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Good morning, Portland! If you happen to be my neighbor who was setting off fireworks into the wee hours of the morning, I'd like to remind you that the use of personal fireworks is banned in Portland, so if you could watch firework compilations on YouTube or jump over a lit candle in the street instead that'd be great. Now that that's out of the way, on to the news!
In local news:
â˘Â This afternoon, a golf tournament sponsored by the Saudi Arabian government will take place at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, just 20 miles northwest of Portland. Local officials and club members are publicly opposing the tournament, arguing that it is just the Saudi governmentâs latest attempt at investing in sports as a public relations strategy following the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
â˘Â In city audit news: From skipping workplace anti-discrimination trainings to managers doling out inconsistent discipline to employees, an audit found unreliable oversight mechanisms in place at the Portland Fire Bureau. The inconsistency is particularly harmful to women and staff of color in the bureau, who remain few and far between.
Oregon needs to make legislative changes in order to tackle the issue of prescribers overprescribing opioids in the state, a state audit found. Oregon is ranked first in the nation for the highest rate of misuse of prescription opioids. https://t.co/SQuL9APY7q
â Portland Mercury đ (@portlandmercury) June 29, 2022
â˘Â Blood banks are anticipating another blood shortage this summer as COVID continues to disrupt donations and summer typically brings higher demand for blood transfusions. Current projections indicate that Bloodworks Northwest will hit a critical shortage in mid-July if donations donât pick up soon. If youâre around and eligible, consider making an appointment to donate some of your sweet, sweet bloodâitâs really important!
â˘Â In âThis is why people say they hate politicsâ news: During an interview with the New York Times, gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson called Portland âthe city of roachesâ while talking about the cityâs homeless crisis and rise in crime (good one, Betsy). Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek and a Portland homelessness researcher took issue with the comment, telling the Portland Tribune that comparing homeless people to roaches is fucked up (Iâm paraphrasing). THEN, Johnson quipped back on Twitter, saying that âtent city Tinaâ and âsome woke professorâ intentionally mistook her comment that was actually referring to Portlandâs trash issue. And thatâs what you missed on Glee.
https://t.co/JqjxEtMxQF pic.twitter.com/rFD6e7SOpJ
â Betsy Johnson (@senbetsyjohnson) June 29, 2022
In national and international news:
â˘Â The FBI opened an investigation into sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in New Orleans earlier this year to investigate whether priests took children across state lines to molest them. According to relevant scholars, this probe is a rare move for the FBI, which has historically âdragged their feetâ when it comes to investigating the Catholic Church and its clergy abuse scandals.
â˘Â Another one in the Supreme Courtâs decisions of doom: The court voted 6-3 to severely limit how the USâs main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce emissions from power plants Thursday. Limiting the Clean Air Actâs authority is widely recognized as a major blow to the countryâs climate change mitigation strategies. Power plants account for 30 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the nation.
â˘Â Today I learned that Cameron Diaz retired from acting in 2014:
Netflix announced Wednesday that Cameron Diaz is âofficially un-retiringâ to star opposite Jamie Foxx in an upcoming movie. https://t.co/WxDLT71bPW
â Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 29, 2022
â˘Â R&B star R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Wednesday for sexually abusing fans, including some children. Kelly has denied wrongdoing and plans to appeal his conviction.
â˘Â A special terrorism court convicted twenty people Wednesday in connection with the 2015 Paris attacksâtargeted explosions and shootings at six crowded locations in the city that killed 130 people and injured hundreds more. The one remaining survivor of the team of extremists who coordinated the attacks was sentenced to life in prison.
â˘Â Me too, Benny.
This is Benny. He fell asleep during his guide dog initiation photoshoot. 12/10 we still think he has what it takes pic.twitter.com/s5Juhz7SP2
â WeRateDogsÂŽ (@dog_rates) June 29, 2022