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Mayor Wheeler to appoint a Portland Trash Czar.
Mayor Wheeler to appoint a Portland "Trash Czar." Children's Television Workshop

GOOD AFTERNOON, PORTLAND! Ooh! I just remembered to remember something! Next Tuesday, May 17 is primary election day here in Oregon, and boy-oh-boy is it an important one. There are a lot of sketchy characters running for office—particularly against Jo Ann Hardesty—and you don't want to be the ding-dong that accidentally votes for one of 'em, right? That's why you should trust the always trust-able Mercury Election Endorsements (right here) or the Mercury Election Cheat Sheet (right here)! Now let's get into it, yuh (the NEWS, that is).

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Police have arrested Michael Bivins, a former freelance journalist, for the recent attacks on three local religious centers—The Congregation Beth Israel, Muslim Community Center of Portland, and Shir Tikvah Congregation/Eastside Jewish Commons—and the leaders of these centers talked to our Isabella Garcia to remind everyone that hate crimes like these are on the rise in Oregon and across the nation.

• On Friday night, four Portland police officers exchanged gunfire with a suspect, shooting and critically injuring the driver during a traffic stop. As of this point, the officers have not revealed why they stopped the person, but claimed it was for multiple violations. What's more, two of the cops are named in a lawsuit connected with the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and our Isabella Garcia has more.

• Mayor Wheeler announced he is appointing a... wait for it... "TRASH CZAR" that will connect all the city's bureaus and various clean-up efforts under one central command and then report back to the mayor. No word yet on who this "TRASH CZAR" will be... but if they're making hats for the position, I'd like one.

• Speaking of TRASH CZARS: Heads up, trash lovers! It's time once again for THE TRASH REPORT. This week gossip columnist (and the Mercury's Trash Czar) Elinor Jones takes on conservative slut-shaming, the Met Gala, and some *very* kinky dolphins. Ooh-la-la!

• The yearly LGBTQ celebration, Keizer Pride Fair in Keizer, Oregon, will not be taking place this year due to threats from extremist groups and claims that the city is not doing enough to protect the participants.

IN NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

• It was expected that Vladimir Putin would bang the gong for all-out war in his Victory Day speech today, but apparently his military's few gains in Ukraine has slowed his roll. Instead he continued to spread the lie that his invasion was meant to stop the spread of Nazism in Europe. (Uh-huh.) And now reports are coming in that Russian officers are refusing orders to move forward in Ukraine.

• According to the Biden Administration, the country is at "serious risk" of a nationwide ban on abortion after Mitch McConnell suggested that Republicans might make such a thing "possible" if SCOTUS overturns Roe.

• Oh, no! Protesters are peacefully demonstrating outside of the homes of conservative Supreme Court judges! And they're like, "Look, I'm just trying to take away a fundamental right from millions of people... why are you being so rude to meeeeee???"

• RELATED (and because if you give them an inch, they'll want 100 miles): "GOP senators urge TV ratings board to warn viewers of 'disturbing' LGBTQ content."

• Congrats to the Washington Post who won the Pulitzer Prize in public service journalism for their in-depth reporting on the January 6 domestic terrorist attack on the nation's capitol.

• And finally... me, looking for stories to put in Good Afternoon, News.