It’s Monday! Let’s saddle up and ride! Today is December 9, 2019. Portland’s weather is cloudy and dry with stagnant air–the 4 AM AQI is a moderate 53–and highs around 50. The National Weather Service offers this fine metaphor: “This weeks weather resembles a dishwasher, with alternating wet and dry cycles.” Half a point off for the missing apostrophe, but still! Sunrise 7:38 AM, sunset at 4:27 PM.
We’ll learn more today about the fatal police-involved shooting at SE 103rd and Stark, outside a Starbucks near Mall 205. Witnesses say officers were chasing a white car, and when it stopped, they heard police yelling commands to drop the gun, then they heard around 6 shots. A TriMet bus was driving by, and passengers had to stay and be interviewed as witnesses. Mayor Ted Wheeler was seen there; as police commissioner, he is always called out to such events.
All lanes are open again after a rollover crash spread nails all over I-405 northbound near SW 4th downtown last night. It took hours for ODOT crews to clean them up, and if they missed any, we’ll see you by the popcorn machine at Les Schwab!
People all over are moved by the bravery of two 4-year-old twin girls, who were riding in their car seats when their Dad drove off the road and down an embankment on Whidbey Island. The man, ID’d as 47-year-old Corey Simmons, was killed–but his little daughters unstrapped themselves, climbed out of the wreckage, and made their way up the 200-foot hill to the road, where a kind woman stopped and cared for them, called 911, stayed until police arrived–and then left without telling anyone her name. There’s a GoFundMe set up to help them out.
A volcanic eruption on White Island in northern New Zealand has killed at least five tourists and injured a dozen more.
The next steps on the impeachment road will be taken today by the House Judiciary Committee, which has been sorting through the evidence to building articles of impeachment. Live coverage on the networks starts at 6 AM. One key decision is whether to include the instances of obstruction provided for them in Part Two of the Mueller Report; chair Jerry Nadler told one of the Sunday talk shows that there’s already enough evidence that a jury would return a conviction in three minutes.
The World Anti-Doping Agency has clamped a four-year ban on Russia from Olympic and other major sports events, after concluding the Moscow had tampered with laboratory data.
We love roses, here in the city of, so folks are excited that the Ducks have a date with Wisconsin on New Year’s Day! Sixth-rated Oregon will tangle it up with the #8 Badgers in Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. That’s a 2 PM kickoff on January 1 ESPN. Also of high local interest are the Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl featuring Boise State vs. Washington at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 21, on ABC; the Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix on Friday, December 27, pitting Air Force against Washington State, at 7:15 p.m., ESPN; and the final four, beginning with the semifinals on Saturday, December 28, with LSU vs Oklahoma in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at 4 PM, then Clemson vs. Ohio State in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at 8 PM. The winners of those games play for all the marbles…assuming that the players have all of theirs, after a season of physical combat…on Monday, January 13, at 5 PM on ESPN.
The Blazers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-96 at the Moda Center last night, but the Portland Winterhawks pounded to Prince George 4-1.
Last night was the 39th anniversary of the assassination of John Lennon, a profound waste of a genius who wasn’t half done with his life. So much of our soundtrack was conceived in his razor-sharp mind and performed with a style that could only be his, and what he could have done in his mature decades, we’ll never know.
The gentleman who wore the costume of–and basically was–Big Bird has died at 85. Many stories will be told about Carroll Spinney. Here’s one: a little boy caught him changing out of his Big Bird costume after a public appearance. The boy freaked out and ran. So Spinney ran after him–in costume. Big Bird managed to console the boy and the trauma ended with a hug. (He was also Oscar the Grouch).
Actor Kirk Douglas is 103 years old today.
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Let’slink up some good news here!
–“Flight of a lifetime: United sends some very deserving children to the North Pole” (I remember when I United did this in Portland; even traveled along with them one year. The snowy North Pole was Mt. Hood!)
–“Good dog! Sammy the dog saves 5 people from house fire”
–“Subway busker stunned by sweet Christmas payday”
–“Veteran, 88, saves girl from pit bull attack with Christmas nutcracker ornament”
–“This ‘underwhelming’ roadside Christmas tree has delighted commuters for decades”
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One another note: I would like to invite everyone to tune in 103.3 FM at 7 AM on Tuesday, December 10, for a most special announcement!
Portland's Daily Drip 