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ICYMI, the arts tax is legal. That's the ruling from the Oregon Supreme Court, which yesterday agreed with the decisions of two lower courts that the $35 yearly fee is not an unconstitutional "head tax." So everyone's favorite tax to gripe about is here to stay, but as we report this week, it's still got problems.

Hey!!!! Is Portland getting a Major League Baseball team?! No. Almost certainly no.

BETTER SPORTING NEWS: There's apparently a real chance Carmelo Anthony might wind up on the Trail Blazers. This would be huge.

Sorry, PDX-philes. Our dear airport isn't top of the heap any longer. According to a new JD Power survey, it's been unseated by such unworthies as Dallas, Nashville, and *gulp* Orange County.

You ever wonder how Oregon became one of just two states to allow non-unanimous verdicts in felony cases? With a heaping helping of antisemitism and xenophobia! The O lays out the case that started it all, as the US Supreme Court decides whether to take up a challenge to the practice.

You should watch this Oregonian interview with the Washington County employee who was blatantly profiled by ICE:

I-84 Eastbound might re-open from Hood River to Troutdale this weekend! First workers have to clear out a BUNCH of trees.

Squabbling continues between the North Portland homeless camp Hazelnut Grove and the Overlook Neighborhood Association (which, remember, recently went so far as to attempt to prevent homeless people from participating at its meetings). Interestingly: Hazelnut Grove just got a resident installed on the neighborhood association's board.

So Tom Price, Trump's health and human services secretary, has burned through more than $300,000 being whisked by charter jet from place to place. Bad form. Politico reports: "Price’s use of private jets represents a sharp departure from his two immediate predecessors, Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Kathleen Sebelius, who flew commercially in the continental United States."

Today in Useless Endeavors: Trump is going to try to get North Korea to listen to reason by further expanding sanctions on the country.

Aaaaand Kim Jong Un is serving up some snappy retorts. "Dotard."

If you haven't primed yourself on the havoc that might be caused by the latest Obamacare "replacement" proposal—which would mean far, far less federal money to Oregon—read up on the Graham-Cassidy bill now. Republicans are trying to get a vote by September 30. “This is by far the most radical of any of the Republican health care bills that have been debated this year."

ALSO: Facebook is going to show a Congressional committee more than 3,000 ads linked to Russian propaganda operations that it ran in the run up to last year's election. " Facebook had previously shown Congressional staffers a sample of the ads — some of which attacked Hillary Clinton or praised Donald J. Trump — but had not shared the entire collection," the NYT reports.

An autumnal weekend ahead.

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