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Good Morning, Portland! We're looking at another hot one out there—in fact, we're looking at highs around 100 through Saturday. If you need to sit out the heat today, Isabella Garcia put together a list of county- and city-run cooling spots.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• The city of Portland has quietly selected controversial taser manufacturer Axon to run its $2.6 million body worn camera pilot program. Our Alex Zielinski has the details.
Multnomah County contact tracers were unable to keep up with the speed of COVID spread throughout the pandemic, a county audit found. During the omicron wave in late 2021, only 10 percent of people who reported COVID cases to the county were called. https://t.co/i92z7kO9lf
— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) July 27, 2022
• Fascinating and useful, coming through! OHSU recently ran a study about Plan B, based on studies that have shown it's less effective for people with BMIs over 30. A common convention, bandied about at the bar, is that a body could just take two pills, instead of one. However, OHSU's study suggested that simply taking two Plan B pills is not an effective way to offset whatever is inhibiting the medicine. For the record, BMI is made up and not useful, but Plan B sure is.Â
• Oh that's nice! Portland comic book shop Books With Pictures won a Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award at the San Diego Comic-con. The award recognizes "a store that has done an outstanding job of supporting the comics art medium both in the community and within the industry at large."
IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• President Joe Biden is no longer testing positive for COVID and has ended his time in isolation. Late Show host Seth Meyers just announced he texted positive for the second time since January. As he did then, he has cancelled all planned Late Night shows for the rest of the week.
• Two-time Olympic gold medalist and basketball player Brittney Griner testified in a Russian court today, saying she did not mean to break the country's law. Russian authorities detained Griner approximately one week before Russia invaded Ukraine, alleging she carried two vape cartridges of hashish oil in her luggage. Griner pled guilty a month ago in hopes of leniency, but faces a ten year sentence. The women's basketball player has been viewed as a bargaining chip between Russia and the US.
NEW: U.S. authorities have accused a Manhattan man of obtaining more than 100 absentee ballots in the names of public figures without their permission. But he never cast the votes, calling his actions a "hobby." https://t.co/uLIyXeoYoG
— Benjamin Weiser (@BenWeiserNYT) July 27, 2022
• A Polish biologist has been receiving clap-back for adding house cats to Poland's national database of invasive alien species. Wojciech Solarz clarified that he is in no way calling for cats to be euthanized, just recommending cat owners limit their pets' time outdoors during bird breeding season.
• This metaphor also works for multiple days of a heatwave:
@aloadedpipette Where does it end 😠#science #gradschool #phd #comedy ♬ original sound - TheQuiteFranklyShow