🐹 A very dapper guinea pigPlus, a bubbly I Spy (for members). By Cassie Ruud It’s Tuesday. It’s also National Library Workers Day, as well as National Library Week. I don’t know about you, but in between waiting for the next Scholastic Book Fair to show up at my school and chasing that rush, one of my favorite places to be was a library. Heck, it still is, and once things are safer, you’ll find me there once more. It probably won’t surprise you that high school Cassie worked as a library aide during her senior year (Hi Mrs. Vickery, Mrs. Johns, and Ms. Campbell!), and in addition to instilling a love of reading and words, it opened my mind at an early age to learning different perspectives. I still get a thrill out of organizing a bookshelf to this day. If you’ve got a moment, celebrate by giving one of your favorite librarians a call, and find ways to support your local libraries — especially during this pandemic. For today’s news: Why Portland police are leaving the force, who’s vaccine-eligible right now, how to get the first Portland recording of “Howl” on vinyl, two historic and incredible AAPI Portland pilots, and a very dapper guinea pig. Our Bridgeliner Unabridged members are kicking off a new I Spy challenge — Bridgeliner Bragging Rights are on the line. Wanna join the fun? Become a member today. Let’s go to press. | 📸 Instagram of the Day | | | Big Pink + sunset + cherry blossoms = perfection. | Tag #bridgeliner to be featured here. (📸: @jacobinportland) | 3 things to know🚨 Here’s why Portland police officers are leaving the force, according to a new report from OregonLive. “Nearly all who (filled out an exit interview form) said they were dissatisfied with the bureau’s ability to respond to problems and said they wouldn’t recommend their jobs to family or friends,” OregonLive reported. One Latino officer wrote that “actual community policing” would have kept him working at the bureau. This large departure comes after months of protests against racial injustice and police violence. You can read the rest of the in-depth story from Maxine Bernstein here. - Related: Curious about alternatives to calling the police? Keep your eye on how the Lents neighborhood’s Portland Street Response pilot program is doing. The group assists people experiencing a mental health crisis or experiencing houselessness.
💉 A new tier of Oregonians are eligible for vaccination as of yesterday. This includes frontline workers, people living in multigenerational households, and those with underlying health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and weakened immune systems. All Oregon residents 16-and-older will be eligible for vaccination May 1. You can read who else is eligible right now here. Oregon is set to receive over 120,000 Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccines this week. You can get the details here. 💵 The Pacific Northwest appeared to fare economically well during the pandemic, according to a recent report on which states were most to least impacted financially (including the District of Columbia). The findings were based on the number of highly affected industries and workforces compared to available resources to help cope with the crisis in each state. Louisiana came in first as the top economically impacted state, while Oregon was in 49th, and Washington in 51st. You can read the full report here. | 3 things to make you smile🛩️ Read this amazing article about two of Portland’s first Chinese American women pilots. Leah Hing and Hazel Ying Lee took to the skies of the 1930s and ‘40s, breaking barriers, practicing stunt flying, and aiding in war efforts. You can find the rest of their stories in this article from OregonLive writer Douglas Perry. 🎙️ The first recording of Allen Ginsburg’s “Howl” was recorded at Reed College — and you can now own it on vinyl. While the Beat poet first performed the poem in San Francisco in 1955, it wasn’t until 1956 that he sat down to record the three part, historical poem. “Ginsberg read Howl in its entirety on his first night at Reed; on the second, he stopped during part two of the three-part poem,” according to Portland Monthly. “‘[Howl] exacts an emotional and physical toll,’ co-founder of Omnivore Recordings Cheryl Pawelski said. ‘He was tired.’” Here is how you can get your own copy of the incredible reading. 🐹 This gentleman guinea pig is looking for some new digs. And if you’d like to spruce up a backyard run or an elegant study, then Fitzsimmons will be excited to make your acquaintance. Fitz is a 2-year-old, two pound Abyssian guinea pig (with a very dapper pink hat), who will need to be the only pig in his new home, and has a few special health needs. If you’d like to adopt him from the Oregon Humane Society, you can do that here. | 💗 A guide to give back with Equitable Giving Circle | | | | | |
