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Now online at Cascadia Magazine: This Was the River
Read acclaimed British Columbia poet John Pass’s reflections on the Fraser River near Lillooet, “This Was the River,” now online at Cascadia Magazine.
“This was the river hiked dreaming upstream
dropping gear and then clothing for the full
brown pull of surrendered connection, deliverance.”
Read more here.
Portland tax measure for clean air, green jobs
At City Lab, former Portland mayor Sam Adams writes in support of Measure 26-201, a ballot initiative that would impose a 1 percent tax on big businesses in Portland to fund clean energy and green jobs projects. The proposal has buy-in from the NAACP and other equity organizations as a way to increase air quality for neighborhoods most affected by pollution. Meanwhile the Portland Mercury reports on how the Portland Business Alliance refused to meet members of the faith community interested in talking about the measure. And the South Seattle Emerald takes issue with weather-guy Cliff Mass’s attacks on Native Americans and people of color in his blog posts against WA initiative 1631, a carbon fee.
Portland backs new MAX transit line
Oregon Live reports that the Portland city council unanimously voted to back a new, 12-mile, $2.7 billion new MAX rail transit line from downtown to Bridgeport Village. Meanwhile, there’s still dispute about the status of a new LRT line to the Vancouver BC suburb of Surrey — the new mayor is asking to scrap those plans and expand the SkyTrain system instead.
Canada announces new orca protection measures
According to CTV, the Canadian government announced new measures to protect endangered orcas in the Salish Sea, including $60 million in funding, new slow-down rules for marine vessels, and possibly new protected lands on Vancouver Island. At High Country News, Samantha Larson writes a lovely essay on the wonder of seeing wild orcas near Stuart Island in Washington’s San Juan Islands.
Three years into Seattle’s homelessness emergency
Three years after the city of Seattle declared its homeless crisis a formal emergency, the Seattle Times takes stock of the situation, and it’s not good: homeless populations are up, there’s no coordinated strategy, no one really knows what it will cost to solve, and people living in vehicles and RVs have not been adequate addressed. For more on people living in their vehicles, read “When Home is a Parking Spot” at Cascadia Magazine.
Court ruling finds WA neglecting foster children
Investigate West (partnering with Crosscut) reports on a landmark Washington state supreme court ruling that finds the state’s foster care system is inadequate and effectively leaving many children it’s responsible in situations of neglect and abuse.
The art of halibut hooks
Writing for Hakai Magazine Reina Delisle writes about the revival of an ancient Indigenous tool and artform in Cascadia: the halibut hook — and how Native high schools students and also incarcerated inmates are part of an innovative project to teach the creation of these beautiful and practical objects.
A Vancouver filmmaker’s empathetic look at mental illness
SAD Magazine talks with Vancouver filmmaker Melanie Wood about her new documentary, Living In HOpe, an empathic look at people with mental illness who live at Vancouver’s HOpe Centre, one of the few psychiatric facilities in the Lower Mainland. “Believing that mental illness removes individuals’ capacity to make decisions for themselves is a form of stigma in and of itself,” Wood says. Watch the trailer here.
Poetry by Oregon poet laureate Kim Stafford
Over at Open Spaces, you can read “All My Relations,” a poem of gratitude by Oregon poet Kim Stafford:
“I want to thank all my relations
for this chance to be on Earth…”
Read the full poem online here.
That’s today cornucopia of news, environmental reporting, arts, culture and poetry from across the Cascadia bioregion. Hope you have a lovely and relaxing weekend.
Oh, and while I love Portland and its quirky charm and yummy food trucks, I’ll be rooting for the Seattle Sounders against the Portland Timbers in the VERY CASCADIA MLS semifinals starting Sunday! ⚽ –Andrew Engelson
Photo credit: screenshot from the trailer of Living in HOpe via Vimeo,