If you appreciate the Mercury‘s interesting and useful news & culture reporting, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. Your donation is tax-deductible. You can also subscribe and have our papers delivered!
Good morning, Portland! We’re in for a day of nice weather, with temps in the high 60s and clouds keeping it from getting too sunny and warm. You should still wear sunscreen, though. (Get into the daily practice!) Here’s the news for today.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• It’s Election Day in Oregon! Make sure to turn in your ballots directly to a drop box if you haven’t yet. If you still need to fill out your ballot, check out the Mercury‘s endorsements here. We’ll be covering the results this evening, so stay tuned.
• Newly-released data shows Oregon saw a pretty significant drop in fatal drug overdoses in 2024 compared to the year prior—making it the first year-over-year drop in drug overdose deaths since 2016. That year, there was a 16 percent decline in overdose deaths compared to 2023. While data isn’t yet finalized for 2025, researchers say they anticipate the trend to continue, for a variety of reasons. In recent years, fentanyl was responsible for the majority of fatal drug overdoses, and the numbers seem to indicate fewer people are dying after taking too much fentanyl. This could be because fewer people are taking fentanyl now—it’s not as common for doctors to prescribe strong opioids anymore, a practice that could help reduce uptake. There are more pessimistic theories, too—one idea some researchers posited was that the rapid saturation of fentanyl in the market killed so many people in a short period of time, that there are simply fewer people around now using the drug and risking overdoses. Still, researchers say they’re encouraged by the new trend, but it’s important to remember that overdose deaths are still too high. Oregon saw 1,544 overdose deaths in 2024—that’s way too many people gone.
• Portland has a new women’s soccer team—the Cherry Bombs, a pre-professional team that plays at Lents Field (at the same park where the Pickles play). Go to a Cherry Bombs game for the amazing mascot, Mary the Cherry, and stay for the great soccer. Check out the recap of the first game in the Mercury, written by Stephanie Kaloi.
• Need stuff to fill up your week? As always, we’ve got you covered. A FEW IDEAS: See American Football (the band) at the Crystal Ballroom tomorrow night, check out the Comedians with Disabilities Act troupe perform at Curious Comedy Theater on Thursday, or stumble (gracefully, I’m sure) around Kernside after a few glasses of wine during the Kernside Wine Walk on Saturday. Also on Saturday? The USA dodgeball western regionals, interestingly enough. You can catch that at the Expo Center. All of that and more, helpfully listed in this week’s DO THIS, DO THAT roundup.
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Two teenagers shot and killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego yesterday morning in an attack the police are treating as a hate crime. The apparent shooters are also dead, seemingly from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. While police haven’t released much information about the horrific incident, we do know that one of the people who was killed worked as a guard at the center. Reports indicate the guard, named Amin Abdullah, acted heroically to save even more people from being killed, losing his life in the process. There’s also evidence that the suspected shooters engaged in “generalized hate rhetoric,” though the Islamic Center of San Diego does not appear to have received specific threats. The attack occurred amid rising reports of Islamophobia, as well as hateful rhetoric more broadly. It’s evidence such rhetoric can lead to violent action if unchecked, and should always be taken seriously.
• There is a major Ebola outbreak happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with 80 people already dead from a rare strain of the disease. It’s unclear exactly when the outbreak started, but the toll indicates it was probably simmering for a while before officials announced it. And since the US gutted USAID, the countries dealing with the outbreak are unable to rely on disease surveillance and other assistance the US has traditionally helped with.
• The trial between Sam Altman and Elon Musk—AKA, a battle between two of the worst guys ever—ended with a whimper yesterday when the jury quickly decided Musk waited too long to sue Altman, and the case was thrown out. The jurors made their decision on a technicality, which is kind of disappointing, because it means they didn’t rule on the merits of the dramatic case. Here’s a rundown of the substance, by the way: Musk sued OpenAI founder Altman, essentially alleging he set the company up as a nonprofit and then torpedoed any charitable aspect of the business for sheer profit motive. Musk was on the board of OpenAI when it first started in 2015, but left in 2018. His allegations against Altman carry some weight—at least, it’s well-documented that the OpenAI founder has all but abandoned the pretense of altruism he touted when starting up. But the allegations of greed and hypocrisy are a little ironic coming from Musk. Anyway, Musk says he’s going to appeal the lawsuit. Not much more to say about two filthy rich men lighting their money on fire, except I’m disgusted by the whole thing. BLEGH!
• Oregon isn’t the only state holding primary elections today. Politicos are keeping their eyes on races in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania, too. One race in Kentucky is likely to prove especially interesting as a temperature check on voters’ feelings about President Trump and Trump-aligned candidates. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who is very conservative but has come out against Trump on his decision to wage war in Iran, and criticized his administration’s secrecy around the Epstein files, faces a primary challenge in Ed Gallrein, Trump’s handpicked choice for the seat. In the past, Trump has had an iron grip on the Republican Party and its voters, who often punish GOP officials who deviate even slightly from the president’s wishes. Great “freedom” party you got there! It’s worth watching to see if that trend holds up in Kentucky today.
• If you’re a “little hoarse,” take your allergy meds. It’s bad out there. By the way, here’s a little horse. Happy Tuesday!
