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Extremely Vincent Price voice: GOOD EVENING, PORTLAND! OR WOULD YOU PREFER I SAY AFTERNOON? We'll see how long your precious afternoon lasts—only until 6:52 pm, Portlanders. Then your precious Friday belongs to we dwellers OF THE NIGHT. HA HA, NOW let us sup upon the NEWS!

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• The first lawsuit against Portland police officers for their treatment of protesters in 2020 has reached its day in court. Erin Wenzel, a care coordinator at OHSU says that she was following police instructions—at a protest in early August 2020—when an officer ran at her and slammed her to the ground, breaking her arm and smashing her face onto the concrete. News Editor Alex Zielinski has the story.

• It’s been an unexpectedly long wait to see Truth Be Told, a comprehensive documentary that looks at the scandals which rocked the National Women’s Soccer League last fall. Abe Asher—who covered the story for the Mercury—has a review of the film, set to premiere on ESPN.

• Why is Riotville U.S.A. not in wide release? This documentary's subject matter seems very relevant and important to the current moment:

• In this week's HEAR IN PORTLAND music news column, we gush about our love for Zyah Belle’s smooth self-care / sultry bad bitch album Yam Grier, and the deets on upcoming shows from Moorea Masa (on tour with Son Little) and the Delines.

• Top Chef star Gregory Gourdet's opened a chic new pan-Caribbean bar, which currently accepts walk-ins only. Read about that and more food news, from a vegan Kenyan food cart to the unionization of Voodoo Doughnut.

IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

Oooooh, if I consolidated my dang loans for NOTHING I will be hecka P-O'd! In August the Biden-Harris Student Debt Relief Plan pledged to forgive up to $20,000 in student debt for non-rich debtors (don't come to me with your $150,000 salary problems). However, the project immediately attracted criticism (I will fight each and every one of you!) and now several lawsuits. It looks like people with privately held loans are no longer eligible. Don't even get me started on FSELPs. This has all occurred before an application form for debt forgiveness even exists. WHICH IS A GOOD THING!

• Speaking of rich people problems, did you know that members of Congress can trade stocks? For people whose actions directly impact the economy and industry regulation that seems like a massive conflict of interest. Weirdly enough, the House postponed a vote to curtail congressional stock trading today. The New York Times reports that "public outrage over congressional stock trading intensified... after revelations that... four senators had sold stocks in early 2020 after private briefings on the risks of a coronavirus outbreak in the United States."

OK, PORTLAND, stay safe out there, and don't respond to emails from strangers. It's truly our nation's spookiest season, election season:

@alexiadox

STOP TRICKING ME 🛑

♬ Elevator Music - Bohoman