BLOGTOWN

Supreme Court Justice and American icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg, dead at the age of 87. Robin Marchant / Getty Images

Here's your daily roundup of all the latest local and national news. (Like our coverage? Please consider making a recurring contribution to the Mercury to keep it comin'!)

• Ordinarily we report local news first in GAN, but this clearly takes precedence: In absolutely devastating news, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg—one of America's most beloved legal and feminist icons—has died at the age of 87. And may god have mercy on all our souls.

#BREAKING: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a legal and cultural American icon, has died at the age of 87. https://t.co/G3EkSbGeb0

— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) September 18, 2020

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Much needed rainstorms drenched Oregon last night and this afternoon, though flooding, rockfalls, and lightning strikes are still a concern. Air quality warnings continued around much of the state today, but it's a marked improvement over the past few days, and the weekend looks better still. That said, Oregonians have a long road ahead in dealing with the wildfire disaster—but we'll take the bits of good news where we can get it.

#Lightning over Portland late last night/early this morning.

📹courtesy of Max Graves pic.twitter.com/b63ub6phmr

— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) September 18, 2020

Portland City Hall MERCURY STAFF

Mingus Mapps, the challenger to incumbent Commissioner Chloe Eudaly in the November race for Portland City Council's fourth position, just got a significant endorsement.

Sam Adams, the former Portland mayor who unsuccessfully ran against Mapps and Eudaly in the May primary, announced Friday that he is endorsing Mapps. Adams secured 27 percent of the vote in May, but was edged out of the November runoff by Mapps and Eudaly, who got 28 and 31 percent of votes, respectively.

In an email announcing his endorsement, Adams said Mapps is the candidate who "is capable of healing, repairing, and rebuilding the city I love."

Adams went on to say that Mapps has the right temperament to work with other council members and "represent all of Portland and every one of the 95 neighborhoods and neighborhood business districts" in the city.

Syahrir Maulana / iStock / Getty Images

But we’re postponing the panel—until next month, most likely. We’ve chosen to delay it because, as many Portlanders helpfully pointed out, there weren’t any Black journalists in the original panel lineup.

We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the quality reporting you've come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to the Mercury.

"Psst... did ya see all the crimes I did this week? Probably the biggest, best crimes anyone ever did ever." Scott Olson / Getty News

• After a long, dry month, drenching rains finally came to the area in earnest last night, bringing with it thunder and lightning as well. The National Weather Service warned about flooding in Clackamas County, Southwestern Multnomah County, and downtown Portland could be receiving an excess of rain today as well. The welcome wetness is also expected to help firefighters combat the state's wildfires, and... well, would you look at that? Portland is no longer the city with the worst air quality in the world! As I write this it's merely "unhealthy for sensitive groups." OH SWEET RELIEF. (Still be careful during outdoor activities, though!)

After a serious thunderstorm, the AQI is still “Very Unhealthy” but I dare say that’s some blue sky. #AndThatsBeautiful #pdxtst #OregonWildfires2020 pic.twitter.com/QJS9PtT6xs
— Katelyn Bruhn (@GoFlyAKate) September 18, 2020

• Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury has called for an investigation into members of the Sheriff's Department who allegedly encouraged the armed vigilantes who blocked roads and terrorized people during the wildfires.

• AND WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT: Three Oregon men have been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct in the second degree for reportedly setting up an illegal roadblock and frightening citizens.

Will tonight's thunderstorms in Oregon be a wildfire blessing or curse? amriphoto / Getty Images

• At a press conference today, Gov. Kate Brown delivered some potential good news about Oregon’s wildfires: A rainstorm expected to hit this evening “will bring welcome moisture,” helping to quell wildfires and expel the toxic smoke that has enveloped the state.
“This is good news for Oregon, good news across the fire front,” said Doug Grafe, chief of fire protection for the Oregon Department of Forestry.
But there’s a catch: “We do expect lightning this evening, and tomorrow,” Grafe continued. “We also expect, like typical with any storm front, the frontal winds. If the moisture doesn’t come to the fires first, the winds will, and that will be problematic.”
Brown also added that Oregonians impacted by wildfires are now eligible to receive financial assistance from the federal government. You can learn more and apply for relief here.

Firefighters: literally fight fire

Also firefighters: fighting conspiracy theories on TikTok pic.twitter.com/Mf97S0tNrS
— Cres (@cres_guez) September 16, 2020

• Portland City Council has approved the updated renter relocation assistance policy, in which landlords will now be forced to pay relocation fees if they raise their tenant's rent by any amount between now and March 2021.

Governor's Office

Today Brown is expected to be joined by these same officials who will be sharing the latest info on controlling the state's wildfires, Oregon's terrible air quality, rescue and recovery efforts, and how the rain and thunderstorms moving into the area will help or perhaps worsen our situation.

Find out the latest updates for Thursday, September 17 by WATCHING THE GOVERNOR'S LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE HERE AT 1 PM.

We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the quality reporting you've come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to the Mercury.

mathieu Lewis Rolland

Good morning, Portland! Welcome to another hazy day, in which Portland continues to resemble the inside of your college bong.

Here are the headlines.

• At least two Oregon prison inmates, who were among the 2,500 people evacuated to different prisons because of the wildfires, have recently tested positive for COVID-19. That means the wildfires have contributed to the spread of the coronavirus among one of the state's most vulnerable populations.

• Now, some good (?) news about the fires: The Oregonian is reporting that a "storm system is poised to bring rain showers to parts of Oregon over the next two days, helping clear out wildfire smoke. But the change in weather has prompted a pair of new concerns: thunderstorms and flash flooding."

• Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Hurricane Sally has left 550,000 people without power in the Gulf Coast.

Dr. Robert Redfield says if all Americans wore masks, virus could be eradicated within six to 12 weeks. Andrew Harnik / Getty News

Here's your daily roundup of all the latest local and national news. (Like our coverage? Please consider making a recurring contribution to the Mercury to keep it comin'!)

• According to their latest report, the Oregon Department of Forestry is closely monitoring 12 major wildfires in the state—which is down from the 17 reported yesterday—and the huge Riverside fire is now 3 percent contained, which may not sound like much, but containment was at 0 percent yesterday and shows that, thanks to the change of weather, the firefighters are now able to attack the blaze. All 12 of the major fires now have some percentage of containment, all the way up to 40 percent contained in the Echo Mountain fires outside of Lincoln City.

• While the terrible air quality in Portland due to wildfire smoke dropped to merely "very unhealthy" this morning, it popped back up to "hazardous" this afternoon. On the upside, the air quality in certain pockets on the coast have returned to "good," which is giving the rest of us hope. We're currently under an air quality advisory until Thursday, when rain is forecasted to reduce the smoke by the weekend. Fingers crossed!

Two inmates evacuated from the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Oregon due to wildfire have since tested positive for COVID-19. https://t.co/0tWfyecjCq

— OPB (@OPB) September 16, 2020

• Positive news for those whose lives were tragically upended by the Oregon wildfires: FEMA is now on the ground in the state, and Rep. Greg Walden says that anyone “adversely affected” should register with FEMA by calling 1-800-621-3362 or going online to DisasterAssistance.gov.