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In local news:
ā¢Ā Former County Commissioner Loretta Smith has announced her run for Oregonās sixth congressional seat in 2022. The new seat was added due to Oregonās population growth over the past decade, but state lawmakers are still debating the boundaries of the new district.
ā¢Ā Portland police officers will now only engage in traffic violations that threaten public safety, Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell announced Tuesday. The policy change will limit officers from pulling over drivers for low-level infractions, like expired tags or a broken headlight during daylight hours, in an effort to address the overrepresentation of Black Portlanders pulled over by the Portland Police Bureau.
Ride free on transit 4th of July weekend, Saturday through Monday! Where are you exploring over the holiday? š š š
šššhttps://t.co/7KhOQ1Qvyl pic.twitter.com/YDPCxLEjTu
ā TriMet (@trimet) June 22, 2021
ā¢Ā Oregon has already experienced more than double the stateās average number of fires this yearāand itās only June. Fire officials are urging Oregonians to start preparing for the severe fire season now. The Mercury has your guide on how to do that.
ā¢Ā Itās official: Portland Public Pools are open for the summer! All outdoor pools and four indoor pools opened today. Pods of up to six people can reserve a time for lap swim, water fitness, and play swims.
Once part of the "unified command" mobilized to respond to Portland unrest, the Multnomah Sheriff's crowd control unit will likely restrict itself to county buildings and personnel- citing same concerns as city RRT: https://t.co/HyfCTRq6UD @ThePortlandTrib
ā Nick Budnick (@NickBudnick) June 22, 2021
ā¢Ā It is the last week to join the Take Your Shot, Oregon lottery for a chance to win $1 million. Oregonians who have received their first shot of the vaccine by June 28 will automatically be entered to win. Travel Oregon also recently added four travel packages as part of the lottery, with trips valued up to $2,000 dollars. Find your nearest vaccine clinic here.
In national news:
ā¢Ā All five of University of Washingtonās Black campus police officers filed multi-million dollar damage claims against the university this week, citing the racist culture and hostility that has been directed at them because of it. The officers say the racist comments made by their colleagues and the public made their jobs āunbearable.ā
This is what an anti-democratic system looks like:
41 GOP senators representing just 21 percent of the country will block a voting rights bill from moving forward, even though itās supported by 68 percent of the public, according to recent polling. https://t.co/LKGdILPaXC
ā Mother Jones (@MotherJones) June 22, 2021
ā¢Ā The federal government will investigate its previous Native American boarding schools and work to āuncover the truth about the loss of human life and the lasting consequences,ā US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced today. The investigation will include collecting records to identify previous boarding schools and locate possible burial sites near them. This announcement comes after the remains of 215 Indigenous children were found at a boarding school in Canada.
ā¢Ā The fireworks industry is reporting a 30 percent decrease in supply ahead of Independence Day, due to supply chain shortages caused by the pandemic. That means that fireworks are going to be more expensive and less abundant this year. My solution? Donāt buy fireworks to set off during a severe drought!
ā¢Ā From the makers of HUMP! and SPLIFF comes a new film fest that features short documentaries made by YOU! It's calledĀ SCOOP! and you can find out more about it here.
ā¢ Alright, some of those headlines were kind of heavy. Hereās a red panda eating some snacks:
Light snacks pic.twitter.com/hk70qe93wV
ā Oregon Zoo (@OregonZoo) June 22, 2021