Gun safety law quashed in Oregon

Oregon Judge Halts Gun Safety Law

A Harney County judge ruled that Oregon’s recent gun safety law, Measure 114, violates the state’s constitutionally protected right to bear arms. Circuit Judge Robert S. Raschio pointed to the law’s provisions that required licenses for gun purchases and prohibited the sale of magazines containing more than 10 rounds. “Mass shooting events are tragic,” Raschio wrote. “However, the court finds that the number of people killed and injured is statistically insignificant compared to the number of lawful gun owners.” The state will now appeal the ruling. [Oregonian 🔒]

Merkley Calls for Gaza Ceasefire

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) called for a ceasefire in Gaza, making him the first member of Oregon’s congressional delegation to do so. He joined just one other U.S senator and 40 members of the U.S. House who have thus far supported a ceasefire. “By waging a war that generates a shocking level of civilian carnage rather than a targeted campaign against Hamas, Israel is burning through its reserves of international support,” Merkley said. [Oregonian]

Kenny & Zuke’s Closing Up

The Portland-famous deli Kenny & Zuke’s is permanently closing. Open for well over a decade, it moved out of its longstanding downtown location last year for an eastside location. But owner and chef Ken Gordon didn’t blame Portland crime (as many closing shop owners have), and instead said consumer habits changed after the pandemic. You have until Nov. 26 for one last pastrami on rye. [Willamette Week]

Local Vegetables for Your Holiday Feast

There’s still plenty of local produce in season. Check out the hippest squash, tasty frost-kissed green veggies, and psychedelic radicchio. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

🥬 Harvest Festival | Wednesday | 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Shop for your last-minute Thanksgiving feast at the site of the Shemanski Park Farmers Market (which is closed for the season). [Free, Downtown]

🏃 Turkey Trot at the Zoo | Thursday | 7:30 a.m.

Get moving before the feasting. This is a 4-mile run, with registration fees benefiting the Oregon Zoo. Kids are welcome. [$37+, Washington Park]

🦃 Oregon Turkeython | Thursday | 8 a.m.

Run a 5K (3.1 miles) on T-day! Kids are free and have their own start time! [$20, Tigard]

🏃 13th Annual Tabor Stair Climb | Thursday | 8 - 11 a.m.

Limited space still available as of Tuesday: Climb as many stairs as you can in an hour as part of a fundraiser for Oregon Food Bank. [Free but Pledges Accepted, Mount Tabor]

🦃 Tofurky Trot 2023 | Thursday | 9 a.m.

Here’s another option, billed as animal- and family-friendly, that benefits various local farm sanctuaries. Run a 5K. [$30+, Sellwood]

🌿 UnThanksgiving | Thursday - Saturday | 10:45 a.m. - 2 p.m.

There’s learning and gardening as part of “mourning genocide, celebrating survival.” [Free but Registration Required, Various Locations]

🎁 Black Friday Indigenous Marketplace | Friday - Sunday | 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Shop for your holiday gifts and support Native artists. The Turquoise Pride Drum group will play each day at noon. [Free, Downtown]

🎁 Shop Small at the Mall | Friday | 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Find your holiday gifts from local ceramicists, jewelry makers, illustrators, and printmakers — at the mall. [Free, Lloyd District]

🎹 Michael Allen Harrison’s Christmas at the Reser | Saturday | 2 p.m.

The Portland pianist and composer opens the holiday season. [$43.50+, Beaverton]

I griped about Little Free Libraries last week, and readers, almost without exception, rose to the defense of free books — and told me how much I was missing out.

At a work lunch yesterday, I also had the pleasure of witnessing firsthand an out-of-town visitor delight in finding a very Portland book, “Falling Down in Public: Finding Balance On and Off the Bike.”

Your responses to my gripes:

“I agree that many are now empty, understocked, or have unappealing materials (e.g., old textbooks and work manuals). That said, the LFL around the corner from our house regularly has nice children’s books that our grandsons sometimes borrow.” — Mark McClure

“While I agree the adult selection is usually lacking, there are always some finds for kids’ books. My daughter loves stopping to browse. And when we are ready to donate books, we parcel them out to all the little free libraries in our neighborhood. They add to a feeling of community for us.” — Roxanne Thomas

“I've occasionally found graphic novels that are worth reading (‘Transmetropolitan,’ for one), but mostly it's a way to circulate books for little people. We were introduced to the ‘Notebook of Doom’ series when my three-year-old snagged one at a little free library, and now I have to read them to her front-to-back every day.” — Andrew Parish

“You're not wrong about Little Free Libraries. I live near a bookstore, and their free pile is quite extensive and out of doors, and still not very good. I have dreamt of a very good little free library in front of my house filled with great science writing and fun potboiler novels and also a science fact of the day.” — Jim

A Winter Dining Heatmap

Even before the pandemic, Portland was blessed with an abundance of heated patios, outdoor fire pits, and other amenities to make drinking and dining outdoors a year-round endeavor. City Cast Portland podcast host Claudia Meza, along with producers John Notarianni and Giulia Fiaoni, recommend the coziest indoor and outdoor spots for winter drinking and dining.