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Good afternoon, Portland! Hope your week is off to a promising, happy start. Here are the afternoon headlines.
IN LOCAL NEWS
- TriMet has decided to increase its police presence on city buses and trains because of an alleged spike in drug use on public transportation driven by a surge in fentanyl usage. The increase represents a change in policy after the agency limited police presence following the 2020 racial justice movement. Isabella Garcia has more.
TriMet is increasing the presence of transit police and security staff on public transit in response to an alleged rise in drug use on and near buses and trains, and to “help put riders at ease.” https://t.co/hSwea5Vijm
— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) August 8, 2022
- Fans of movies and history and Portland landmarks were delivered a blow over the weekend when the Roseway Theater on NE Sandy Blvd. caught fire. Firefighters put out the blaze after several hours, but the portions of the inside of the 98-year-old theater have reportedly collapsed.
- No group spent more money lobbying at Portland City Hall between April and June than DoorDash, which spent $36,000 lobbying on a city ordinance instituted in 2020 that prevents food delivery services from charging commissions of over 10 percent on orders. People for Portland and Pacific Power were also major spenders.
At long last, it’s time for humankind’s greatest accomplishment: Portland Burger Week! Check out the dates, locations, and DESCRIPTIONS of this year's 48 (!!) delectable, original burgers:https://t.co/rgxeF50MsS
— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) August 8, 2022
- A new study from the Annie C. Casey Foundation has found that levels of anxiety and depression in children in the US increased by 26 percent between 2016 and 2020, with an even steeper increase in Oregon. The study found that 16.1 percent of Oregon children were anxious or depressed in 2020, a 40 percent increase since 2016.
IN NATIONAL NEWS
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his ancient cell phone are taking a long-awaited victory lap after the Senate passed $750 billion climate and healthcare bill 51-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote on Sunday. It looks like the most consequential piece of Democratic legislation in a decade.
Majority Leader Schumer, holding up his flip phone during a press conference in NYC touting the IRA, proclaims, "This is my secret to success."
— Julie Tsirkin (@JulieNBCNews) August 8, 2022
Praising how the deal came together: "Every democrat has my phone number, we don't communicate through staffers." pic.twitter.com/ewxnz0J4EF
- Israel and militant Palestinian fighters in Gaza agreed to a ceasefire on Sunday night, bringing to a close another short conflict in which Gazans bore the brunt of the suffering. Israel is set to hold elections in November.
- David McCullough, one of the country's most celebrated historians, died on Sunday at his home in Hingham, Massachusetts. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of noted works like 1776 was 89 years old.
For @boltsmag, I looked into how two towns, one in Texas and one in Pennsylvania, are trying to push back against existing or potential abortion bans in their states. What they're doing represents "intense inter-jurisdictional conflict," one source said.https://t.co/pm8LGXkrkf
— Davis Giangiulio (@GiangiulioDavis) August 8, 2022
- U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, one of the most progressive voices in Congress, is facing a significant primary challenge on Tuesday night. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has endorsed Omar's opponent, staunchly pro-police former city councilmember Don Samuels, and a PAC has spent nearly half a million dollars in support of Samuels in just the last week.
- Donald Trump reportedly wished his generals were more like Hitler's, though he also reportedly had no idea that Hitler's generals tried to kill him multiple times.
- Finally... well now this is very nice, isn't it?
Patient monkey.. 🍉😊 pic.twitter.com/BXqaKJpCnn
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) August 7, 2022
