Chris Carvalho

CDC webpage header text: "The Trump Administration is working to reopen the government for the American people. Mission-critical activities of CDC will continue during the Democrat-led government shutdown. Certain federal government activities have ceased due to a lack of appropriated funding. During the government shutdown, only web sites supporting excepted functions will be updated. As a result, the information on this website may not be up to date and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries."

Wednesday, OHA reported 3 new COVID deaths in Oregon; the total is now 10,888. Wastewater data as of Oct. 1 shows no sites with increases. Hospitalization data from CDC are paused due to the government shutdown, with a blatantly hateful political message on the webpage.

2 hikers rescued after getting lost on ‘rugged, overgrown’ Columbia Gorge trail PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Two lost hikers were rescued from a closed-off and “rugged, overgrown” trail in the Columbia River Gorge overnight, authorities said. “The hikers were cold…

The Green Hornets team rescued 2 lost hikers on the closed Rock of Ages Trail in the Gorge early Wednesday. Coordinates from a GPS smartphone app aided the rescue.
www.koin.com/news/oregon/...

plants for survival. The adults don't use nectar for food as much, preferring tree sap, mud, & animal droppings. Nettles are easy to grow in your yard & are food for 759 lepidoptera species globally. Plant a few to help them out.

in Oregon come from southern states. Being migratory, they seldom stay in the same spot for long so don't expect them to hang around. The larval food plants are in the nettle family, another reason why preserving wetlands is important. Many butterfly species depend on wetland ...

A red admiral nectars on a white valerian flower cluster. The wings are spread fully open and are mostly brownish black. Red bands run across the middle of the forewings and along the margins of the hindwings. There are a few white spots at the forewing tips and white scallops at the wing edges. Each hindwing has two tiny blue dots at the inside border of the edge near the abdomen. It has dark brown fur on the body and the inside edges of the wings near the body.

The striking color of the red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) makes it instantly recognizable. They range throughout North America south as far as Guatemala & have relatives in Hawaii & New Zealand. They migrate each year, unable to survive colder northern winters. The ones we see ...

Cities don’t want to help the homeless. They want property tax revenue, best provided by implementing policies that produce ever-escalating housing prices. It’s a helluva drug.

Portland air quality today. Yup, burning to the ground.

22 Oregon state parks are charging new parking fees

Link to article: reader.theoregonian.com/22-oregon-st...

New or increased parking fees at these state parks in the Gorge: Lewis & Clark, Crown Point corridor area, & Starvation Creek. These fees are high enough to make an annual pass worth it. (Oregonian, 10/5/25, p. A4)

The Novavax vaccine locator is now up & running: www.nuvaxovid.com/vaccine-loca...

A break from today's gloomy skies: The view west from Wind Mountain in the Gorge, taken last Saturday. The Columbia River stretches westward, the 2nd photo is a zoomed-in view of Beacon Rock (the 2-humped bump along the ridge at center left.)

I haven’t seen it in a long while.

I'm glad you're now our Independent King! 😆

Wells Fargo announces 50 more layoffs at Wells Fargo Tower in Portland Wells Fargo this week announced plans to lay off 50 more workers at its downtown office in Portland.

The latest in Portland's "Doom Loop" is that Wells Fargo is closing its office in the Wells Fargo Tower, laying off 50 people, & leaving Portland. The bank's branches will remain, but their administrative offices are going away.
www.kptv.com/2025/10/02/w...

A cedar waxwing is perched on a pyracantha bush and has a red berry in its beak. They are about 6–7 inches long and weigh around 1.1 ounces. It has a pale brown or buff-colored head with a droopy crest, black mask, and yellow underside. The wings are brown at the shoulder and gray on the primary and secondary feathers, with bright red waxy tips on the secondary feathers. The tail feathers are gray and tipped with yellow.

They feed on berries and figs, which can ferment & the alcohol gives them a drunken stupor. If you find them on the ground, move them to a safe place to recover. Wash up afterward, they could carry bird flu & I've found lice & other parasites in their feathers.

A cedar waxwing is perched on a pyracantha bush and has a red berry in its beak. They are about 6–7 inches long and weigh around 1.1 ounces. It has a pale brown or buff-colored head with a droopy crest, black mask, and yellow underside. The wings are brown at the shoulder and gray on the primary and secondary feathers, with bright red waxy tips on the secondary feathers.

Cedar waxwings are in the Gorge now, migrating south from Canada. Their flocks can startle easily, so please keep curtains closed on your windows to protect them from injury or death in collisions with glass. The birds are social & engaging, most entertaining to watch ...

Construction worker hospitalized, all westbound lanes of I-84 closed after crash in NE Portland A construction worker has been injured and all westbound lanes of I-84 are closed after a serious crash near NE 148th Avenue on Thursday night.

I-84 WB is closed at 148th due to a crash involving a road worker:
www.kptv.com/2025/10/03/a...

Yesterday, OHA reported 8 new COVID deaths in Oregon; the total is now 10,885. This is up since the last 10 weeks' average of 3.2 per week. Hospitalizations are at 2.3 per 100,000, compared to a national average of 2.6. Wastewater levels are high as of 9/20, showing a slight drop in the trend.

Portland mayor orders pause on new pay-to-park evening hours Portland Mayor Keith Wilson directed the city transportation bureau to pause on implementing new evening pay-to-park hours on Wednesday, the city announced.

Responding to outcry from struggling businesses & angry drivers, Portland Mayor Wilson has suspended PBOT’s planned extension of parking hours to 10 pm. Parking will stay free after 7pm. www.kptv.com/video/2025/1...

It always happens to me too! G’mar chatima tovah.

them to lose their car & their ability to drive to work. That's the main problem with this bill. It hurts the people who need a car the most, voters that Democrats want on their side in an election. BikePortland doesn't fact check. They should be ashamed of themselves.

fees. They amount to $7.54/month, more than doubling BikePortland's quote. Furthermore, the fees are collected in a lump sum, & a driver will need to come up with $181 more at registration time every 2 years. For a struggling family living paycheck to paycheck, that could force ...

Oregon Senator Khanh Pham (Dist. 23, D-Portland), who said the average Oregonian will pay $2/month more in gas tax & $5 more in payroll taxes that the bill authorized. This is a blatant distortion. Either BikePortland or Pham left out the biggest increase: registration & title...

Oregon Senate passes $4.3 billion transportation package • Oregon Capital Chronicle The Oregon Senate on Monday is meeting for a final vote on a long-awaited transportation bill to fund road operations and maintenance.

Oregon's transportation bill just passed the state senate & is awaiting the governor's signature. BikePortland published an article with misinformation & bias, so I won't link to it. Factual coverage is here: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/09/29/o....
What did BikePortland say? They quoted ...

One of the reasons European countries have better transit is because they aren’t paying enough money for their defense. Instead of taxing people who drive, the US should reduce our defense spending & use it for better transit.

The thorns can be cut off with pruning shears.

Portland is the City of Roses. Maybe pick up a few from your local florist or your garden & shower the federal occupiers with them?

The British soldiers lichen (Cladonia cristatella) grows in the Gorge, often on mossy boulders. The fruiting bodies are brilliant red, quite eye-catching when encountered. #Nativeplants

YouTube video by FOX 2 St. Louis The impact of Medicaid, SNAP cuts in Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’

GOP: "We cut foreign aid, public broadcasting, & slashed government waste to help struggling Americans." Then, they cut Medicaid & SNAP. See how that works? Yet,
@democrats.org's messaging has been weak on exposing this con; a FOX affiliate doing better. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRJb...

Fujii Farms’ fruit stand will be closing in the next few days. They had local strawberries🍓 yesterday.