PORTLAND DRIZZLE

🥯 Cloudy and cool Tuesday, high around 57°F with a slight rain chance. A baby was born on a flight to PDX. Governor Kotek signed the Moda Center funding bill this morning — though the deal's far from done. The Blazers, meanwhile, are one loss from packing it in for the summer.

Delta Flight 478 left Atlanta Friday evening with 153 passengers. It landed in Portland with 154. A pregnant passenger named Ashley went into labor about 30 minutes out from PDX, and two Oregon EMTs who happened to be on board — friends returning from vacation — delivered the baby mid-air with help from a doctor, two nurses, and the flight crew. The plane declared an emergency for priority handling with air traffic control and was met by emergency responders on the runway around 10 p.m. Mom and baby were transported to a local hospital in stable condition. Delta said its crews undergo comprehensive medical training for situations like this. Good thing, because there's no pulling over at 30,000 feet. KOIN

Governor Tina Kotek signed Senate Bill 1501 on Monday, putting $365 million in state bonds toward renovating the Moda Center. Supporters say the 30-year-old arena — the oldest in the NBA without a major renovation — is an economic anchor that Portland can't afford to let go stale. But the state's money is contingent on Multnomah County and Portland City Council chipping in at least $235 million more, and on the Blazers signing a 20-year lease. Neither of those is locked in. Two city councilors already refused to sign an NDA just to be in the negotiations. No binding commitment from new owner Tom Dundon. "This is a publicly owned asset," Kotek said. "It is not owned by the Blazers." Comforting framing! We'll see if it holds. KATU

The Trail Blazers had a 17-point halftime lead Sunday. They lost 114–93. That's the kind of collapse that sends a team into an elimination game with a lot to think about on the flight to Texas. The Spurs are now the first team in NBA playoff history to trail by 15 or more at halftime and win by 15 or more — a record Portland fans will not want to be remembered for helping set. Victor Wembanyama returned from his concussion and added seven blocks to shut down Portland's second-half offense. Game 5 is Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN. Head coach Tiago Splitter's line: "Every game is a must-win." Starting now, definitely. OPB

The Portland Penny: Portland won its name in a coin-toss one evening in 1845 at the HOME of Francis Ermatinger in Oregon City. If Asa Lovejoy had won, you would be reading the Boston Drizzle (boo, hiss). Instead 2 out of 3 tosses were won by Francis Pettygrove of Portland, Maine, so he named “Stumptown” after his hometown instead. Real original 🙄. That 1835 penny was passed on to a nephew before being donated to the Oregon Historical Society. You can see it today at their MUSEUM downtown.

On April 28, 2005, Portland became the only city in the United States to withdraw from a federal Joint Terrorism Task Force, citing concerns about civil liberties oversight.

I’ll bet you a Portland Penny that the Blazers win.

by Michael Simpson Contact: [email protected]