Good Morning, News: Another Dusting of Snow Expected, Israel to Study Fourth Vaccine Dose, and Hundreds of Club-Goers Not Notified of COVID Exposure

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

A Portlander and their cat warm up at the Sunrise Center shelter Sunday. Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County

Good morning, Portland! I hope you enjoyed those cute little flurries of snow this weekend. We may get a couple more inches Monday night before we start playing the thaw-and-refreeze game for the rest of the week.

In local news:

• Temperatures in Portland will continue to drop below freezing throughout the week, prompting the county’s six emergency weather shelters to remain open. The most updated list of shelters, connecting bus routes, and links to sign-up to volunteer can be found on the county’s website. Those shelters will stay open as long as temperatures remain at or below 32 degrees for four hours or more.

Volunteers are needed for warming shelters. “The way we keep these shelters open is people stepping up & offering their time & their energy,’’ says Jenny Carver. “People come in out of the cold, they get a warm welcome, it makes a difference.’’ Sign up @ https://t.co/aA9xsdJySG pic.twitter.com/cjczLxz9re
— Multnomah County, OR (@multco) December 27, 2021

• Several Oregon colleges will spend the next few weeks investing in increasing student access to resources and aid, prompted by a bill the Oregon Legislature passed in June. The bill, House Bill 2835, allocated about $5 million to state colleges to hire “benefits navigators,” employees who help students access aid like scholarships and housing assistance. So far, two schools—Oregon State University and Southern Oregon University—have the position in place.

• At least six employees at music venue and club 45 East tested positive for COVID-19 following a weekend of sold-out shows. According to the employees, none of the estimated 1,000 attendees were notified that they had been potentially exposed to the virus.

• Give the social media manager a raise:

Think fast break/cold arena. Person with the ball meets a defender at half court near the sideline. Jukes left, spins right and grabs water from a fan (Ocean). They then proceed to drive toward the rim where a defender (mountains) forces a jump. Water spills and falls as snow. https://t.co/uhe4Bl5yoy
— NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) December 26, 2021

In national and international news:

• Desmond Tutu, a South African racial justice and LGBTQ activist, died Sunday. Tutu was an “uncompromising foe” of apartheid, rallying against South Africa’s decades-long regime against the country’s Black majority, which ended in 1994. Tutu was 90 years old.

• More than 5,000 flights were canceled worldwide this weekend due to winter weather and Omicron-fueled staff shortages. Nearly 900 flights within, into, or out of the US were canceled on Sunday alone.

A photojournalist for nearly two decades, Alan Hawes is used to taking pictures of people when they’re most vulnerable.

Now he works as a registered nurse, and the man in the picture was a patient.https://t.co/hOgqoH7jQq
— NPR (@NPR) December 26, 2021

• While shooting at a suspect, a Los Angeles police officer shot and killed a 14-year-old girl in a dressing room Thursday. According to LAPD, officers responded to a department store and encountered a man who was assaulting someone and opened fire, shooting the suspect and inadvertently killing the teenager who was behind a dressing room wall. Police later confirmed that the suspect was not armed when officers started shooting. The girl was trying on dresses for a quinceañera.

• Israel will start studying the effects of a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose as the country looks to increase its immunity against the virus. Israel was the first country to test booster shots and third doses earlier this year.

If you’re still using a cloth mask, it’s time to up your game. Experts say to block omicron, you should upgrade to an N95 or similar high-filtration mask.

Here’s how to find a good one — and when to wear it.https://t.co/BoChMObYMo
— NPR (@NPR) December 27, 2021

• Despite rising prices and pandemic constraints, holiday sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years in the US. Holiday shopping increased by 8.5 percent this year in comparison to 2020 and up 10.7 percent in comparison to the 2019 holiday shopping period.

• And finally, a live look at me waiting at the MAX stop last night. Stay warm, y’all!

Photos of the Year https://t.co/h0GZdA12z2 pic.twitter.com/G1i184mtiC
— The Hill (@thehill) December 26, 2021