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Portland Timbers FC

Good afternoon, Portland! Here's the latest on local news, national news, and a little bit of fun.

In local news:

• The Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) failed to uphold values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and community members believe the university inconsistently responds to reports of misconduct, an investigation into the university’s institutional culture found. OHSU commissioned the report after a series of internal concerns related to gender and racial discrimination were brought to leaders’ attention, as well as a recent lawsuit against OHSU for how it handled allegations of misconduct amongst staff.

• On Monday, December 13, state lawmakers will head to Salem for what will surely be a whirlwind special legislative session to address several state-level crises before the year's end. So what can we expect from that special session? Alex Zielinski's got all the details.

• If the name "Alan Swinney" rings a bell for you, it might be from that time last year when he and a bunch of his far-right palls brought weapons to a downtown protest, and police did nothing about it. Anyway, here's what's going on with him now:

• Yesterday, Oregon’s immunization advisory panel approved booster doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 16 and 17. That means that healthcare providers and vaccine clinics are approved to administer shots to newly eligible teens who completed their original vaccine series at least six months ago effective immediately—so make sure the cool teen in your life gets boosted!

In national news:

• Got any cool plans for this weekend? Here's a suggestion, via an NPR headline: "Redditors are spamming Kellogg's job portal in solidarity with its striking workers."

• At first blush, today's Supreme Court mixed-bag ruling about Texas' anti-abortion law might seem like a modest win for those of us who believe in bodily autonomy. But when you get down to it, it's an unqualified disaster for abortion rights. Here's a helpful break-down:

• Employees at a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize yesterday, becoming the first Starbucks ever to do so. That means more unionizations could soon be coming at other Starbucks—and at other big food service chains that might before have seemed un-winnable for union organizers.

• New York state is now requiring people to wear masks inside establishments that don't require proof of vaccination for entry. The new mandate comes amid a winter spike in New York COVID cases.

And just for fun:

• Are you desperate to watch the MLS Cup tomorrow, featuring our very own Portland Timbers, but don't have cable at home? Here are 16 bars that will be showing the match.

• And finally, prepare to experience some scent cravings: