A tap on the shoulder from me to you, and we’re bouncing into a Tuesday, October 8, 2019! Today looks chilly and unsettled, with sunpeeps and showers and highs of 55. Sunrise 7:17 AM, sunset 6:38 PM. Total daylight down three minutes from yesterday.
You who are on the road should be equipped with the knowledge that light snow accumulations are expected on the Cascade passes all day today, morning through evening. Possibility of 1 to 3 inches of snow at elevations around 4000 to 4500 feet. Just enough to slick things up.
The Oregon Legislature took a swing and a miss on a climate change bill this year, and now supporters of aggressive action are going straight to the voters. The Renew Oregon coalition filed three proposed ballot measures that aim to impose hard limits on greenhouse gas emissions and require electric utilities to move to 100 percent renewable energy during the next two decades. A spokesperson for the coalition says polling shows 60 to 70 percent of Oregon voters want something done now on climate change, and if lawmakers won’t take action in 2020, the people will.
Heathman Hotel (among others) owner Gordon Sondland–the Trump-appointed Ambassador to the European Union–is simmering in the impeachment stew today, as he testifies to Congress on what he knew about the president’s alleged demand for investigative favors from Ukraine in exchange for congressionally-approved military equipment to hold off the Russians. Mr. Sondland is well-known around here, and he’ll be well-known around the country by the end of the day.
The initial reviews were raves, but there was a weird glitch along the new Portland Marathon course. Down by the Ross Island Bridge, the leader was so far ahead that the 15 or 20 excellent runners behind him lost sight of the escort–and, not seeing a sign, they took the advice of a woman who was out riding her bike and who apparently pointed them That-a-way! When they should have gone This-a-way! They realized they had strayed from the course when they found themselves in the Barbur Boulevard tunnel with cars whizzing by, way over the 35 MPH speed limit. Some got back on the course and finished a 28-mile marathon. Others just bagged it. That’s really a shame; they trained for months, and needed a great time to qualify for Boston next spring.
A 65-year-old man who was riding an e-scooter without a required helmet hit the railroad tracks at NW 9th and Naito Parkway, and fell; he is in critical condition.
Today the US Supreme Court will consider whether existing federal law forbids job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. It’s one of the most important cases in this new term.
Starting anew after their deepest playoff run in two decades, the Portland Trail Blazers Blazers play their preseason opener tonight against the Denver Nuggets, the team they beat in seven games in the Western Conference quarterfinals last May. Tonight’s game is at the scene of the franchise’s greatest glory days, good old Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The action will be on ESPN, and on Rip City Radio 620–with the debut in the permanent play-by-play chair of our friend Travis Demers. If you haven’t seen it, read the story about him in Forbes. It’s the lead item in the Good News Coffee Cup!
The Portland Winterhawks play tonight at Medicine Hat, a faraway railway town along the Trans-Canada Highway in Alberta. The town’s named for the eagles-feather headdresses worn by First Peoples’ medicine men, who lived on the land as far back as 1500 BC. The modern village sits on vast natural gas reserves, and is nicknamed “The Gas City.”
On the celeb birthday list today, Matt Damon was born in ’70…and Sigourney Weaver IS 70.
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Good news today!
–“The Story Of New Blazers Radio Announcer Travis Demers Shows You Miss 100% Of The Shots You Don’t Take”
–“Probiotic pills could bring an end to malnutrition”
–“Puppy found alive in rubble one month after Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas”
–“Biker Spots A Fire In His Neighborhood, Snaps Into Action To Save A House From Burning Down”
–“Newborn baby’s face light up when she recognizes her father’s voice, moments after birth”
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Tuesday is on! Love it and live it!
Portland's Daily Drip 