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King Tides hit Depoe Bay in 2019.
King Tides hit Depoe Bay in 2019. Donna DiGiacinto / Oregon King Tides Photo Project

Good morning, Portland! Hey, you want to find the perfect gift while also supporting local businesses, yes? YES! Then don’t miss the Mercury’s Holiday Gift Guide, featuring only the coolest gifts and where to find them... locally!

And with that, here are the headlines.

• Portland City Council is poised to pay Portlander Aaron Cantu $125,000 this Wednesday to settle a lawsuit accusing the city of using violence to attack protesters' First Amendment rights during an August 2018 protest. Wonder how many more of those lawsuits the city is going to have to settle in the next few years!

• Former state representative Akasha Lawrence Spence has been appointed to serve as Senator for Oregon District 8, which stretches from Downtown Portland to Tigard, spanning Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties. Former Senator Ginny Burdick left the position earlier this month—in the middle of her four-year term—to join a statewide energy council, leaving the seat open for a short-term appointment. Lawrence Spence is also running against incumbent Dan Ryan for a Portland City Council seat in the May 2022 election, as her short-term appointment will end before the council term would begin. Get yourself a civil servant who can do both!

• Who wore it better?

• The Oregon Coast is set to see "king tides"—tides increased by the close alignment of the sun and moon, resulting in a stronger gravitational pull—this weekend. Because climate change has caused sea levels to rise, this tide could cause more erosion and flooding than before, and researchers are asking Oregonians to snap photos to help them document the change.

• Thanks to the passage of President Joe Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in Congress, Southern Oregon's Klamath Basin is getting a healthy $160 million to help restore its ecosystem. That could result in improved water quality and better habitats for local species.

• The COVID-19 omicron variant is coming, and it could possibly be the most contagious variant yet. Mask up, get boosted, and please try to be kind to people.

• This could represent a huge step forward for how we humanely deal with addiction in this country:

• Well, well, well. It turns out the grope-y governor's CNN host brother was using his media skills and connections to try and silence victims of sexual harassment and assault. Chris Cuomo has no business calling himself a journalist.

• Barbados is finally free of the British monarchy, as the Caribbean nation formally removed Queen Elizabeth from her ceremonial role as head of state today. Prince Charles was there to give his blessing—and, much more importantly, Barbados native Rihanna was there as well, and declared a national hero.

• And finally: Move over, Lady Gaga in House of Gucci!