Hello to a new month, and a cheery good morning to you! We’re blinking into a Tuesday, October 1, 2019. Portland’s weather outlook calls for a shiny autumn sun with areas of early frost, and highs 60 to 65, just a coffee nudge warmer than yesterday’s 60. Sunrise 7:08 AM, Sunset 6:51 PM.
Dang it’s been chilly…at 0400 it’s 37 in Vancouver, Scappoose, and Hillsboro…did we just jump from summer to winter? People noticed that somebody turned on the stag’s red nose on the famous Oregon sign, and that doesn’t happen until K103 is playing Christmas music. Or later! Turns out that a film crew requested that the red nose be turned on while they’re shooting. “Stumptown?” I dunno. Anyway, City Hall said, Sure!
Another big local restaurant shutdown: Stanford’s outlets at Lloyd Center and PDX. They’re owned by the same bankrupt company that closed Henry’s Tavern. I believe their other outlets are still open.
So now that Stanford’s and Henry’s are out, perhaps you’ll visit one of the non-corporate local food-makers for lunch? Well, hopefully, your Leatherman has a Spork on it, because beginning today, eateries in Portland are not allowed to hand out single-use plastic items unless folks ask for them. Portland City Council passed the ordinance in December to reduce plastic waste. “We are committed to working with Portlanders to set priorities for climate action and waste reduction plays a role in that,” said Andrea Durbin, Director of Planning and Sustainability. Little things do add up.
Today is the beginning of Fall Term at the University of Oregon, always a frenetic thrash as first-years dash from Prince Lucien Campbell Hall to Susan Campbell Hall, or whatever. But it’ll be a lot smoother today than if all the food prep people, groundskeepers, financial aid staff, and registration folks represented by SEIU had gone on strike. That 11th-hour settlement saved the day.
Step aside, MIT….go prank yourself, CalTech…A news item from the Reed College web site: “Reed is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the percentage of STEM majors who go on to earn PhDs in STEM fields, according to a new report on strengthening the nation’s STEM pipeline that was conducted on behalf of the Council of Independent Colleges.”
This was the day of the 2015 shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg that killed 9 people along with the perpetrator. What we choose to remember was the heroism of student Chris Mintz, an Army vet who came running when he heard shots and screams. He saved lives and he was shot five times, but he recovered and I believe he’s living quietly here in Portland.
There’s a note in my file that says Al Franken, the original SNL cast member and former Minnesota Senator, will be in Portland tomorrow night for a sold-out gig at Revolution Hall. Then boom! here comes news of a previously-untold groping allegation in New York Magazine, where a woman working for Sen. Patty Murray of Washington went to a meet-and-greet to see Franken in 2006, and was standing beside him for a photo when he squeezed her from behind. The Revolution Hall appearance is still on last I checked. Not sure about meet and greets.
Coincidentally, today was the day in 1995 when Oregon Senator Bob Packwood’s resignation took effect, three years after the Washington Post revealed his years and years of sexual abuse of women. Interestingly, just the other day, the now-87-year-old Packwood himself turned up at a Powell’s book-signing by Les AuCoin, the Democratic Congressman whom Packwood crushed in the 1992 Senate election…which happened just days before the Post broke the sex abuse scandal. Why did the Post wait until after the election? The paper explained they just didn’t have enough information to go with the story until they did. Anyway, back to Powell’s, when AuCoin looked up and saw his old nemesis lined up to get an autograph on his memoir (“Catch and Release: A Life in Oregon Politics”), he gaped as though he’d seen a bad dream come to life.
It’s Jimmy Carter’s birthday. The gentleman was born in 1924. He’s 95 today, the longest-lived president in history.
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How about some good news for dessert?
–“Mystery Woman Sings Opera In Los Angeles Metro — And Goes Viral”
–“High School football player saves neighbor’s life by lifting car”
–“Surprise Snowstorm makes for incredible wedding photos”
–“Scammers get scammed by Irish man”
–“This 14-year-old was stabbed by bullies who mocked his shoes. He now collects shoes and gives them to those in need”.
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Is October your favorite month of the year? It might be mine! Enjoy every moment, every day!
Portland's Daily Drip 