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HAHAHAHAHA BIKES!
"HAHAHAHAHA BIKES!" vgajic

Good Afternoon, Portland! It's Earth Day! Get out there and party for the planet. Or stay in and watch the new season of Russian Doll for the planet. Whatever you choose, just remember where you live, and that we only have one of these things (our habitable planet).

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• THROW YOUR CAR IN THE RIVER, it's a FREE BIKETOWN WEEKEND! There's a song about it and everything. According to Biketown, they're offering free 60-minute rides from now until Sunday. Partake in the joys of riding a zippy orange tank around the fifth most bike-able city in the nation. That front basket will jettison your belongings, so make sure to over-bungee it, or just don't put anything in there.

• Elected leaders are once more taking a good, hard stab at the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, where I-5 crosses from Oregon into Washington. Bike Portland reports that the two options on the table both resemble the 2013 proposal for the Columbia River Crossing which ended in failure. But there has been progress on the mass transit arm—they've decided to put in a light rail line to connect North Portland's Expo Center to downtown Vancouver, WA.

• In response to a new report, stating the Oregon has at least $5.3 billion of public money invested in fossil fuel companies, a coalition of nearly 90 organizations is pushing the state treasury to divest.

• Record Store Day is TOMORROW (Saturday, April 23), so get out there and support your local record shop. If you're looking for something new, we've got some picks for records and new releases that you should check out.

IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

• As the Russian invasion of Ukraine ramps back up in momentum, Ukrainian officials say that Russian forces have occupied more than three dozen small towns in their push to seize the country's eastern territories. At the same time, in Geneva, the UN High Commission for Human Rights presented documentation of the violence and mass murder discovered when Russian troops withdrew from previously occupied areas. “International humanitarian law has not merely been ignored but seemingly tossed aside,” Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement.

• What is it that Shakespeare wrote? "My only love sprung from my only hate?" Well, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially dissolved Walt Disney World's private government, in retaliation for the theme park and intellectual property world power's opposition to a new Florida law—colloquially known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. Is that law bullshit? Yes. Should Disney have had a private government inside the state of Florida? Uh...

• There are still some moments where it feels like civilization has come a long way: Georgia voters are petitioning their Secretary of State to block U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from running for reelection, due to her support and potential involvement with the January 6 insurrection.

CALLING ALL PIZZA LOVERS! Your favorite week of the year is here: It's the Mercury's PIZZA WEEK featuring $3 specialty slices at 28 locations across the Portland area, starting NOW through Sunday, April 24! Eat 'em up!

• Now here is your cue to get out of the building and, get into the weekend!

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