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Meet Willow Biden, Americas newest First Cat, whose first order of business is to rip the shit out of President Monroes mahogany living room set.
Meet Willow Biden, America's newest "First Cat," whose first order of business is to rip the shit out of President Monroe's mahogany living room set. White House

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! Don't you promise me the world. All that I've already heard. This time around for me, baby, actions speak louder than words. LET'S GO TO PRESS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Let's kick off Friday with some good news: Dr. Robin Holmes-Sullivan has been chosen as the first Black person and woman to be president of Lewis & Clark University. “It’s obviously something that is going to be, and is, very meaningful to me and to our school and also to the young people who will be looking at me as someone who they can feel inspired by,” Holmes-Sullivan said. “They can realize that they can dream big.”

• There's been a distinct rise in violence directed at TriMet drivers, inspiring the organization to start cracking down on asshole riders, and they're starting with lengthy-to-lifelong bans on butthole passengers who spit on drivers. Our Isabella Garcia has more!

• The Yamhill County Commissioner who threatened the county's health department has backed off after health officials refused to add wrong information—such as discrediting vaccines or other bullshit, crackpot cures that Republicans seem so fond of—to the county website.

• According to police, a Clackamas County Sheriff's Deputy shot and killed a 32-year-old man during a high-speed chase and crash on I-205 Wednesday night. A source within the department told OPB that the chase began following a domestic disturbance call—but we all know by now to wait until further details emerge.

• Aminé's homecoming show, some new jams from former Portlander Quinn, and the return of the Waterfront Blues Fest—all that in more in the latest edition of Jenni Moore's HEAR IN PORTLAND!

• Don't miss this week's edition of Portland's funnest trivia game, POP QUIZ PDX, featuring loads of sassy Qs about Wordle, Kill Rock Stars, "Yamhill resident" (??) Nick Kristof, and the secret history of why you can't pump your own gas!

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• Vladimir Putin seems unwilling to budge on his expansionist efforts into Ukraine, telling French President Emmanuel Macron that any further meddling from NATO is "unacceptable."

• A bridge in Pittsburgh has collapsed, injuring 10—on the same day that Biden was visiting the city to push the necessity of improving the nation's infrastructure. (Cue the crackpot conspiracy theories! Or is this not weird enough?)

• Scientists are keeping a close eye on what they're calling the "Stealth Omicron" virus, which is a new sub-variant of Omicron and, if its sneaky presence in Europe is any indication, possibly even more transmissible than its big brother.

• The east coast is bracing for a wicked winter storm that is scheduled to hit this weekend and could dump well over a foot of snow in some areas.

• America, welcome the "First Cat."

• For those of you who miss the original hangover-inducing Four Loko... have I got a headline for you: "Taco Bell favorite Mountain Dew Baja Blast is going boozy."

• ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!

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• 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!

• And now... THE WEATHER REPORT: Another sunshine-y day with a high of 48—but expect the return of rain by Sunday!

• And finally, sooooo... WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO?