🌱 Permanent Fireworks Ban + Portland Gas More Than $6 Per Gallon

Dominic Anaya
Updated ·7 min read

It's Friday, people, and time to wind down our week. There's a lot going on today, so let me get right to it.

First, today's weather:

Rain in the morning, clearing up in the afternoon and giving us a high temp of 50.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

  1. Last year, there was a ban on the use of fireworks in Portland for a few weeks in June and July. This year, the ban becomes permanent. The City Council approved a ban on the sale and use of fireworks within the city limits. The ban goes into effect on April 1. Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who pushed for the ban, thanked her colleagues, saying the ban is necessary for "the safety of our community as we adapt to the unfortunate realities of climate change." (Portland Patch)

  2. Coronavirus has loosened its grip, but some of the impacts continue to cause ripples for the housing market. Risings costs and scarcity are some of the concerns. Research shows on average rent has increased 50% in Oregon from January 2021 to January 2022. The largest spike was over this last summer. Researchers said it was like watching two years of increases happen all at once. (KOIN)

  3. The Senate has passed legislation to spur safety planning if a major earthquake results in a massive spillage from Oregon's storage of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel along a six-mile stretch of the Willamette River in Northwest Portland. Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, is the chief sponsor of the bill. He introduced it after a study commissioned by Multnomah County and the city of Portland concluded that a spillage from Oregon's largest concentration of fuel storage tanks could result in an ecological disaster on par with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. (Portland Tribune)

  4. Gas prices are rising rapidly across the nation, but fuel is becoming increasingly expensive on the West Coast. Signs at one gas station in North Portland show they are charging nearly $6.30 a gallon. Oregon’s average price per gallon of gas is $4.03. The state hasn’t averaged more than $4 a gallon since 2012. AAA of Oregon says the national average is $3.62 a gallon, up nine cents from a week ago. (KATU)

  5. Precision Castparts Corp. has agreed to pay $22.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged its metal casting facility in Southeast Portland has polluted nearby homes with toxic metals. The settlement includes millions of dollars Precision Castparts already spent to improve emission controls at its Large Parts Campus on Southeast Harney Drive, plus $12.5 million in payments to people living in the area and their lawyers. (OregonLive)

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Today in Portland:

  • Can't we all use a little self-love? Freeland Spirits collabs with the iconic LuinLuLand for a night of cocktails, dancing, fashion, and much more! It's the Self Love Revolution Party with LuinLuLand! There will be..... Love inspired cocktails, Lu's HUGE vintage wardrobe sale, Susie The Wander Bus Food Truck, MASSIVE raffle/giveaway, Tarot reader, live DJ and dancing, an invite to the Hangover Hike, and who knows, maybe some rollerblading!?!? Happening at the Freeland Tasting Room in NW Portland. Get your tickets online. 7:00 - 10:00 PM.

  • Lacy Productions presents THE NIGHTCAP REVUE: Cocktails, Cuisine, & Cabaret at The Bit House Collective in SE Portland. Join them and raise your glasses to the best Burlesque, Boylesque, and Draglesque Artists from here in the Pacific Northwest and around the world as well as celebrate the first anniversary of The Bit House Collective and the debut of Portland's newest naughty neo-burlesque floor show, THE NIGHTCAP REVUE! Tickets available online. 6:00 - 9:00 PM.

  • Chase Brockett hosts yet another fresh installment of Rogue Eastside's free stand-up showcase , The Dead Comics Society, pairing sets from an array of local and national comedians with delicious Rogue beer. Join your host Chase Brockett alongside Portland comedy favorites Jake Silberman (WW Funniest 5 winner), Wendy Weiss (Helium Comedy Club), Adam Pasi (Portland's Funniest Person 2019) and more. There's an early show at 7:00 PM and a late show at 8:30 PM.

  • How about them cones, Portland? Conefest '22 has come to Mississippi Pizza in North Portland. Enjoy an evening of jazz and hip-hop that benefits the Portland Pinecones Hockey Club, featuring performances by like-minded fusion artists Research & Development, Frank Irwin Quintet, and Dr. Magician. Tickets available online. 8:00 - 11:30 PM.

  • It's a night of dancing at the Cruz Room in NE Portland as it presents Timba Night! Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban son with salsa, American funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. So get your dancing shoes on and go shake that groove thing. 8:00 - 11:59 PM.

From my notebook:

  • Travel Portland: "Join us this Sunday in raising a glass and celebrating local womxn craft brewers at @SheBrewPDX. All the details are in the link in our bio! #ThisIsPortland📷: @steeplejackbeer#PDX #PDXNOW #TravelPortland #TravelOregon #PortlandOrego..." (Instagram)

  • Portland Art Museum: "This artlover is making core memories. ✨ 📷@wecanbegyros[Image description: Child with brown hair and a striped shirt gazes up at Frida Kahlo’s Diego on my Mind framed in an undulating wood frame against a teal wall.]" (Instagram)

  • Portland Farmers Market: "Join us for a cooking demo with author Kristina Cho! On Saturday, March 12 at 10 am at PSU Farmers Market, Kristina will be demonstrating her recipe for Gingery Bok Choy & Gai Lan Steamed Buns and signing copies of her cookbook available for purc..." (Facebook)

  • It's the 70th Annual Agate and Mineral Show this weekend at OMSI in SE Portland. Enjoy a wide array of beautiful cabochons (cut, shaped, and polished rocks) including agate, jasper, petrified wood, and obsidian from the northwest. Special features include: the Oregon State Seal, created by members and comprised of a large variety of crushed Oregon stone which includes the State Gemstone, Oregon Sunstone; a Food Table which showcases rocks that look like food; an interactive Kid’s Corner; Rock Window hanging created by Oregon Agate & Mineral Society (OAMS) club member; and hand-crafted, unique jewelry; 20+ display exhibits; raffle. (OMSI)

  • The review of the city charter is still going on and the Charter Commission would still like to hear from you. Sign up to give public comment at the March 10th meeting starting at 6:00 pm. Community members will be given 3 minutes to testify. Please sign up in advance. They will be able to give you a sense of when you will be called for public comment. For more meeting information, see here. (Portland.Gov)

  • Gas prices have shot past $4 a gallon and sticker shock at the pump may lead to less driving and more bike riding. The last time gas prices spiked in Portland, we saw a big shift in bike traffic volumes. In late 2007-early 2008, the price of gas was a big deal. Experts said it happened for a mix of reasons including strong demand coupled with decreased production. The result in Portland was a lot more cycling. It was even a cultural phenomenon. (Bike Portland)

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Conefest? Burlesque and comedy? We've got one heck of a Friday going on! Party on, peoples, but remember to come back tomorrow so I can catch you up on all the happenings in Portland.

— Dominic Anaya

About me: Doctor, educator and now a writer/artist, I'm just chillin' in Portland, OR with my wife, our ferrets, our chickens and our goats.

This article originally appeared on the Portland Patch