Good Morning, News: Timbers Lose MLS Cup, Special Session Begins, Tornados Devastate Kentucky

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Timbers player Felipe Mora, moments after making a goal tying the MLS Cup game Saturday. Getty Images / Steph Chambers

– The Timbers came incredibly close to winning the MLS Cup on its home turf Saturday—a possibility that had Providence Park (and much of the city) buzzing with excitement and adrenaline on the particularly wet and stormy afternoon. Yet, despite a last-minute goal from Portland tying the match with NYC FC, Portland lost out when overtime turned to penalty kicks. But we’re not sore losers. Instead, let’s all savor that victorious moment Timbers’ Felipe Mora snuck a game-saving goal in:

FELIPE SAID WE’RE NOT DONE YET #MLSCup #RCTID pic.twitter.com/JmQmw5aLkW
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) December 11, 2021

– Portland police shot a man Saturday night after causing his vehicle to crash in Southeast Portland. The man, who has not been identified, is expected to recover. This is the second police shooting in the past week.

– A special session of the Oregon Legislature kicks off this morning, with a dedicated focus on keeping renters housed through the winter. Here’s what else you can expect during what will likely be a whirlwind pre-holiday session.

– The Oregonian dug into the criminal history and financial misdeeds of a woman poised to receive a $12 million grant from the Portland Clean Energy Fund in an article that suggests financial risk-taking within Portland City Council.

– Oregon State Police troopers disproportionately issued citations to drivers of color compared with white drivers over the course of a year, according to a new state analysis. But the state police’s leadership swear they’ve changed since the data was collected.

– Alan Swinney, the far-right Texan extremist who participated in Portland rallies in 2020, was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison. Swinney has been found guilty on 11 charges, including unlawful use of a weapon, attempted assault, and second degree unlawful use of mace.

– The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against Washington County, the federal government, and a state prison in The Dalles for arresting and detaining a man before turning him over to immigration officials, despite the man being a US citizen.

– When the horsemen of the apocalypse are just teachers scrambling for money on the ground:

JUST IN: An arena in South Dakota is holding a “Dash for Cash” where teachers get on their knees and fight for one dollar bills that they can use for classroom supplies while spectators watch and cheer. (h/t @AnnieTodd96) pic.twitter.com/jIht84Ls9W
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) December 12, 2021

– California has introduced a new statewide gun safety bill that would allow state residents to sue anyone who manufactures or sells assault weapons or “ghost guns” in the state. If that policy model sounds familiar, you’re not mistaken: California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he modeled the proposed legislation after the 2021 Texas law used to ban all abortions after six weeks. Look, I appreciate clever politics as much as the next person, but it still feels…bad.

– Four unseasonable tornadoes tore through Kentucky this weekend, including one with an unusually long path of about 200 miles, erasing over one thousand homes from the map and wiping out industrial buildings (including an Amazon warehouse and candle factory). More than 50 people are dead, with others still missing who were in the twister’s path.

– Vicente Fernández, an icon of Mexican ranchera music, died Sunday at the age of 81. Per NPR: “[Fernández] sang about honor and courtship, cockfights and rodeos, love and heartbreak – all while dressed in the elegantly embroidered costume.” RIP to a real one.

– New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific, voted against becoming an independent country Sunday, instead deciding to stick under France’s wing.

Bless this union: