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Good afternoon, Portland! Congrats on making it to Fridayâhereâs some news to top off your week.
In local news:
⢠Two more New Seasons locationsâConcordia and Grant Parksâannounced plans to unionize this week. A total of seven New Seasons stores have filed to unionize this year. So far, only one store has actually formed an official union, with two stores voting against unionizing, and the remaining stores awaiting an election.
⢠ICYMI: Bivalent boostersâCOVID-19 vaccine boosters that specifically protect against Omicronâare now available for Oregonians 5 and older. If it has been two months since your last COVID vaccine or three months since youâve been infected with COVID, you can get a booster shot. State health officials are encouraging Oregonians to get their boosters now before a surge of COVID infection is expected to start later this month.
Hey Nick, I know you donât live here, but local media has thoroughly debunked the myth that Portland âdefunded the police.âhttps://t.co/rUpLpkjnLs https://t.co/wwu0SVvGG5
â K. Rambo (@k_rambo_) October 14, 2022
⢠A reminder: Prez Joe is in town and totally mucking up transit schedules with his security detail. If you need to get anywhere near downtown/city center via MAX from now until Saturday evening, leave plenty of extra time or try to find a doable bus route (which also may be delayed).
⢠Looking into the future: Mayor Wheeler is expected to announce a plan next week to ban unsanctioned camping in the city and build three sanctioned camping areas for 500 people each. The plan sounds very similar to a plan floated by mayoral aide Sam Adams and Wheeler in late 2021, which suggested building âhigh populationâ outdoor camping zones in the cityâand received significant pushback from Commish Ryan and homeless service providers. You can expect to hear A LOT more on this next week.
⢠Someone please adopt Bones and then let me come visit him:
Hi, I'm Bones, a young male dog looking for a new home. My finder says I'm friendly with people. I may do well with other animals, too. A smart pup like me could benefit from positive reinforcement-based training. Apply to adopt Bones!https://t.co/jLqnWhIff4#MCASAdoptablePets pic.twitter.com/cN7jlEPUTK
â MultCoAnimalServices (@MultCoPets) October 10, 2022
In national news:
⢠Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy who fatally shot five people in Raleigh, North Carolina, Thursday evening. The gunman opened fire in a neighborhood and along a popular walking trail, wounding at least two additional people. The boy was hospitalized and is in critical conditionâpolice have not said how the shooter was injured.
⢠A federal judge ruled Friday that the DACA programâthe federal policy that protects immigrants brought to the US as children from being deportedâcan continue temporarily with the limitation that the program accepts no new applicants. The legal debate over DACA still isnât settled and is expected to eventually make its way to the Supreme Court.
⢠Robbie Coltrane, a British actor, died Friday at 72. Coltrane was most widely known for his role as Hagrid in the Harry Potter films.
This clip of Robbie Coltrane in the Harry Potter reunion was really impactful. Even more, now. â¤ď¸pic.twitter.com/JwhCNq1Gec
â BD (@BrandonDavisBD) October 14, 2022
⢠After months of people struggling to get prescriptions filled, the FDA has officially declared a shortage of Adderallâthe drug used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. The shortage was caused by production delays coupled with an increase in ADHD diagnoses in recent years that has ramped up demand. Teva Pharmaceuticals, which sells the most Adderall in the US, is expected to rebound production this month, while other generic brands are expecting to rebound in March 2023.
⢠And weâll end today with some spooky/nerdy/beautiful x-rays of zoo animals:
Health exams at our veterinary center often include x-rays, revealing the Halloweenish and sometimes metal inner beauty of animals: pic.twitter.com/Mees9pvGiE
â Oregoth Boo (@OregonZoo) October 14, 2022