Why's this post so late today? How could I possibly justify publishing a morning news digest in the afternoon? Well I got a late start, for one. And I needed a burrito. I'm actually eating that burrito right now. Al pastor. Decent, but hardly transcendent.

This situation in Ukraine, it's bad business. Now the Russian military has mobilized in Crimea and elsewhere, Ukrainian soldiers have been told to open fire if necessary, and President Obama has warned "there will be costs."

That last bit? Not all that clear what it means. As the NYT notes: "The United States has few palatable options for imposing such costs, and recent history has shown that when it considers its interests at stake, Russia has been willing to absorb any such fallout."

A look at Oregon's packed out classrooms, and why students are still largely able to get a decent education among 30 of their peers.

You should read the Portland Tribune's look at the city's much debated bioswales, and whether or not they're worth the money (answer: yup).

As the Port of Portland braces for news of its fate (its largest shipping partner is considering pulling out) Gov. John Kitzhaber wants to figure out why the city's container terminal is so painfully sluggish.

Did you listen to Spike Lee's recent jeremiad against gentrification? So did the person who responded by tagging his family home.

A truly terrifying scene in China, where knife-wielding attackers descended on a train station, killing nearly 30 people and injuring more than 100 others.

You're being cruelly punished for yesterday's amazing weather.

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Yes, Alison posted this yesterday. And, yes, I messed up by posting an errant link to Twitter. Watch it.