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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋 Welcome to the jubilant month of June, which kicks off in a very summer-y way with sunny skies and highs reaching the mid-80s today and around 90 (!) tomorrow. And now, let’s get into some white-hot NEWS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• In Sandy, Oregon—just southeast of Portland—”multiple” people were reportedly shot and killed, and one police officer was seriously wounded in a shootout with cops yesterday afternoon. Details are still very murky, but officers allegedly responded to a domestic disturbance and possible shooting at the 39500 block of Evans street in the small city of 13,000. After police and the suspect traded gunfire—during which a Sandy officer was shot several times, but is currently in stable condition—a suspect exited the residence and surrendered peacefully. It’s also currently unclear how many people were shot and killed during the incident, but according to Sandy’s police chief, “multiple” people are dead. This is a developing story.
• According to authorities, the remains of 11 people killed in the tragic explosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant in Longview have been recovered and identified. As the families and friends of these workers grieve their loss, the attention now turns to finding out how the accident occurred, as well as stopping the flow of any remaining contaminants from reaching the Columbia River, while evaluating any environmental impact.
• Defying the odds—and WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark—our Portland Fire brought home a decisive victory against the Indiana Fever on Saturday night, 100-84. It was clear Portland meant business from the start, and while some fans were excited to see the Fever’s famous Clark in action, thanks to standout performances from Fire players, the crowd quickly remembered where their allegiance lay. The win followed a tough Friday night loss to the Atlanta Dream (ugh, turnover city) and a welcome victory against the Connecticut Sun earlier in the week. Our Stephanie Kaloi has the recap of all the latest hot Fire action!
• Hillsboro’s city council is considering putting a moratorium on the construction of new data centers in their area, after a public outcry over the juicy tax breaks that city officials gave to these corporations that could continue for decades. Council is scheduled to meet tomorrow night to hear feedback from the community, who will almost certainly remind officials how data centers, run by mega corporations like Meta, X, and Google, drain communities of water, electricity, and land, without adding nearly enough in the way of local employment. While council will not be voting on whether a moratorium will take place, they will consider putting a pause on any new data center development.
• Decades before the Pacific Northwest had any kind of film industry, a young, self-taught director named Richard Lyford started making silent horror and sci-fi shorts. Lyford’s work was forgotten for years before being recovered by Seattle composer and musician Ed Hartman, who’s become something of a steward of Lyford’s legacy. Joe Streckert digs into the life and work of this early horror trailblazer.
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Despite a so-called “truce” being in place, the U.S. and Iran continue to trade attacks, as oil prices rise once again thanks to Trump’s wholly unnecessary war. Both sides are claiming they are acting defensively, in response to the other side launching drone and missile attacks. Meanwhile, as the two sides continue fighting during the fake truce—which has been in place since April—President Trump is telling the American people to “relax” because Iran “really wants to make a deal.” In the meantime, thousands have been killed in the war so far, as global energy prices continue to soar due to this baby game being played by stupid babies.
• Oh, and this just in: “Iran halts ceasefire talks with US, says it will close Strait of Hormuz.” (Just in case you were hoping for a quick end to skyrocketing gas prices.)
• Like rats fleeing the proverbial sinking ship, performers are canceling their appearances at Trump’s 250th birthday party for the nation this summer, that he’s calling the “Great American State Fair.” Saying they didn’t realize that Trump’s event would be “political in nature” (What? Really?) musical artists Morris Day and the Time, Young MC, Martina McBride, the Commodores, and Bret Michaels dropped out of the lineup last week. To the surprise of no one, this made the 79-year-old Trump FAH-URIOUS, and now he’s threatening to turn the nation’s birthday party into a full-blown MAGA pep rally, in which HE will be the headliner (instead of the “third-rate artists” who canceled). Grab yer popcorn… this is going to be the most hilarious flop of 2026!
• In case you missed it, Trump had a TERRRIBLE Friday last week, starting with a federal judge slamming the brakes on the president’s scheme to create a $1.8 billion slush fund to go to people (like the domestic terrorists of January 6) who claim to be victims of political persecution. 🙄U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams of Florida is answering the calls of a raft of judges who claim that the court was deceived by the Trump administration when they struck a deal with the IRS, saying they’d drop the lawsuit against them if they set up the slush fund and agree to stop looking into the Trump family’s extremely shady tax dealings. The judge will now launch an independent investigation into the deal. IN ALSO GREAT NEWS: Trump was humiliated on Friday when a court ordered the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to take the president’s name off the side of the building and all its branding, saying that only Congress had the power to change the building’s name. Even worse (for Trump)? The judge also ordered a stop to the president’s plans to shut the center down for two years for “repairs.” In response, Trump is threatening to remove himself from all Kennedy Center dealings, and… is he trying to threaten us with a good time? 🧐
• And finally… here’s the trailer for that Heated Rivalry spin-off we’ve all been lusting for!
