🌱Lower Volume At Multnomah Co. Jail + Portland Gas Prices Waver

Dominic Anaya
Updated ·7 min read
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It's Wednesday, my fellow Portlanders. Time to sit back and reflect on how far we've come in the week and how many days are left until the weekend. Or, we could just live in the present moment. You do you and let me tell you about the day.

First, today's weather:

The sun has left and we're going to get a cloudy day with occasional rain. The high temp will be 57.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

  1. There are currently about 780 people in the Multnomah County Jail out of nearly 1200 available beds, according to the most recent Jail Capacity Report from February. To maximize social distancing during the pandemic, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office restricted booking criteria to specific crimes. That move limited capacity at the Multnomah County Jail to between 65-70% over the past year. Before the pandemic, the jail was around 87-95% capacity. (KOIN.com)

  2. KGW has checked in on schools a number of times this year as in-person learning began again. But some students never went back to a brick-and-mortar school and instead chose to continue to attend school online. KGW reached out to Salem-Keizer Public Schools, Beaverton Schools and Portland Public Schools to get an idea of plans for next year. All three districts, some of Oregon’s largest, plan to continue offering an online option for students. (KGW)

  3. For two years, Oregon had some of the most stringent masking and social distancing rules in the country. While COVID-19 was the target; the influenza virus was staved off too. There have been just nine hospitalizations due to the flu in the Portland metro area so far this year, compared to 600 or so in a typical year. But there are now signs the vacation is over. Oregon, Washington, and California lifted their mask mandates earlier this month, and in Oregon state public health officials are reporting an increase in the percent of positive flu tests for the fourth week in a row. (OPB)

  4. A coalition of businesses wants a court to block Oregon’s plan to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports the state’s new Climate Action Plan administrative rules, passed in December, target a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels and natural gas by 2050. In a petition for judicial review filed Friday, 12 industry trade groups say the rules “hold fuel suppliers directly accountable” for the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. (KPTV)

  5. Gas prices in Portland are 76.4 cents higher than they were a month ago and in the last week, the average price has only fallen 0.5 cents per gallon, according to GasBuddy, a company that tracks gas prices across the U.S. That’s significantly different from the national average, which has fallen 9 cents per gallon in the last week. Among the 387 stations surveyed in Portland Sunday, the cheapest station had gas priced at $4.37 per gallon and the most expensive station was $5.49 per gallon. (KOIN.com)

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Today in Portland:

  • Join Milagro Theater for an evening of stories about the Undocumented experience in the U.S. in this series of short films made by members of the Undocumented Filmmakers Collective, a group of undocumented filmmakers working in communities across the country. The screening includes exclusive virtual introductions to the films by the filmmakers themselves. Register online for this free event. 6:00 - 8:00 PM.

  • If you're looking for a few laughs, stop by Mississippi Pizza as it presents DOUGH, a comedy showcase hosted by local Portland comedians Thomas Lundy, Jake Silbermann and Lance Edward. The first thing you’ll notice about DOUGH when you walk through the showroom doors is its unique energy. DOUGH isn’t just a comedy show, it’s an event you can base your night around. Tickets available online. 8:00 - 10:30 PM.

  • Come welcome spring with live, fresh music from local artists Arthur C. Lee and Ronnie Carrier. Lee's PNW surf songs meets the eclectic folk of Carrier at the Laurelthirst Public House in NE Portland. Once described as Sarah McLachlan meets Nirvana, Portland-based folk-rock songwriter Ronnie Carrier’s musical world is like a haunted house with friendly ghosts. 9:00 - 11:00 PM.

  • Are you interested in cryptocurrencies? Powell's Books presents Laura Shin, author of "In The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze," in an online Conversation With Jeff Roberts. Cryptojournalist and podcaster Laura Shin takes readers inside the founding of the Ethereum network, which enabled users to launch their own new coins, thus creating a new crypto fever. Register online for this free event. The conversation starts at 5:00 PM.

  • If you're a fan of the classic Wonder Woman, come to the Hollywood Theater to see Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl. This is a two-part episode of the classic 1970s TV version of the Amazonian princess portrayed by Lynda Carter titled “The Feminine Mystique” and is from the first season, set during World War II. When the Nazis take over Paradise Island it’s up to the Wonder Sisters to free their domain from the Nazis’ sinister clutches. Tickets available online. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

From my notebook:

  • Travel Portland: "One of the last drive-in movie theaters in Oregon is just 45 minutes from downtown Portland! With the weather improving, we're getting closer to enjoying films, both old and new, at the @99w_drive_in. Follow their page for updates on wha..." (Instagram)

  • Portland Art Museum: "Overheard at the Portland Art Museum. 👂 John McCracken’s minimalist planks may not be loved by all. Touching the wall and floor, they blur the boundary between 2D paintings hung on a wall and 3D sculpture installed on the floor. Their..." (Instagram)

  • Portland Audubon: "Spring is officially here and this is also about the time we get excited for the return of orange-crowned warblers!While you rarely see the orange crown feathers they’re named after, you’ll likely hear their rapidly trilled song, more ..." (Instagram)

  • Oregon Historical Society: "Our popular “Historians and the News” series continues next Tuesday, March 29, at 5:30 pm with Yale University historian Timothy Snyder, one of the world’s preeminent scholars of the authoritarian regimes of the twentieth century. He will..." (Facebook)

  • Do you love beer, but also like feeling that you have to earn it? Then you may be interested in Planet Granite Portland and its Rock N' Run Portland Wednesday Nights. A club for running, rock climbing, and beers. In that order. Members meet most Wednesdays at the corner of 14th and Pettygrove at 6:00 PM for their run. Then it's on to climbing. Once that's done, everyone goes for beers. Now that sounds like a Wednesday evening. Check it out. (Eventbrite)

  • Spring is here and Portland Monthly is celebrating by creating the essential spring playlist. Packed with songs by local musicians, give it a listen and you might just find your new favorite song. (Portland Monthly)

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There's your Wednesday, my friends. May you enjoy it to the fullest. I'll be back tomorrow to fill you in on another wonderful day 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