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Biden standing behind a podium
President Biden unveiled his $5.8 trillion budget for 2023. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

Good morning, Portland! Do you like news round-ups? Well look at that, it’s your lucky day!

In local news:

• Oregon is using hundreds of millions of dollars from a recreational marijuana tax to fund addiction services. However, while the funds are abundant, the people to actually staff the efforts are not. About 30 percent of addiction and recovery jobs are unfilled in Oregon. "It's the biggest workforce crisis I've seen in my entire 25 year career," says Heather Jefferis, executive director of the Oregon Council for Behavioral Health.

• A pandemic check-in: COVID-19 cases in Oregon decreased by 21 percent over the past week, the state’s ninth consecutive week of declining case numbers (yay!). However, some experts are still warning that a new omicron subvariant may cause cases to rise in the US, as seen in several other countries. According to the Oregon Health & Science University, the new variant could cause a small increase in hospitalizations in early May.

• Mall 205 will no longer be a mall starting March 31. The seemingly forgotten (and possibly haunted) mall is shuffling out its remaining interior tenants at the end of the month to make way for two big box stores, possibly Hobby Lobby and Burlington Coat Factory. Please respect my privacy while I grieve the loss of the vacant Bed, Bath & Beyond storefront that would faithfully house Spirit Halloween every October—it was one of the few places that really captured the eerie chill of the season.

• Terminally ill people no longer have to be a resident of Oregon in order to access state resources for physician-assisted dying, sometimes referred to as medically assisted suicide. The rule change resulted from a lawsuit settlement that claimed the residency requirement was unconstitutional. This makes Oregon the only state where aid in dying is available for nonresidents.

In national news:

• President Biden released his proposed $5.8 trillion federal budget for 2023 Monday. The budget sets aside $773 billion to fund the military—a 10 percent increase amid concerns about the war in Ukraine. Biden also proposed $45 billion in climate investments and $8.4 billion for the FDA, a 34 percent increase from last year in preparation for more pandemic-related preparation and costs. The proposal also calls for a new minimum tax on billionaires and would require American households worth more than $100 million to pay at least 20 percent of their income in taxes.

• The US Food and Drug Administration approved another COVID-19 booster shot for people 50 and older Tuesday. The fourth dose would be available for that age group at least four months after their previous booster shot. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will weigh in next.

• Don’t believe everything you read online, kids:

• Well, well, well: A federal judge found it “more likely than not” that former President and abominable person Donald Trump illegally attempted to corrupt Congress when he tried to overturn the 2020 election results. The finding has no consequences for Trump because it was determined in a case strictly focused on documents sought by the committee investigating the January 6 attack, but it’s nice to see it written out.

• AHOY THERE, STONERS! The SPLIFF Film Festival—featuring short, hilarious, trippy, and thoughtful mini-movies about cannabis and made by stoners just like YOU—is coming to Revolution Hall for one night only on Saturday, April 16! GET THOSE TICKETS NOW!

• Finally, Moshu with the 80s glam shot: