The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!
GOOD AFTERNOON, PORTLAND! Break out your slickers and rubbers—umm... NO, not for that—it's for the rain, silly! Expect lots of clouds and showers on Friday with a high of 66, and right now? Expect a lot of NEWS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Welp, the Portland Police are being sued AGAIN, this time for allegedly failing to properly investigate the case of a man who was trying to divert traffic away from a protest march in 2020 and was run over by the driver of a truck pulling a trailer. While cops claimed there was no video evidence of the hit and run—turns out there WAS. And worse still, the cop assigned to the case reportedly blamed the victim. (Another one in a million of "NOT GOOD LOOKS.")
Portland poised to rejoin Rose Quarter freeway project after walking away in 2020 https://t.co/YRA2LWhVh4
— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) June 9, 2022
• Another great reason we voted NRA endorsed Democrat Kurt Schrader OUT: "Oregon’s Kurt Schrader votes against gun control bill passed by U.S. House."
A father and son from southwest Washington are set to accept plea deals with federal prosecutors for entering the U.S. Capitol with a pro-Trump mob during the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection. https://t.co/jVDnxPaF5c
— OPB (@OPB) June 9, 2022
• Hey people in the Corbett and Troutdale area! Be on the lookout for what officials are calling the "Perennial Pooper"—someone who's dumped around 500 bags of human feces on the side of roads over the last FIVE YEARS. (I've heard the phrase "when you've gotta go, you've gotta go"... but this is ridiculous!)
• Portland-born director Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals) is one of the most acclaimed Native American filmmakers of his generation, and he spoke to the Mercury about his new TV series Dark Winds, and the powerful feeling of putting the project's focus on a Native hero.
Hey brainy britches! Test your knowledge of Portland-based movies, sneaky celebrity visits, and lots more sassy-ass local trivia with the always fun POP QUIZ PDX! Plus you can enter to win *free pizza*... yummm. 😋https://t.co/uKqA6FNkK0
— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) June 9, 2022
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• TONIGHT, TONIGHT, TONIGHT: It's the first of several public televised hearings in which the January 6 Congressional Panel will reveal what they've discovered during their investigation of the domestic terror attack on the nation's capitol. It's scheduled to run from 5 pm to 8 pm on all major networks (except for the entirely culpable Fox News, of course). I wonder if Trump will watch?
Republican lawmakers sought to portray the Jan. 6 committee as illegitimate, hours before the panel opens its public hearings on Thursday. Here’s a fact check of some of the inaccurate claims that were made. https://t.co/n63hZ4KLji
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 9, 2022
• Very much related, the FBI has arrested a Michigan Republican candidate for governor for his involvement in the January 6 domestic terrorist attack.
• Tangentially related: A white Michigan police officer has been arrested and charged with MURDER for shooting and killing a Black man, Patrick Lyoya, during a (you guessed it) routine traffic stop.
Breaking News: Heavily armed Uvalde officers waited an hour to confront the gunman, even as on-scene supervisors were told wounded students were trapped, in part because a commander feared for officers’ safety, documents seen by The New York Times show. https://t.co/PYouAyFpVm pic.twitter.com/W050udvyO7
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 9, 2022
• Today's mass shooting: Three dead, one critically injured in a concrete molding company in Smithsburg, Maryland, when a gunman fired on employees before escaping and then getting shot by the cops. Details are still emerging.
• Today in "It's about goddamn time!": "NASA launches study of UFOs despite ‘reputational risk’."
Britney Spears' wedding was just dramatically interrupted, as her first husband, Jason Alexander, showed up trying to crash the event ... resulting in a police response. https://t.co/twc25BOhKB
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 9, 2022
• And finally... rents are on the rise—and so is this guy's blood pressure, and for a damn good reason!
“I’m raising your rent next year” pic.twitter.com/NN2DzGsxDG
— Scott Seiss (@ScottSeiss) June 9, 2022