
–“Billionaire Rewards Grandmother Who Walked 10 Miles To Help Cyclone Victims”
–“Breaking news: somebody was nice on the road”
–“I Learned How To Speak My Toddler’s Language & It Changed The Way I Look At Life”
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And that’s the first look at the day from here. We’re on-air from Portland at 103.3 from 5-9 AM Pacific, available everywhere on the handy iHeartRadio app. Your turn!
Portland's Daily Drip 