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FIRST THINGS VERY MUCH FIRST: I cannot recommend this week's feature story about an exorcism in suburban Portland strongly enough. It's delightful! And terrifying! A stuffed bear plays a larger role than you would think!
Oregon has become the first state to pass new gun controls following last week's massacre at a high school in Florida. That's mostly coincidental, but yesterday the Senate passed new restrictions for people who stalk or abuse their significant other—closing the so-called "boyfriend loophole"—which has been a priority of Gov. Kate Brown.
SPEAKING OF GUNS: You know that Second Amendment trope that "only good people with guns can stop bad people with guns"? Tell that to the sheriff's deputy who stayed outside while kids were being murdered inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to beat the drum for arming teachers, now suggesting paying them a "bit of a bonus" to carry the lives of their students in their hands.
Speaking of Trump, one of his former campaign aides, Rick Gates, is expected to plead guilty this afternoon as part of the investigation into Russian meddling.
OPB went deep into the hundreds of thousands of dollars Multnomah County spent on a homeless shelter that has now been vacated because of safety concerns. Among the findings: The county's financial stake in the building gave some staffers heartburn, and officials should have had warning that the building's roof could fail. Worth a read/listen.
State senators will square off today on a set of tax changes. Dems say the tweaks are necessary to ensure changes to the federal tax code don't rob the state of needed revenue. Republicans don't like it, though, as the O points out, one conservative tax group does.
ALSO: Democratic leaders in Salem want an easier process for expelling problematic lawmakers after the Jeff Kruse scandal. So they've sent a letter to the Oregon Law Commission asking if anything might be done.
Hoo boy. The Republican governor of Missouri has been indicted on a felony charge, for allegedly taking a picture of his nude paramour while she was blindfolded. He could be impeached.
College Basketball: Turns out it's pretty corrupt!
WARM UP, FEBRUARY
