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Hey, Im in there somewhere. :(
Hey, I'm in there somewhere. :( Courtesy OHA

It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday! Remember that song? What's that Rebecca Black up to these days anyway? Trick question: I know the answer, she is still making music and she's on Instagram and she actually seems very fun and well-adjusted and queer and I'm happy for her! FUN FUN FUN FUN.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Oregon hit a pandemic-high today with nearly 11,000 positive or presumptive positive cases. I am one of the fresh cases from this week (true facts), and even with a vaccine and booster it has sucked! Pro-tip for anyone who catches the 'cron this wave (which will probably be a lot of you): stock up on yellow gatorade, and make sure you've located a good pho place that delivers. (This guidance is not CDC-approved, but trust me. Or if you don't trust me or the CDC, trust our Isabella Garcia who wrote this informative piece on what to do if you catch the 'cron!)

• As Alex reported earlier today, a majority of city workers who are represented by the District Council of Trade Unions has voted to strike following stalled contract negotiations. Portland City Commissioners put out a statement that said they "remain incredibly grateful to our employees and all they bring to Portland." That's the message to the public. To the union, they offered a 1.6% cost of living increase retro for 2021, a year during which inflation has hit over 6%. Gratitude? More like splat-itude. As in the offer went splat. Because it was bad.

• Related: this tweet:

• A Hood River snowboarder is heading to Beijing to represent the USA in the Olympics! The Olympics are confusing to me, but I've got nothing but love for my hometown and I hope Sean Fitzsimmons does us proud. Go Eagles.

• More sports: Did you read Abe Asher's nice piece about the departure of Portland Timbers' Diego Valeri? You should.

IN NATIONAL/OTHER NEWS:

• Seeing that I had COVID, my week has been pretty rough. But Trump's has been even worse, and that makes mine better. :)

• Also bad: the stock market! It's the worst since March of 2020, so like, don't check on your investment portfolio that you definitely have today. Looks at the squiggly lines going down:

• The FBI announced today that Brian Laundrie admitted to killing Gabby Petito in a notebook discovered near his body. I hope that this brings some resolution to the families.

• It’s back for 2022! America’s sexiest, funnest dirty movie fest, HUMP! Coming at ya starting February 24 at Revolution Hall—GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Encanto has become the first movie soundtrack to hit #1 since 2019 and this TikTok encompasses exactly how I feel about that: