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GOOD AFTERNOON, PORTLAND! If you're already needing a stiff drink this holiday season... then rejoice! Because the Mercury's HOLIDAY DRINK WEEK is happening RIGHT NOW! Get all sorts of creative, holiday-themed fancy cocktails concocted by your fave Portland bartenders... and get this: They're only $7 each! But hurry, hurry—the fun ends this coming Sunday, December 4. Now let's drown our sorrows with some NEWS. 😑

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Okay, prepare to lose your goddamn mind: Portland City Council voted today to approve the $27 million needed to launch Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Ryan's unpopular plan to criminalize the homeless and force them into three mass internment camps. OH! But it gets worse: Not only is this $27 million *a fraction* of the amount actually needed to carry out a plan that only wealthy business people want, the required budget cuts that will be used to fund this cruel, inhumane plan could possibly lead to the closing of two already running, successful homeless shelters (pushing more people into the street), AND possibly the elimination of emergency rent assistance programs and eviction legal defense (again... PUSHING MORE PEOPLE INTO THE STREETS). Mayor Wheeler and Commissioners Ryan and Mapps (AKA the satellite office of the Portland Business Alliance) continue to loudly crow that this is the ONLY plan that can eliminate homelessness, though they never asked the advice of actual experts or their county partners at the Joint Office of Homeless Services. Learn more stuff that will make you slap your forehead and scream "OMIGOD!" in frustration in this report from our Alex Zielinski.

• Related: You may be asking yourself, "Is the pressure on Mayor Wheeler and his fellow wealthy business community puppets really so strong that they can't resist spending millions on plans that won't work and will most likely create MORE homeless folk?" The answer is YES, and proof can be found in this article entitled "Salt & Straw’s safety concerns spark summit to address Portland’s business climate." Reminder: In post-pandemic Portland, business success is more important than people.

• Today Portland’s Charter Review Commission voted to send seven charter amendments to voters in 2024. (Yes, there are more decisions to make, which also means more opportunities for Commish Mingus Mapps to come up with terrible counter proposals. Yay.) Our Isabella Garcia has the details on what we can expect.

• Do not miss this terrific OPB article about the record number of homicides in Portland this year (93 so far), and the data-supported proof that the quick-fixes intended to reduce that number set in motion by Mayor Wheeler and the police bureau ARE NOT WORKING. 

• In the newest edition of Jenni Moore's HEAR IN PORTLAND, she turns you on to a load of great shows to attend and hot new music to listen to, including The Thesis 8-Year Anniversary, a fun show from Atlanta rap star J.I.D. and St. Louis singer / rapper Smino, and more!

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• In a show of unity, House Dems have elected Rep. Hakeem Jeffries to replace Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker, making him the first Black person to lead either congressional chamber.

• Meanwhile in a desperate attempt to stop a looming railroad strike, the House has passed a bill that would force management and workers to accept a proposed agreement—one that was rejected by 12 of the unions that were involved in negotiations.

• After years of nagging and obstinance, the Treasury department has finally turned over Trump's long-hidden tax returns, which are now firmly in the hands of Congress. 

• Super-duper sad news: Beloved member of Fleetwood Mac, Christine McVie, has died at the age of 79 following what the family calls "a short illness."

• And finally... is any current World Cup teams in the market for... THE BEST KEEPER IN THE WORLD??