Patricia is an absolute beast. Strongest storm ever measured by National Hurricane Center. https://t.co/NBAQIvOQPp pic.twitter.com/VZ2wIdm8bb
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) October 23, 2015
Brace yourself, Mexico! Hurricane Patricia shifted gears yesterday, becoming the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in a few short hours. It’s scheduled to hit Puerto Vallarta this evening. Not good.
As this city tries to encourage as much density as possible, Multnomah County’s positioning itself as something of a villain. The county assessor’s office has begun radically re-evaluating people’s home values when they build accessory dwelling units on their property—a move that can multiply property tax burdens by five, according to at least one scenario the Trib found. The assessor’s office says it hasn’t changed policy, but this story suggests that’s not true.
Snap. Gov. Kate Brown has told her predecessor, John Kitzhaber, the state won’t pay his $500-an-hour legal bills arising from an investigation into the scandal that undid his political career. “Because state policy required written representations by the Governor’s Office that Kitzhaber had acted in good faith and within the scope of his job duties, and there wasn’t sufficient information to do that,” Brown’s office says. Snap.
In case you missed it, a federal judge held his first annual hearing into Portland’s police reform progress this week. Verdict (not an actual legal verdict): Some heartening progress, some serious concerns. ‘Bout par for the course when it comes to making sure Portland cops don’t beat up people in mental health crisis.
We’ve got new pot rules! Temporary ones, at least. The OLCC voted yesterday to approve a set of regulations that will get Oregon’s recreational system up and running until we can adopt permanent policy.
So it looks like Portland’s going to do this “fair-haired dumbbell” thing after all? Damn it. Fine.
In more than eight hours of parrying Thursday, Hillary Clinton held off Republican lawmakers hoping to force her to admit gaffes in how she handled the 2012 Benghazi attacks. I watched not one minute of the hearing, but consensus seems to be that she took it to the house. (Both the figurative house and the actual House.)
My, this is surprising. Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee has dropped out of the Democratic presidential race. I cannot imagine why.
The NYT sheds light on where all those dollars you pour into opaque Tea Party causes go, Portland. Basically just to a bunch of consultants who craft those campaigns, rather than anywhere useful. Sound familiar?
A charter bus hit a truck head-on in France. The results are awful.
Your weekend’s going to be a delight.
But before that? You’ve got a rough-ass workday ahead. Karaoke Friday is here for you.