It’s Friday, it’s November 1, and it’s the Daily Drip!… all present and accounted for on this 305th day of 2019. So there are 60 days left to get done what you resolved to accomplish in this old new year. Portland’s weather will again be sunny, and windy east of 205, with highs of 58. Sunrise 7:50 AM–which ties with December 27 for the latest sunrise of the year, thanks to DST–and sunset 5:57 PM.
It’s a relief to report, given the state of things in California, that all 22 of the forest fires in Oregon are in the mopup stage, showing no fire growth, no homes threatened, and no road closures. Meantime, thousands have been ordered to evacuate as a new California blaze exploded overnight northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County. It occurs to me that the Ducks are playing USC tomorrow night in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and that’s less than 20 miles from the Getty Fire…but the fire is 30% contained, it’s downwind from the Coliseum, weather’s a little calmer, and it looks like things are OK where the Ducks will be. We’ll keep an eye on that.
On the morning after the impeachment process vote in the House, a new poll on GMA says Americans are divided 49% (yes do it) to 47% (nope) on Pres. Trump’s impeachment.
A third-grader at Arleta Elementary in SE Portland brought some kind of powder to class and fed it to a classmate. KGW (quoting a teacher and two parents) says it was crack cocaine. The kid’s OK, and cops are trying to find out what-the-hell.
If it was a costume, then it was a crummy choice…a student at Madison High’s Marshall campus went to school on Halloween with a realistic replica handgun jammed in his trousers. He was sent home with his parents.
This is exactly what this summer’s long closure of Cornelius Pass Road was supposed to prevent: a semi got itself verklempt in the S-curves between Highway 30 and Skyline, and traffic was stacked up forever.
Another traffic alert: The Burnside Bridge will be closed all weekend starting at 11 tonight as an eternal maintenance project wraps up. The Burnside will have a new layout when it opens on Monday, and we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Now that it’s November, higher gas rates take effect for customers of Northwest Natural. The average home bill will go up a couple of bucks to around $55.
Smooth move by a trucker on the Oregon Coast. Dude drove the cab of his semi onto the beach at Sunset State Park near Gearhart, and of course he had to jump out to take a photo…then, oh crap, a sneaker wave engulfed the rig. The shore patrol and a local tow outfit dragged it up onto dry ground.
Football! The #7 Ducks play USC in LA Saturday night at 5 on Fox. The Beavers play Saturday at 1:30 PM at Arizona. The Huskies host Utah at 1 PM Saturday, the Cougs have a bye, and PSU plays at 2:05 in Hillsboro against Montana. That’ll be a test for both! Got a team that we should be following? Be our correspondent. Report in, please!
The Blazers play Philly at 7 Saturday night at the Moda Center, while the Portland Winterhawks..who are at Everett tonight… host the rival Seattle Thunderbirds at 6 PM Saturday next door at the VMC. That game will be the first of 8 between those teams to be telecast on Portland’s CW.
And finally. It’s Dripstock 3 a week from tomorrow! Hope it’s on your calendar! Two PM on Saturday, 11/9, at the Willamette Ale & Cider House in the historic Willamette neighborhood of old West Linn. If you can, please make yourself a nametag…then just show up and meet and mingle with your fellow Dripsters…have a pop from the no-host bar..and maybe get Hubers legend Alex to pour you a Spanish Coffee! I’m looking forward to spending quality time with everyone who comes!
******************
New month, new news…in the Good News Coffee Cup!
–“Goats help save Ronald Reagan Presidential Library”
–“Video: Brave man saves kid who fell through the fence into a river”
–“How pianos became part of the furniture at UK railway stations”
–“Scientists develop zoom-able soft contact lenses”
–“Rob the unappealing albatross finally finds a mate”
*****
Tonight at 6, go outside and take a look around. That’s how dark it’ll be next week at 5. Got yer flashlights, reflector vests? We roll our clocks back this weekend and wade into a period of darkness–that has some delightful appeals all its own. I love to walk my road in the night. The lights of home are that much brighter!