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What Were the Greatest Tonya Harding Moments of 2018 (and Maybe a Little of 2017)?
1. Dec. 8, 2017:
The disgraced, Portland-born skater makes a triple-axle return to stardom with the release of the biopic I, Tonya—a tragicomedy starring Margot Robbie that reappraises Harding's alleged complicity in kneecapping Nancy Kerrigan within the context of abusive relationships.
2. Dec. 6, 2017:
Somber singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens releases a tribute song, "Tonya Harding," which includes the immoral couplet: "Well, this world is a bitch, girl / Don't end up in a ditch, girl."
3. Jan. 6, 2018:
Harding attends the Golden Globes in Los Angeles, where she tearfully accepts a thank you from her award-winning on-screen mom, Allison Janney.
4. Jan. 10, 2018:
In a genuinely affecting New York Times profile, Harding says people used to put rats in her mailbox and leave shit on her door. She also reveals that she moved to Washington state, where she coaches ice skating and drinks at a bar that created a tiki drink in her honor.
5. Jan. 11, 2018:
In a two-hour ABC News special, Harding's mom admits to putting "brandy flavoring" in her coffee during her daughter's skate practices. "You can't get drunk on flavoring," she says.
6. Jan. 11, 2018:
Harding's publicist resigns after the former skater attempts to fine reporters $25,000 for asking her anything "about the past." ELISE HERRON.
What Were the 5 Most Absurd Pretexts for Portland Street Brawls?
The Vancouver, Wash.-based right-wing protesters who arrived in Portland's streets about once a month in 2018 did so for one reason: to bait Rose City Antifa into fights. But to give the events a veneer of credibility, Patriot Prayer usually picked a cause to ostensibly support. These excuses grew increasingly flimsy. KATIE SHEPHERD.
1. June 3:
A going-away party for Tusitala "Tiny" Toese, a Proud Boy and Patriot Prayer supporter who never actually left Washington state.
2. Oct. 13:
A "flash march for law and order" after talking heads incorrectly declared on Fox News that Portland had fallen under "mob rule." (see page 11.)
3. Aug. 4:
A rally held in Portland for Joey Gibson's U.S. Senate campaign to represent the people who live and vote in Washington state.
4. Nov. 17:
A "Him Too" rally to support men who are allegedly being falsely accused of rape in the Me Too era.
5. June 30:
A march protesting Portland's response to Patriot Prayer's farewell to Tiny on June 3.
What Were the 31 Greatest 90-Plus-Degree Days in Portland?
Portland experienced a record number of days at 90 degrees or higher in 2018. Climate change is real. ELISE HERRON.
1. July 15: 100 degrees
2. July 29: 99 degrees
3. July 16: 98 degrees
4. July 12: 97 degrees
5. July 25: 97 degrees
6. July 26: 96 degrees
7. Aug. 9: 96 degrees
8. June 20: 95 degrees
9. July 23: 95 degrees
10. July 24: 95 degrees
11. Aug. 7: 95 degrees
12. Aug. 8: 95 degrees
13. Aug. 14: 95 degrees (Very smoky!)
14. July 22: 94 degrees
15. Aug. 21: 94 degrees (So much smoke and bad air quality!)
16. July 14: 93 degrees
17. Aug. 22: 93 degrees (Broke the city's record high and ranked No. 1 for worst air quality of any major North American city!)
18. June 17: 92 degrees
19. July 13: 92 degrees
20. July 30: 92 degrees
21. Aug. 5: 92 degrees
22. Aug. 6: 92 degrees
23. Aug. 10: 92 degrees
24. June 19: 91 degrees
25. June 24: 91 degrees
26. July 17: 91 degrees
27. July 27: 91 degrees
28. Aug. 13: 91 degrees
29. Sept. 5: 91 degrees
30. May 13: 90 degrees
31. July 28: 90 degrees
What Were the 6 Greatest Places in Oregon Depicted Onscreen This Year?
1. An unnamed strip club somewhere on the outskirts of Clackamas County (I, Tonya). It's less of a strip club than a super-depressing dive bar that happens to have one stripper in it—a most '90s Portland place if there ever was one.
2. Antelope, Ore. (Wild Wild Country). The invading Rajneeshees got all the press, but the true stars of the zeitgeist-gripping Netflix documentary series are the charming, overalls-wearing Antelope citizens reminiscing about the time the circus came to town and poisoned a salad bar.
3. Willamette Week's office (Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot). Sure, we're biased. But we're also honest. So clearly, our favorite part of Gus Van Sant's affecting biopic of cartoonist John Callahan is the brief moment when Van Sant himself appears as WW publisher Mark Zusman.
4. Forest Park (Leave No Trace). Beautifully shot woodland scenery animates this true story about a troubled Iraq War veteran and his 13-year-old daughter living off the grid in Forest Park—which is played in this movie by Clackamas County's Eagle Fern Park.
5. An unnamed ski resort somewhere outside Portland (To All the Boys I've Loved Before). This teen romcom is set in Portland but was filmed elsewhere, which you can tell because the ski chalet where the love story pivots is way too nice.
6. Boring, Ore. (Everything Sucks!). The one-and-done Netflix retro-com used Oregon City as a stand-in for Boring, because the real town presumably wasn't desolate enough. Congrats, Oregon City—you're more convincingly boring than Boring!
Next: The 18 Best Names Suggested for a Portland Baseball Team.