The police force of Stanfield, in Eastern Oregon, is made up of four people. Two of them are being investigated for wrongdoing. One of them was recently fired. Sorry, Stanfield!
Overlook Park, like parks all over the city, would typically have its restrooms locked and its water spigots turned off right now, as winter sets in. But yesterday Commissioner Amanda Fritz directed the parks bureau to leave them open/on, so that people living in a nearby homeless camp can have reliable access.
Meanwhile, the Trib‘s got an interesting story about how a new homeless shelter for veterans near the South Park Blocks came together. (Spoiler: Very, very quickly.)
After getting a rocky reception at a hearing in September, Mayor Charlie Hales’ proposal to levy a $25,000 tax on people who demolish homes in the city is back! And it’s assigning that tax to a wider array of projects.
Bad news at the Oregonian, which is trying to find a whopping 25 newsroom staffers who’ll take a buyout and be on their way. If not enough people bite? More layoffs. Always more.
“Mr. Cheeks has fecal matter that he’s brought with him from custody that he believes is relevant to his case.”
Portland City Council’s finally begun considering it’s next Comprehensive Plan, the planning document that will hold immense sway over how Portland grows in the next 20 years. And as you might expect, there’s a lot of griping—from neighborhoods, from business interests—and just as much cheerleading for commissioners to pass the plan as it stands. This will be fun!
Pretty much every time I write one of these things, there’s some newly inane or offensive thing Republican presidential frontrunners have said that needs to be shoehorned in—yet they continue to lead in the polls! Today: Trump wants all American Muslims on a registry. Carson’s comparing them to dogs. You’re doing great, Republican base!
Today in Terrorism: An attack on a Mali hotel popular with international tourists has resulted in hostages and several deaths. No sign of who or why, but witness accounts point to religious extremism as a likely factor.
Among the things helping Syria’s interminable civil war? Amphetamines, and plenty of them!
A teacher in Utah thought it was a good idea to teach kids about ISIS propaganda by having them draw some ISIS propaganda. Learn by doing, and all that. Plenty of people disagreed.
Yes! A lovely weekend is on the way, for the first time in ages.
Karaoke Friday. You know it and adore it. But today, it’s not just ribald jokes and unfettered song. Today it’s about defying the odds—transforming from hapless loser to champion’s champion. (If you’d like to also apply it to the world of sport for any reason, this weekend’s insanely huge football game between a vim-filled Michigan State University and a tyrannical and cocky The Ohio State University is probably your best bet.) Sing!