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An officer in camo gear arresting someone while others stand around them.
Federal officers in Portland in July 2020. Spencer Platt / Getty Images

Good morning, Portland! Looks like we’re in for another mildly warm, overcast day—good luck with the 60 percent humidity. Now on to the news!

In local news:

• A Multnomah County judge is the latest person to reject political group People for Portland’s ballot measure—which proposed gutting funding from Metro’s plan to build transitional housing for homeless people—for being unconstitutional. People for Portland wanted to redirect the funding towards emergency shelters, but at the cost of taking away funding from permanent housing solutions that were overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2020. "I can understand why the petitioners want to sell this to the voters with short soundbites," said a legal representative for Metro, "but these soundbites mislead the voters.”

• Portland Public Schools is set to adopt a $1.89 billion budget for the next academic year tonight. Despite concerns from special education teachers, the latest budget still includes a reduction in special education positions while the number of students requiring special education is projected to grow.

• Monkeypox, a virus in the smallpox family that can cause a rash and lesions, is slowly making its way towards Oregon. King County in Washington recorded its first case of the virus Sunday from a man who recently travelled internationally. The man is recovering at home and does not pose a risk to others, according to health officials.

• In other virus news, COVID-19 cases jumped 26 percent—about 12,000 new cases—last week in Oregon. That caseload is a significant one week jump, particularly because COVID cases continue to be underreported due to the prevalence of at-home tests. Health officials predict cases will keep climbing until early June.

• This just in: Spring is springing slowly.

In national and international news:

• Federal officers are now explicitly required to step in if they see other officers use excessive force, according to the Justice Department’s new use of force policy. The changes to the policy emphasize deescalation and an officer’s responsibility to exhaust all possible options before using force. This is the first time the federal use of force policy has being updated in 18 years. The new guidance goes into effect in July.

• Good news for sad baldies: “Experimental pill prompts some to regrow a nearly full head of hair”

• India and Pakistan have been plagued by devastating heatwaves in the past few months that have killed at least 90 people. Now, scientists are saying that climate change has made the heat waves “100 times more likely” and that residents should expect the temperatures every three to five years. “This is a sign of things to come,” said one of the researchers.

• Almost 50 defense leaders from various countries agreed to send Ukraine more advanced weapons Monday. The country will receive a harpoon launcher, missiles, and other advanced weaponry to help protect its coast from Russia’s ongoing invasion.

• Finally, I hope you roll through your week with this much joy and ease.