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Happy October, Portland! Letâs get into some spoOoOoky headlines.
In local news:
â˘Â Hereâs a spooky story for you: According to an internal review, US Department of Homeland Security officers complied intelligence and background reports on people arrested during racial justice protests in Portland last summer, despite their charges having nothing to do with homeland security threats. Oregon US Senator Ron Wyden said the report showed the âstunning incompetence, mismanagement and abuse of powerâ by federal officers while they were in Portland. YUP, YOU SAID IT RON!
â˘Â The National Womenâs Soccer League is in the midst of a growing abuse scandalâand the Portland Thorns are in the middle of it. Earlier this week, a story in The Athletic revealed former Thorns coach Paul Riley harassed, intimidated, and sexually harassed at least a dozen players across several teams for years. There is ample evidence that Thorns management and the league itself knew about Rileyâs abuse.
After yesterday's @itsmeglinehan story, it is clear that, at a minimum, Thorns leadership failed to do everything it could to keep an abuser off the NWSL sideline. The club still has much to answer for.
Reporting for the @portlandmercury. https://t.co/2gXvxyJqyf #BAONPDX
â Abe Asher (@abe_asher) October 1, 2021
â˘Â Over 3,000 union healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente in Oregon are preparing to strike as contract negotiations with the company stall across the country. According to local union reps, workers are asking Kaiser to meaningfully address the companyâs staffing crisis, which has only been further exacerbating by the pandemic. Abe Asher has the details.
In national news:
⢠Millions of students in California will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine following the FDAâs full approval of the shot for children 12 and older, which could happen by the end of the year. Governor Gavin Newsom announced the mandate for all eligible public and private school students, grades 7 through 12, on Friday. California is the first state to put forth a vaccine mandate. The Portland Public Schools board is also considering a vaccine mandate for eligible students.
⢠Hereâs a tragic headline for you: US Coronavirus Death Toll Nears 700,000 Despite Wide Availability of Vaccines
More than 17,000 deaths caused by police violence have been misclassified on death certificates since 1980, a new report suggests.
It also found that Black Americans are killed at 3.5x the rate of whites.https://t.co/AsQW4upPI8
â NPR (@NPR) October 1, 2021
â˘Â The US House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection sent out another round of subpoenas this week, aiming to uncover the degree to which former President and lifelong shitbag Donald Trump was involved in planning the rally that proceeded the riot. The 11 organizations and individuals subpoenaed have until October 13 to turn over the requested documents, or testify in depositions scheduled throughout the month.
Mark your calendars for these Merc events!
â˘Â Tonightâs the night! Don't miss HUMP! 2021âfeaturing tons of hotsy-totsy five-minute filthy flicksâcoming at ya LIVE AND IN-PERSON at Revolution Hall for two screenings only on October 1! (You can stream it online, too!) GET THOSE TIX QUICK, it's heading toward a sell-out!
⢠Aaaand you can keep the sexy vibes rolling by seeing Dan Savage live and in-person this Saturday, October 2, for a reading of his newest book, Savage Love from A to Z, an illustrated collection of 26 never-before-published essays! (Plus, paid attendees get their own copy of the book!)
â˘Â Then, the Mercuryâs WING WEEK returns Oct 4-10 with 24 creative wing dishes from your fave restaurants and barsâand theyâre only $6 per plate! YES, PLEASE!
⢠And finally, please do me the favor of voting for âBendy Boiâ in this TriMet poll:
Whatâs your favorite name for this type of bus?
â TriMet (@trimet) October 1, 2021