Morning, Earth buddies! It’s Tuesday, April 23, 2019, and here’s the Daily Drip back from a long weekend of rest and restoration. We’ll get a minor bit of rain today, with highs in the low sixties, before returning to partly sunniness and highs of 65 tomorrow. Sunrise 6:11 AM, sunset 8:07 PM.
First thing–let’s see our guys close it out tonight! Blazers vs. Oklahoma City, Game Five, at the Moda Center where our buddy Mark Mason’s voice will soar above the roar every time Damian hits a “THREEEEEE!” The game tips at 7:30 and you can watch it on TNT, or hear it old-school on the radio, as we did during all the great Blazer playoff runs of yore. AM 620, Rip City Radio, is where you’ll find it. How’s that for a promo for me mates down the hall?
Portland police arrested 11 protesters who blocked railroad tracks where oil trains carry Canadian tar sands to a Zenith Energy terminal along NW Front Avenue. The demonstrators had dumped topsoil on the tracks and planted a garden with a scarecrow and a little house.
Tomorrow is the memorial for Cowlitz County Deputy Justin DeRosier, 1 PM at the Chiles Center at the University of Portland. A procession to Portland moves first through Kelso and Longview, and many, many people will turn out; there will also be a live feed of the service available at New Life Church in Longview and Kelso High School. A statement from the family says they couldn’t get through this without the support of the community.
A Sunday drive on Mt. Hood turned into an ordeal for a 27-year-old Gresham woman and her Mom from Tennessee, when their Hyundai Ioniq hybrid wasn’t up to the snow on Lolo Pass Road near the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. They were reported missing when they didn’t show up. Turns out they spent the night in their car, hiked up the hill to get cell service in the morning. let the authorities know they’re okay, and arranged for family members with a more snow-friendly vehicle to drag them out.
The Oregon House, on Earth Day, fell one vote short of passing a statewide ban on styrofoam containers.
You can still take a nice little six-minute ride, but it looks like the vintage full route of the Zoo Train through Washington Park is toast. The president of Metro said at City Club that her agency, which runs the Zoo, is going along with the City of Portland’s plan to build a trail along the route, although the Zoo’s web site indicates that restoration of the trackway is still on the table. It’s been six years since a landslide and infrastructure deterioration put a halt to the famous old train.
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The defense minister of Sri Lanka claimed today that the attack on Sri Lankan churches and hotels was carried out by a Muslim supremacist group in “retaliation” for the Christchurch, New Zealand shooting. But also we’re learning that ten days before the attack, Sri Lanka’s security services were warned that a radical Islamist organization was targeting churches. But no action was taken.
The Supreme Court will decide whether the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, national origin and sex — guarantees protections for gay and transgender workers. The Trump Administration says it doesn’t.
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Firmer KGW-er Joe Donlon started at Chicago’s WGN one year ago today. He should write a book on settling into a new home. The guy has been an absolute grad student at getting to know the city’s geography, politics, and people. WGN’s promotion department made sure he was practically a household name before he even hit the airwaves, and he’s a celebrated face now everywhere he goes in Chicagoland. He made a telling comment in an interview with the Chicago Tribune: “People in Portland weren’t as engaged I guess or didn’t really care. It was just, ‘Oh, there’s the guy on the news.’” Portland’s that way. Always has been. Anyway, Joe’s doing wonderfully well. His WGN co-anchor told the Trib, “He is a Chicagoan now.” I know he checks in here sometimes. Your old town says Hello Joe!
Legacy rocker John Mellencamp is at the Keller tonight. The night opens with a video showing his early aspirations of being a painter supported by his side-hustle of music; his Johnny Cougar years which he hated; the “Jack and Diane” years that made him a star; and then his legacy as co-founder of Farm Aid along with Willie Nelson and Neil Young. He sings now with some of Tom Waits’ gravitas and gravel, which works fine with his rootsy heartland focus.
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Good news? Right here!
–“Thief apologizes to deaf 7-year-old after stealing hearing device”
–“Florida firefighters paint home of blind World War II veteran, 89”
–“Blue Angels gear up for new era in F/A-18 Super Hornet”
–“Man Recovering From Surgery Wakes Up To Find A Random Cat Cuddling Him”
–“Gorillas Pose For Selfies With Anti-Poaching Rangers In Congo”
Details in the Coffee Cup…just find the top of the Comment section.
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I spent part of the time away learning guitar riffs that are way over my head, and reading the Mueller Report. Not finished, but I have a paperback copy arriving today. You won’t find me among the media people saying, “Here’s what it means.” I urge you to find the time to read it for yourself. It’s accessible and exceptionally well-written.
Back on the radio, 5-9 AM on K103. We’re easy to find, wherever you are. Just ask Alexa!
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