It’s Friday, friends, and here we are together on the Daily Drip for November 15, 2019. Rain spread in overnight, and a fair amount will fall today, mainly in the morning; perhaps a quarter of an inch in the valleys and more in the mountains, with highs of 55. The snow level is well above the mountain passes, and a small craft advisory is in effect along the entire Northwest coastline for rough bar crossings with ten-foot seas. Sunrise 7:09 AM, sunset 4:40 PM.
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We’re again in the shadow of a mass school shooting, in Southern California this time, where on his 16th birthday a boy pulled a 45-caliber semiautomatic handgun out of his backpack at Saugus High School and shot six other students, and then himself. The question now, as ever, is why?
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Big news in Rip City…as our struggling 4-8 Portland Trail Blazers begin a 6-game road trip against the San Antonio Spurs, ESPN says they’ve signed 10-time all-star Carmelo Anthony to a non-guaranteed deal. He’s 35 and he’s been out of the league for a year. But the Blazers have long had their eye on him, and they need help right now.
In the surest sign yet that the holidays are knocking on the door, Portland’s official Christmas tree arrives today at noon. It’s a 75-foot-tall Douglas Fir that was donated by Stimson Lumber, and after the long ride in from the Coast Range and the delicate maneuvering from the 6th Avenue Transit Mall, the tree will be plopped into its special under-the-bricks stand at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Portland International Airport has always felt like a joyful place as Thanksgiving draws nigh; so many families are reuniting, so many young people coming home from college for the first time. The holiday crush officially begins today at PDX; TV crews are doing live shots and giving timely TSA advice. If you’re making that drive, the 4 AM parking report indicates that an early start will save you some stress: the economy lot is already 68% full…the long-term lot, with the smart red and green parking slot indicator lights, is at 77% capacity…and the spendiest lot, short term, is 48% taken.
Multnomah County commissioners unanimously gave a preliminary green light to tripling vehicle registration fees–to $56– to pay to replace or seismically retrofit the Burnside Bridge. They’ll take a final vote in December.
In a win for ICE critics, an Oregon Supreme Court justice is prohibiting ICE agents from making arrests inside or near Oregon courthouses, unless agents have a warrant from a judge. Justice Martha Walters says ICE needs to stop disrupting criminal proceedings.
The Oregon Court of Appeals yesterday rejected the Governor’s effort to temporarily ban flavored cannabis vapes; that same court blocked a ban on flavored nicotine vapes last month.
About a thousand people are suddenly looking for work at the holidays, with the collapse of the sale of the NORPAC farmers’ cooperative packing plant in Salem.
The ground beef recall at New Seasons has been expanded to include meat that was sold as recently as last week. Check the New Seasons web site for specifics. Three people came down with E. Coli.
We’ve learned there will be a public celebration of the life of Gert Boyle on December 5, 10 AM at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Her friend, and ours, KATU’s Steve Dunn will emcee.
The Fremont Bridge opened on this date in 1973. It is so much prettier than its downtown companion, the Marquam Bridge, and there’s a reason for that. The public hated the Marquam when it opened in 1966. So when it was time to build the Fremont, the Portland Art Commission led a design process that resulted in a bridge that was much easier on the eye…and six times as expensive.
The 8-1 Oregon Ducks, on an 8-game winning streak, host the 4-5 Arizona Wildcats–losers of 4 in a row– at 7:30 PM Saturday on ESPN. The 4-5 Oregon State Beavers are home as well, at 4:30, against the Arizona State Sun Devils, 5-4. That game’s on FS1. The WSU Cougars have Stanford at home, at 1:30 on the Pac12 network, and the Dawgs take a day off. The Winterhawks host Spokane tonight at the Moda Center, then run up to Seattle for a 6 PM game tomorrow, and zoom back to Portland to play Winnepeg Sunday at 6 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
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What’s the good news today?
–“Driver sacrifices SUV to protect pedestrians from speeding car”
–“Wisconsin bus driver saves children wandering in snow”
–“2nd and 3rd place winners of the World Figure Skating Championships help to lift the champion for podium photo”
–“Supertramp singer “gives a little bit” inviting teens with autism on stage to sing with 39-piece orchestra”
–“Kindergartners who dressed alike for Twin Day insist they ‘look exactly the same”‘
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Happy Friday and merry weekend, friends!
Portland's Daily Drip 