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One of the designs currently being considered to replace the I-5 bridge.
One of the designs currently being considered to replace the I-5 bridge. INTERSTATE BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! And as hard as they would try, they'd hurt to make you cry. But you never cried to them, just to your soul. No, you never cried to them, just to your soul. LET'S GO TO PRESS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• After the original plan collapsed in 2014 over money issues, a new I-5 bridge design is being trotted out for review by Oregon and Washington transportation officials. Will this one make the cut? Our Isabella Garcia has more of what's in store for this potentially HUGE transportation issue.

• Though hundreds of Oregon hospital workers were either fired or put on leave for refusing to get the mandated COVID-19 vaccine, a very impressive 90 percent did get vaccinated, calming fears of a potentially devastating loss of health care workers during a precarious time.

• It turns out that more people than expected died from COVID-19 in Oregon this past summer than previously reported thanks to a computer error, the Oregon Health Authority says. We could be seeing up to 550 more deaths that occurred in May through August.

• Keep a wary eye on this: Militia extremist Ammon Bundy's anti-government People's Rights group has spread nationwide and even into Canada, thanks to assists from other far-right hate mongers such as the Tea Party and the Proud Boys.

• Portland cops who refused to display name badges during the 2020 summer protests just got a scathing rebuttal from a judge who is ordering the city to reveal the names of those bad actors.

• It's time once again for Portland's funnest quiz, POP QUIZ PDX! This week, test your brain on all sorts of Portland trivia, history, political scandals, and the (in)famous "subjective" question—that may make you want to murder the earth. GET QUIZZY WITH IT!

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• While the FDA is poised to release their own analysis, Pfizer says their data shows that their COVID vaccine is 90.7 percent effective in kids age 5 to 11.

• The CDC has given the okay for tens of millions of higher-risk Americans to get the Moderna and J&J COVID booster shots—and also endorsed a "mix & match" strategy in which a different brand of vaccine may be used.

• Police are investigating a horrible tragedy on the set of actor Alec Baldwin's new movie, in which the film's cinematographer was killed by a prop gun fired by the actor. The director of the film was also injured.

• It seems President Biden may finally be coming around to the idea of getting rid of the Republicans' favorite weapon of obstruction, the filibuster—especially where it pertains to passing voting rights. However, he says he will hold off on any decision until Congress passes his spending bills.

• The House has voted to hold walking turnip/Trump toadie Steve Bannon in criminal contempt after he ignored a subpoena to appear before the congressional committee investigating the Jan 6 domestic terror attack on the nation's capitol. (Naturally, sycophantic Republicans desperately tried to deflect any blame away from their dear leader.) The matter now goes to the Justice Department who will decide whether or not to throw Bannon's turnip ass in jail.

• Today in "SCIENCE!": "Elephants have evolved to be tuskless because of ivory poaching, a study finds."

• Get ready for the fun fright of your life with SLAY—the Mercury's short HORROR film fest coming at ya online THIS WEEKEND from Oct 22-31, and LIVE and IN-PERSON at the Clinton Street Theater on Oct 29 & 30! GET THOSE TICKETS NOW.

• And now... THE WEATHER REPORT: Expect some showers today with a high of 59.

• And finally, sometimes... despite our best intentions... a three-way just doesn't work out.