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RIP to filibuster reform and comprehensive voting rights. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In local news:

• Portland police used force (shooting tear gas, baton strikes, shoving, etc) an estimated 6,000 times while responding to the racial justice protests in 2020. Despite the injuries caused by the force and over 100 public complaints, none of those forceful incidents broke city policy according to Portland’s Independent Police Review (IPR). Seems statistically unlikely, right? According to the IPR director, the Portland police’s directives make it impossible for the city to hold individual officers accountable for using riot control weapons against the public.

• The Portland Expo Center COVID-19 testing site is closed until January 24 as the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) passes the reins to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). According to OHA, the trade off of temporarily closing a popular testing site amidst an unprecedented surge in COVID cases is worth being able to reopen the Expo site with higher capacity under OHA’s control. Additionally, OHSU opened a new appointment-only testing site at its Marquam Hill campus Wednesday.

Change in governor's race: Democrat @CaseyKulla dropped out on Wednesday to run for labor commissioner. “I hope to win outright,” Kulla told @LynnePDX. https://t.co/H2Xpvs6pCb
— Oregon Capital Chronicle (@ORCapChronicle) January 20, 2022

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!

"And now may I introduce my fellow DESTROYER OF DEMOCRACY, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema." Alex Wong / Getty News

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• The Lane County District Attorney has dropped sexual abuse charges against Portland real estate investor and major Democratic Party fundraiser and activist Terry Bean, who was accused of abusing a 15-year-old boy.

• The Center for Covid Control is under investigation in multiple states, including Oregon, for deceptive and fraudulent practices relating to their COVID-19 testing services. Here's a look at the scope of the company's operations in Portland.

• An important development at city council:

Bozo to Portland City Council:

"I, as a member of the Clowning Society of America, would like to nominate [Portland Mayor] Edward Tevis Wheeler for 'Clown Of The Year.'" pic.twitter.com/e2V81ovJC6
— Shane D. Kavanaugh (@shanedkavanaugh) January 19, 2022

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!

Tusitala "Tiny" Toese, one of the Proud Boys responsible for the August 22 riot in the Parkrose neighborhood, has been arrested. Sean Bascom

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! Bus stop... bus stop. Are you ready? To do the bus stop. LET'S GO TO PRESS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Proud Boy member Tusitala "Tiny" Toese—who has caused trouble on several occasions in Portland—has been arrested on a warrant for his violent actions during this past summer's protest in the Parkrose neighborhood (that one where police refused to interfere). He's currently facing eleven criminal charges. Get all the details from our Alex Zielinski!

A judge has ruled that Mayor Wheeler's 2020 curfew order wasn't constitutionally sound because it was over-broad. This means the defendant in this case can't be charged for violating the order. https://t.co/fdcrJmQDnf

— Alex Zielinski (@alex_zee) January 18, 2022

• The number of positive daily COVID cases appear to be holding steady with an average of 7,900 new infections reported per day over the last week... but it's still too early to call it a "plateau."

• Students at Portland's Grant High School have walked out over complaints that the institution isn't doing enough to protect them from COVID-19, and are demanding more N-95 masks and contact tracing.

Oregon's largest school district is defending its COVID-19 safety protocol after a critical letter from school nurses. @RManning47 reports on Portland Public Schools' lengthy response: https://t.co/m2Idnac9YC

— OPB (@OPB) January 19, 2022

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!

Proud Boy Tusitala “Tiny” Toese has been arrested for his violent actions during a protest in the Parkrose neighborhood. Nathan Howard / Getty News

Good afternoon, Portland! The U.S. Department of Justice and local unions are upset with our city government, but the good news is that our state government is making headlines for the wrong reasons too! Here's the news.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Tusitala "Tiny" Toese, a member of the far-right Proud Boys, has been arrested and is facing eleven criminal counts for his actions at an August protest in Parkrose. It's been a tough week for major alt-right figures, with Kyle “Based Stickman” Chapman also being placed under arrest in Idaho. Too bad, so sad! Alex Zielinski has more on Toese.

Proud Boy "Tiny" Toese has been jailed for his actions during an August 22, 2021 right-wing protest in Portland. He's facing 11 criminal counts. https://t.co/IzR8okln7Z
— Alex Zielinski (@alex_zee) January 18, 2022

• A coalition of local unions are accusing city officials of illegally interfering with their efforts to organize a city worker strike that could begin as soon as Thursday. They've also filed an unfair labor practice complaint. Alex Zielinski has more.

• A new report in The Guardian claims that officials managing Oregon's public pension fund privately gave their approval in 2019 for an investment group to acquire NSO Software—an Israel-based spyware company accused of enabling widespread human rights violations that was also blacklisted by the Biden administration. An Oregon treasury spokesperson has declined to comment on the report.

COSMONAUT / GETTY IMAGES

A union representing some 1,200 city of Portland employees has accused city mangers of interfering with the current union-wide vote, which will determine whether or not the city employees go on strike.

The District Council of Trade Unions (DCTU) is a conglomeration of several unions representing city staff, including AFSCME Local 189, IBEW Local 48, Plumbers Local 290, Painters and Allied Trades District Council 5, Machinists District Lodge 24, Auto Mechanics District Lodge 24, and Operating Engineers Local 701. In December, DCTU declared an impasse in contract negotiations after the city refused to budge on the union's requests for equitable cost of living wage increases. In hopes of moving the negotiations forward, DCTU threatened a strike earlier this month. Union members began voting on whether or not to hold a strike last week, and the results of that vote are expected to be announced after Wednesday.

DCTU's members work in nearly all city departments, and their absence would cause disruption in critical city functions. The city has continued to meet with the DCTU's bargaining team during the vote in hopes of coming to an agreement before the strike is approved—but no progress has been announced yet. Instead, DCTU has accused city managers of illegally interfering with the vote.

In a press release sent Tuesday morning, DCTU President Rob Martineau said that city managers were misleading their workers by telling employees represented by DCTU that they aren't part of the union, by denying vacation request prior to the vote, and by conducting staff polls about how members plan on voting.

"It seems city managers are trying to create confusion and intimidate people," said Martineau. "It won’t work."

Tusitala "Tiny" Toese aims a paintball gun at counter protesters on August 22, 2021 in Portland. NATHAN HOWARD / GETTY IMAGES

Toese was one of many members of the Proud Boys and other far-right organizations who showed up in Northeast Portland on Sunday, August 22 with paintball guns and bear mace, looking for a confrontation with antifascist Portlanders. The so-called "Summer of Love" rally marked the one-year anniversary of a similar right-wing demonstration in downtown Portland, which was defined by its lack of police response. The 2021 event, held in an abandoned Kmart parking lot in the Parkrose neighborhood, was no different. Right-wing activists violently clashed with antifascists that afternoon in a haze of smoke bombs and white paint with no police intervention. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said that officers were monitoring the situation from afar and would make arrests at a later date.

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 volcano in Tonga erupted for several days this weekend, cutting the nation's communication lines. Tonga Geological Services

Good morning, Portland! Fog season continues today, so keep your eyes extra peeled for pedestrians if you’re driving. Now, on to the headlines!

In local news:

• The Center for Covid Control—the COVID testing company currently under investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice—received $123 million dollars from the federal government, a USA Today investigation found. The money was supposed reimburse the company for the COVID rapid and PCR tests it distributed at over 300 testing sites nationally. However, many state health departments—including the Oregon Health Authority—have not received the results of any of the tests the company was reimbursed for. (If you hit paywall on the USA Today story, WW has the highlights.)

• Six people were shot outside of WOW Hall, a popular music venue in Eugene, Friday following a concert. The mass shooting is the “highest profile shooting” the city has ever seen, according to Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner. As of Saturday, one of the shooting victims is in critical condition and five are in stable condition.

The Oregon Supreme Court last week unanimously supported next steps toward alternative pathways for becoming a licensed attorney. https://t.co/bzHN5Bju1o
— OPB (@OPB) January 17, 2022

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!

'Is that you, Omicron?" If you think you've caught COVID (or are scared of catching it), don't miss our helpful guide! martin-dm / Getty Images

Good afternoon, friends, lovers, children, mothers, sinners, saints, etc! It's Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend and if I know anything about work it's that all of you are working your very hardest right now and I'll try to make this post very boring so you can focus on your jobs!! Ha ha.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Today in "COPS: WTF??" The Mercury's Alex Zielinski just reported that in 2018 Portland Police used a slide in their training materials containing a meme of what appeared to be a police officer assaulting an unarmed protester and text that read, in part: "That they may christen your heads with hickory; And anoint your faces with pepper spray." Police Chief Chuck Lovell said the meme was "contrary to their values" which is just an interesting position to take, because like, okay, whose values are they? Did somebody just sneak into the PPB's powerpoint at night to drop in that slide? Just asking!

Been a big coupla days for Wheeler. First, a subpoena for a protest policy accused of limiting free speech. Then, news of a police training presentation that encourages violence in the face of free speech. https://t.co/DoLebF4zhE

— Alex Zielinski (@alex_zee) January 14, 2022

• Schools across the state have been temporarily closing due to COVID-related staffing shortages as the Omicron variant continues its lung-thirsty voyage around the globe. (My partner teaches at one of those closed schools; he's been vacuuming ALL DAY while I am working at home.) If you know a family impacted by the closures, consider dropping a lasagna and a bottle of gin at their door tonight.

• Would you like to stay ahead of the 'cron? Our own Isabella Garcia just put together this handy-dandy guide to navigating this whole cluster. From finding a mask to finding a test to finding a place to lie down (maybe not that last part), Isabella will get you informed. READ IT, IT WILL MAKE YOU SMARTER AND FEEL BETTER.

• Speaking of public health, did you know that tomorrow is your last day to sign up for a health insurance plan through Oregon's marketplace? It is! Look, private insurance fucking sucks, but if you get COVID and need to go to the hospital (unlikely, but possible), it's expensive, and seems like most of us probably will get COVID if we haven't already, so best to be ready.

Saturday, January 15 is the LAST day to sign up for health insurance through @ORMarketplace. If you need health care coverage for 2022, don't wait: Preview affordable plans and sign up today at https://t.co/mxaJfWxr5D. pic.twitter.com/gCHufiWBqq
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) January 13, 2022