Good morning! Let’s “Come Together” for the Daily Drip on Thursday, September 26, 2019! We’ve been singing “Here Comes The Sun” all week long, but alas, a cold front is spreading light rain into our region, with highs of 65 or 70. And then, @NWSPortland says the “Silver Hammer” is coming: “Another cold front on Friday will usher in an even cooler and showery air mass for the weekend, with snow levels likely lowering to Cascade pass levels starting Friday night. Very chilly overnight lows late in the weekend and early next week may bring the first frost threat of the season.” Time to have our “Golden Slumbers” in our cozy flannel sleepwear! The “Sun King” arises today at 7:02 AM, and sets at 7:00 PM straight up.
“Something” has got to give…today’s the day for some intense bargaining between UFCW Local 555 and Fred Meyer, QFC, Albertsons and Safeway. The union has the rank-and-file’s OK to strike, and they’ve already called a boycott of Freddies. I took a shortcut through the Oregon City store’s parking lot yesterday and it seemed a little scant; others have noticed the same elsewhere. Hard to quantify.
We have an interesting update to the commuting mess on Swan Island, where a September 7 train wreck battered the supports beneath the North Going Street Bridge, making it questionable that it can “Carry That Weight” of thousands of cars and trucks each day. Commuters are frustratingly aware that there are two lanes inbound and just one outbound, and now people who work on the island are saying, hey! That’s all fine for getting to work in the morning, but it’s a miserable mess coming home at night! So I am told by unimpeachable sources (namely a PBOT email) that the city is studying the possibility of reversible lanes–just like the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago and I-5 in Seattle.
The latest in what my new pal Anderson Cooper calls “this mishigas” is that Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, who initially blocked Congress from getting hold of the whistleblower complaint about President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, will appear before lawmakers today.
Today’s the day those new Trump-era rules to go into effect weakening the Endangered Species Act. Administration officials (some of whom came from industries they now regulate) will have the power to factor in how much it costs to save a species, and make it easier for creatures to be booted from the protected list. Seventeen states including Oregon and Washington filed suit against the administration Wednesday to block the rules.
Uh-oh…here comes another airport ranking…the last one touched off a weird squabble on the Drip…the J.D. Power 2019 North America Airport Satisfaction Study is out, and let’s just see how our local airstrip rates. Ooh! Didn’t have to scroll far! Portland International Airport ranks number one! Really friendly Customs people, right?
Sad times at the Oregon Zoo, where Chendra, the Asian elephant, has suffered a miscarriage, ending a long-hoped-for pregnancy. The Zoo says animal staff members are providing her “around-the-clock care and some extra TLC.”
Timbers? Did they score? Did they win? Yes and no. They scored two points at Providence Park last night, ending a long dry spell, as the Timbers Army waved the Iron Front…but New England came back with a penalty kick in stoppage time and the match ended up in a 2-2 draw. Their next game is Sunday at 4:30 in Kansas City, while the Thorns play Sunday at 11 AM against the Reign in Tacoma.
This is the 50th anniversary of the UK release of “Abbey Road,” the final album recorded by The Beatles.
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Good news today!
–“New UCLA institute will study — and spread — kindness”
–“One man built a forest by planting ‘a tree a day’ for 40 years”
–“Golfer hits hole-in-one on 100th birthday”
–“Scientist says pizza can prevent cancer”
–“Police retrieve stolen mascot costume after sightings of cycling canine”
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Let me finish with something Anderson Cooper told me during our interview yesterday, which is posted elsewhere on my Facebook page. By the way, I know that some seats are still available for his Friday night appearance at the Schnitz. Anyway, at the suggestion of a Dripster, I asked him where he finds hope amid all the craziness. Anderson’s answer:
“By every metric, life for human beings is just getting better. We don’t feel that necessarily; in our own lives, we don’t feel that because of the way we feel when we see the news and hear all the things that are happening. But there’s no question that things are actually the best they’ve ever been and just getting better. Every though despite all the concerns about climate change and the political concerns and concerns about a rise of polarization and things like that, life for humans on this planet is better by every metric than it’s ever been.”
“The End.”
Portland's Daily Drip 