| No images? Click here  Saturday, April 24, 2021 SATURDAY FIRST LOOKGood morning, Northwest. Innovation and mass production have made wind and solar power installations cheaper than most fossil-fueled power plants. Here's your First Look at Saturday's news.  Studies bring new hope for proponents of renewablesNew research shows that renewable electricity might be able to move Oregon, Washington and British Columbia off of fossil fuels, do so at an affordable price, and create jobs along the way. Building a cleaner and more equitable economy — and doing so in just a few decades to head off the worst effects of climate change — is backed by a growing body of regional and international studies. The research points at opportunities to increase energy efficiency, boost renewable energy and move from natural gas and gasoline to the electrical grid for more of the conveniences in daily life. Pictured above, wind turbines, with Mount Adams in the backdrop. (Peter Fairley)  COVID gone wildOregon is now ahead of all 49 other states in the country in regard to the biggest percentage increase in COVID-19 cases, just ahead of Kansas, and just behind territories Guam and Puerto Rico. Two things have led to the rise of virus transmission rates beginning to rival those of the worst days of the pandemic this winter — not enough people have been fully vaccinated and the adherence to public health guidelines has all but fallen off a cliff. “A few weeks ago, I came before you to say that we were concerned we would have a fourth surge of COVID-19 in Oregon,” Gov. Kate Brown said at a Friday press conference. “Unfortunately, today, that surge is here.” (Bradley W. Parks) Are you enjoying First Look? Share it with your friends:  A strange way to budgetAs lawmakers in the Oregon House made a deal last week intended to end delay tactics that were slowing the 2021 legislative session there were two parts that were integral to making that plan happen. First, majority Democrats granted Republicans more say in the weighty job of drawing new political maps. The other move has gotten less attention but has been no less important. Democratic leaders are now planning to let lawmakers personally dictate how millions of dollars in federal aid can be spent within their districts. The plan for spending $240 million in federal aid upends the normal budget process but is seen as a key factor in breaking a legislative logjam. (Dirk VanderHart)  Portland state of emergencyPortland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced the extension of the city's state of emergency until noon on Monday. The move comes as the city prepares for more protests and the potential for more destruction. Portland has seen some protests and damages downtown in the nights following the verdict, though on a much smaller scale than last summer. The state of emergency grants the mayor temporary powers including issuing a curfew and opens the door for the Oregon State Police, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon National Guard to assist Portland police during demonstrations. The mayor said it also allowed him to barricade the streets, though police had not yet recommended the city do so. (Rebecca Ellis) Reporting you can trust. Stories that move our world forward. You make OPB possible.   The first-known recording of an iconic poem was found in PortlandA new recording is out this month of one of the most famous poems of the Beat literary movement: Allen Ginsberg’s epic, “Howl.” Written in the mid-1950s, the poem is dedicated to fellow writer Carl Solomon, who Ginsberg met at a psychiatric institution. Once the subject of an obscenity trial, it’s now regarded as a seminal work in American literature. And the first time Ginsberg was recorded reading it, he was in Portland with other Beat-era writers, on a visit to the campus of Reed College. Here's how that early moment in a literary movement came to be. (Jenn Chávez) Each week, "Curious Northwest" explores something that makes you think 🤔 about this place we call home. Do you have a story idea for "Curious Northwest"? Share it with us. You received this email because you opted to be a part of the OPB community. Thank you! OPB's "First Look" keeps you connected to what is happening here in the Pacific Northwest. Have feedback you'd like to share about First Look? We're all ears. Enjoying First Look? Share it with a friend. Did you receive this email as a forward? Opt-in here. We won't share your email address with marketers. Contact OPB | 7140 S Macadam Ave, Portland, OR 97219 | 1-800-241-8123      |
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