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The National Women's Soccer League championship game will no longer be played at Providence Park this year. courtesy of portland thorns fc

In local news:

• Portland housing advocate Jamila Dozier is running against City Commissioner Dan Ryan in the May 2022 primary. So, what's Dozier's background, why are they running, and what's their plan if elected? We cover all that and more in this Q&A with the candidate.

• On October 18, all Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) employees will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19, per a mandate from Governor Kate Brown. But with just a few more days to go, only half of those DOC employees are vaccinated—and 713 employees have received deadline extensions for religious reasons. In related news, 44 incarcerated Oregonians have died from COVID so far.

• Oh, shit, it's the consequences of Thorns management's actions:

The NWSL Championship will be moved to Louisville from Portland after players requested the change, sources tell The Athletic.

The location change means a later start time locally.https://t.co/gKiTfa6sJZ
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 13, 2021

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!

September COVID deaths nearly match all-time record. BRANDON BELL / GETTY IMAGES

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• The Oregon Health Authority reported 52 COVID-19 deaths yesterday, and while those fatalities happened earlier in September, it puts Oregon on track to match the deadliest virus month on record.

Portland’s elected auditor, the city’s watchdog, won’t seek third term https://t.co/JxRIGVO7AC pic.twitter.com/anOmcEu2U9
— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) October 13, 2021

• New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has formed a political action committee to help him raise funds for what is expected to be a potential run for governor of Oregon. I know it's still too early for slogans, but how about: "Nicholas Kristof: Another Entitled White Guy Who Thinks His Opinions Matter."

• Democratic legislators Sen. Kayse Jama and Rep. Khanh Pham are putting together a very necessary workgroup to improve the way Oregon welcomes Afghan refugees in order to smooth the path for those arriving in the coming months—and those from other countries arriving in the future.

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!

Today is the last day to register to vote in time for the November 2, 2021 Special Election. Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County

• ALERT! Today is the last day to register to vote in time for the November 2, 2021 special election. Oregonians with a valid drivers license, driving permit, or ID can register online, or fill out a paper Oregon Voter Registration Card at a post office, county library, or the county elections building at SE Morrison and 11th.

• As the October 18th vaccination deadline for healthcare workers and emergency responders looms closer, at least eight counties in Oregon have already declared states of emergency in preparation for mass resignations. The predominantly Southern and Eastern Oregon county leaders have asked Governor Brown to remove or extend the vaccination mandate deadline, but Brown hasn’t budged—probably because we’re in this little thing called A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.

Kicker rebate finalized: Oregonians will get 17% of their 2020 state income taxes back https://t.co/BNjRBhnbwg pic.twitter.com/kf5j4M1P6Q
— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) October 12, 2021

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!

Kaiser nurses working at a drive-thru COVID-19 test site in 2020. JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES

Good morning, Portland! And welcome to Good Morning News: It's what happened recently!

And here are the headlines.

• Kaiser Permanente nurses and health professionals in Oregon are getting ready to strike, as new contract negotiations have stalled on wage increases and workloads. In a vote, 96 percent of union members said they support the strike, meaning the union can now pull the trigger on it at any time.

• A group of former Oregon elected Republicans are suing to block the new congressional district map, calling it "partisan gerrymandering." In a similar 2001 lawsuit, the Oregon Supreme Court upheld the new map, so it may be unlikely that this lawsuit will change anything.

• It’s been nearly a year since Portlanders voted to approve a new oversight system for police who engage in misconduct. Yet, because the process of overhauling a police accountability program takes time, the city is still operating under the oversight system the ballot measure aims to undo—the Police Review Board. In this fascinating piece, our own Alex Zielinski breaks down why the Police Review Board is such an utter failure when it comes to disciplining cops.

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!

Case studies from the Police Review Board reveal why some cops keep getting away with bad behavior. Mathieu Lewis-Rolland

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• First of all, GOODBYE COLUMBUS... HELLO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' DAY! Oregon can officially celebrate this holiday for the first time this year after the Oregon legislature overwhelmingly approved the switch back in May. Find out more about why recognizing Indigenous Peoples' Day is so very necessary.

Christopher Columbus was as American as Jesus was white.

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) October 11, 2021

• Ever wonder why Portland cops keep getting in trouble and yet they are rarely ever held accountable for their actions? There are a lot of reasons why, but one is because the cops have learned how to game the system when it comes to the Police Review Board (PRB) who investigates police malfeasance and issue disciplinary recommendations. Our Alex Zielinski explains how it works AND offers a few very juicy true stories of cops being bad and what happened when the case went before the PRB. Read it!

A look at how Portland's current police oversight board decides not to penalize officers who make anti-trans comments, shoot munitions at peaceful protesters, or kill people: https://t.co/rPZ9dVrPqZ

— Alex Zielinski (@alex_zee) October 11, 2021

• An overwhelming majority of Kaiser Permanente nurses and workers in Oregon have voted in favor of authorizing a strike which will most likely happen—BUT they do have to give management 10 days before executing a walkout, which if it happens could lead to disastrous consequences due to the current pandemic.

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!

A scene from a 2017 Indigenous Peoples' Day rally in Los Angeles. David McNew / Getty Images

- Voodoo Doughnut has been ordered to rehire employees who were fired after going on strike during the June heatwave, per a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board. The board determined Thursday that it was illegal for management to fire its employees for protesting their sweltering work environment.

- A momentous Oregon Supreme Court ruling has the potential to clear all current death sentences in the state, and possibly ending Oregon’s death penalty once and for all. Blair Stenvick breaks it down here.

- The Oregonian visited Salem Hospital, home to one of Oregon's busiest ICUs treating largely unvaccinated people with COVID-19. Take a sobering peek behind the curtain of life as a nurse treating patients "facing all-but-certain death." (And maybe share it with your anti-vax aunt, too).

- No one asked, but Portland's notorious cop union, the Portland Police Association, published a five-year plan for Portland police. Surprise: It calls for adding 800 more officer positions.

- Make time for this deep dive into the history of anti-fascism in Portland:

Portland’s history of violent extremism goes way back. Ask Jon Bair, who killed a neo-Nazi 28 years ago during the skinhead wars. Today, Bair has a message for Portland. “We never beat the racism out of anybody.” https://t.co/JkTwRTjzcQ w/@Bryan_Denson @KWGPhoto #longreads
— Conrad Wilson (@conradjwilson) October 8, 2021