🌱 Self Service Gas Pumps + Ranked Choice Voting

Dominic Anaya
Updated ·6 min read

The week goes on, my friends, picking up momentum as we head towards the weekend. We've got a Thursday chock full of news, so let me get right to it.

First, today's weather:

What's up with all this morning fog? Well, that's going to burn off for a sunny day with a high of 45.

Here are the top five stories today in Portland:

  1. A presentation about racism at Portland’s Grant High School is the target of criticism from a national organization. The student-led activity is called ‘Race Forward,’ and it is intended to present lessons about racism that are sometimes uncomfortable to hear. There are concerns that it goes too far and feeds into a national conversation about critical race theory. It uses terms like “white fragility” and “white tears,” and tells students to “acknowledge your privilege” and “experience discomfort.” (KATU)

  2. Oregon’s rule preventing self-service at gas stations could be overturned in the 2022 legislative session. House Bill 4151 would allow drivers to choose between self-service and service provided by an attendant at gas stations throughout the state. The chief sponsors of the bipartisan bill are Rep. Shelly Boshard Davis, R-Albany, and Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene. Proponents of the bill have started a website, choiceatthepump.com, to try and gain more support for the bill’s passage. (KOIN)

  3. A task force working to upgrade the Burnside Bridge voted Monday night to recommend approval of three cost saving measures that could reduce the new bridge's price by upwards of $240 million. Those working on the Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge project made it clear, though, that it only voted to approve one cost saving measure — which involves shrinking the bridge’s width — in hopes of finding additional funding to avoid doing so. (KGW)

  4. Ranked choice voting may be coming to Oregon! Supporters of the method in Oregon have filed a pair of initiatives aimed at putting the question before voters this fall. The two initiatives are similar. Co-petitioner Blair Bobier of Corvallis said the only difference is that one of them would include the presidential election in ranked choice voting, and the other would not. (OPB)

  5. The apparent decline of new COVID-19 cases across the state that were reported on Friday and Sunday may not be an aberration. There were only 6,904 new cases reported on Monday that were significantly below the more than 10,000 reported 4 out of the previous 6 days. The Multnomah County Chief Medical Officer said that even if things are starting to plateau, it's feasible that half of the population of the county could have been affected by the middle of next month. (Portland Patch)

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Today in Portland:

  • Get on your cowboy boots, because tonight is Line Dancing Ladies Night at the Ponderosa Lounge and Grill in North Portland. There will be a free country-western dance lesson at the start of the night. The experienced teachers and large dance floor make the Ponderosa the best place in Portland for line dancing and other country-western dancing! The fun starts at 7:00 PM.

  • If your perfect evening features a glass of wine and some jazz music, you'll want to be at the Corkscrew Wine Bar in SE Portland. Tonight's artist is Andrew Oliver. He plays vintage jazz and swing from the 1920s and 30s, following in the footsteps of the original "piano trio" instrumentation of clarinet, piano and drums popularized by Jelly Roll Morton and Benny Goodman. 8:00 - 10:00 PM.

  • Come to Stage 722 in SE Portland for a night of local music. Featuring performances from The Graduating Class, Laundry, Golden Boy, and Doink ! Described by Eugene Weekly as “perhaps the next big pop band,” and with a string of high-profile releases forthcoming, Portland indie-pop outfit The Graduating Class is quickly discerning itself as one of Oregon's most exciting young bands. Doors open at 7:00 PM.

  • Sometimes all you want is a good beer and tonight the place to get it is at Ecliptic Brewing in North Portland. Celebrate the release of its brand-new LIGO West Coast IPA and get your first pint for $1. LIGO is its take on a West Coast IPA with a firm, yet modern hop character. Citrus, berry and tropical notes are complemented by dankness and pine. The bar opens at noon.

  • The band Threedom will be performing at the Goodfoot in SE Portland. Threedom is a truly All-Star instrumental power trio featuring keyboardist Asher Fulero, bassist Brett McConnell, and drummer/Everyone Orchestra founder Matt Butler. This is a rare opportunity to see them live and it should not be missed! Doors open at 8:00 PM.

From my notebook:

  • Portland Trail Blazers: "Tough finish. Chance to bounce back tomorrow. #RipCity" (Instagram)

  • Travel Portland: "@nongskhaomangai's chicken and rice is no doubt on the list of Portland's legendary dishes. What are some other must-eats in the Rose City? Drop your favorites in the comments below so others can enjoy as well. #ThisIsPortland 📷: @fo..." (Instagram)

  • Portland Audubon: "Take a gander at those buff bird legs! 👀Virginia Rails are known for their strong legs and have the highest leg-muscle to flight-muscle ratio of any bird. Those powerful legs help this species walk through dense marsh vegetation when ..." (Instagram)

  • Portland Farmers Market: "We are officially bringing music back for the 2022 season!! 🎶🎤 Now accepting applications from musicians to perform at the King, Kenton, and Lents International Farmers Markets. Please share far and wide with your music friends! Link i..." (Facebook)

  • Hopefully all of you out there have experienced the joy that is Wordle, the online puzzle game that has become a cultural phenomenon. What you might not know is that Wordle is the work of a University of Oregon graduate with a history of tantalizing the internet. The game’s success has been a major coup for Wardle, who used to work for Reddit. After its debut last November, Wordle went from attracting 90 players to 300,000 in one month. (Willamette Week)

  • Candace Avalos is the executive director of Verde, co-founder of the Black Millennial Movement and chair of Portland’s Citizen Review Committee. A resident of Portland, she also serves on the city’s Charter Review Commission. She's got a few things to say about things Portland needs to get right in 2022. (The Oregonian)

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That's it for today! May your day be as bright as the afternoon sunshine! I've got my own day to enjoy, but I'll be right back here tomorrow to talk more about 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