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Three kids smile as they splash in the pool.
Kids play in the Peninsula Park Pool in 2019. Outdoor pools like Peninsula Pool are now open for the summer. Portland Parks & Recreation

In local news:

ā€¢Ā Former County Commissioner Loretta Smith has announced her run for Oregonā€™s sixth congressional seat in 2022. The new seat was added due to Oregonā€™s 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.

ā€¢Ā Oregon has already experienced more than double the stateā€™s average number of fires this yearā€”and itā€™s 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 Itā€™s 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.

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 Washingtonā€™s 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 ā€œunbearable.ā€

ā€¢Ā The federal government will investigate its previous Native American boarding schools and work to ā€œuncover 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? Donā€™t 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. Hereā€™s a red panda eating some snacks: