Here's the Daily Drip, links and all, for Thursday, February 21, 2019

Good morning, friends, and welcome to this Thursday, February 21, 2019! This is going to be an unusual Daily Drip, in that I'm absent from the radio for the next few days and therefore on a more humane schedule. So I've decided to see if I can fit the whole Drip, and not just the Something Good stories, into the fabled Coffee Cup. And by putting the link to the Cup on Facebook, we can all comment here as usual. Make sense? Just an experiment. Right away I notice that the Cup posting tool likes to run words together at random; you'll notice that in paragraphs below. Anyway, let's see how this goes.

Portland's weather today should be much nicer than yesterday's turbulent deluge of hail and cold rain. The skies cleared in plenty of time before sundown last night so we all got a nice Moon shot in the evening; that big bright headlight is illuminating the predawn landscape right now. Today should turn out sunny with highs of 45, and there's mention of a possibility of patches of ice polishing the roads, so take heed. Sunrise 7:02 AM  Sunset 5:46 PM.

One year ago Portland was covered in snow. Today it's the rest of the country's turn, as a giant winter storm has created travel and commuting trauma for two million people in 39 states. I'm counting fifteen delayed flights at PDX, and three canceled, 

Oregon is just a slam-dunk House vote away from passing America's first statewide rent control bill; SB 308 skated intact through a House committee, surviving a Republican attempt to push back the effective date and allow cities to opt out. 

The firestorm over the friendly texts between a police commander and a right-wing protest leader will bring out a crowd tonight as the Portland Police Bureau has scheduled what it's calling a "listening session to allow the public to share their concerns related to PPB's relationship with alt-right groups." It'll be at the Maranatha Church at 4222 NE 12th Avenue. This morning's Oregonian reports that the Mayor’s staff has depended on the very same police lieutenant--who's now in hot water--to keep track on Joey Gibson's whereabouts or plans.

There'll be a bail hearing today for a 49-year-old Coast Guard lieutenant accused of amassing a stockpile ofweapons,and planning to go on a killing spree targeting prominent Democratic lawmakers and cable news anchors on CNN and NBC. A hit list on a computer spreadsheet included awho's-whoon the left: Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Kirsten GillibrandandRichard Blumenthal; Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Maxine Waters; former house member, Beto O'Rourke; MSNBChostsChris Hayes and Joe Scarborough; and Don Lemon and Van Jones from CNN.

For the first time since cancer surgery, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is back in action at the Supreme Court, reading aloud from the bench her detailed opinion in the Court's unanimous decision sharply curtailing states' abilities to seize private property involved in a crime..

The Blazers visit the Brooklyn Nets tonight, a good time to check out new backup center Enes Kanter. His new teammates already love him, so we will too. 

Say, there was a Canadian newspaper article going around...about what it's like to live in Portland....and it's so incredibly full of crap that I don't know where to begin. It claims that graffiti is legal here (false)...strip malls are illegal (you're kidding!)...there are no Walmarts (I know of at least two in the city limits)...that people never get dressed up, use umbrellas, or wear anything by North Face (wrong, wrong, and wrong). It also says that a "Portlandian" is someone who's moved here from somewhere else. It was on the Toronto Sun web site and some others around Canada...andooops! It's gone...

In contrast, Willamette Week does a captivating photo essay about life in Portland that's really worth your time. Here's a link: https://www.wweek.com/portland-at-all-hours/ 

The good people of SOLVE are doing a cleanup today at a place that needs it badly: the Springwater Corridor. Folks are meeting at 11 AM at the Foster Flood Plain Natural Area off SE 106th and Foster Rd. The Spring Oregon Beach Cleanup is only a month from this weekend!

The Rev. Billy Graham died a year ago today at age 99. 

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Let's find a little good news!

Trooper rescues children trapped in overturned, partially submerged truck

Teen makes $35,000 plowing Seattle's historic snow

Dog reunited with family 101 days after California wildfire

Canadian dog that ventured onto the ice is rescued by the US Coast Guard

Astronomers publish sky map of thousands of newly discovered galaxies

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I think I'll call it a Drip and crawl back in the pouch. Robin Rock is filling in for Bruce, John, and Janine on K103 for the next few days....she's often heard on weekends, and I like her a lot! In the meantime, thanks for putting up with my little experiment here; people have been urging me to explore pathways other than Facebook. I can't imagine why.


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