Cascadia Daily, June 1, 2018

by Andrew Engelson

Crowded field for Vancouver mayor’s race

The Tyee profiles the nine candidates from four parties running for mayor of Vancouver, from Vision Vancouver’s Ian Campbell, chief of the Squamish Nation, to NDP member of parliament Kennedy Stewart.

Setbacks in the protest movement against Trans Mountain pipeline

A Canadian federal court rejected a challenge to the new Trans Mountain pipeline across British Columbia. Opponents claimed stories recently published at the National Observer found that the federal government had rigged the permitting process in favor. Meanwhile, a court also ordered there would be no more 10-minute warnings before arrests of protesters at pipeline sites.

Portland’s current zoning has racist roots

High Country News has a detailed report on how current zoning in Portland that favors single-family homes has a deep, racist history–from the creation of interstate highways to the selling of loans. Over at OPB, there’s a report on a database of racist real estate covenants in Oregon.

Number of homeless living in vehicles soars in Seattle

According to Crosscut, a new report finds that the number of homeless people living in vehicles in Seattle and surrounding King County climbed 46 percent in one year, to more than 3,300 people. Cascadia Magazine recently looked at what life was like for those living in vehicles: dangerous and marginal, where finding a shower or bathroom is difficult and threat of eviction constant.

Will controversial Oregon mega-dairy close?

Courtney Flatt, reporting for NWPB, investigates the controversial Lost Valley farm in eastern Oregon, a 30,000-cow mega-dairy farm that has been plagued with pollution violations and failed to employ as many people as promised.

An interview with Kim Stafford, Oregon’s new poet laureate

Eugene Weekly has an interview with Kim Stafford, Oregon’s new poet laureate. The son of former laureate William Stafford, Kim Stafford is a staunch advocate for peace and poems. “I want to spread the gospel of poetry. I think of poetry as an invitation to pay attention and to think deeply.”

History of southwest BC found in region’s hikes

At the Georgia Straight, Travis Lupick interviews hiking author Stephen Hui about his new book, 105 Hikes in and Around Southwest British Columbia, and finds a wealth of Indigenous history there, from traditional food-gathering sites to the former locations of bleak residential schools.

“Nothing Held,” poetry by Bellingham’s Jory Mickelson

At Blood Orange Review, read “Nothing Held,” a tightly structured poem by Bellingham-based poet Jory Mickelson:
“What it is to run without
restraint away from
anything: the wind, a car horn,
an aspen leaf that flashes
me to flight…”
Read the full poem here.

That’s today’s Northwest news and culture. Hope to see some of you at Cascadia Magazine’s Almost Summer Reading event this evening. Have a great weekend!  –Andrew Engelson

Photo credits: Vancouver city hall by Wikimedia Commons user Another Believer CC BY-SA 3.0