A rally in Portland took place on Tuesday in protest of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' visit to the city. This rally drew nearly 200 people outside of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services building in Northwest Portland. Sessions was to speak to Federal Immigration Officers, Loval FBI officials and federal prosecutors about sanctuary cities, violent crime and immigration policy. Portland police were present during the rally but the Department of Homeland Security was in charge of law enforcement.
A hurricane warning went into effect on Tuesday night for the residents of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The National Weather Service forecasts that Maria will hit land on the island sometime on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 105 to 125 miles per hour. Though this is a relatively lesser storm than those from earlier the previous week, the NWS is still urging citizens to be careful and to protect themselves. The island's public safety commissioner, Hector Pasquera went on to say bluntly, "You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you're going to die." Maria had already made landfall on Monday night in Dominica, where widespread damage had been reported. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica wrote on Facebook saying that "the winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken too...We need help my friends, help of all kinds."
The Eagle Creek fire in the Columbia Gorge has reached about 46 percent containment, with the fire itself having consumed almost 49,000 acres. Officials expect it to continue to smolder a little, and maybe even spread just a bit within the perimeter, but they don't expect any more significant growth. The sheriff's office lifted evacuation orders for Multnomah County on Monday, though level one orders are still in effect for Cascade Locks, Wyeth and Viento because of a flash flood watch.
- KBOO