The Mercury provides news and fun every single dayābut your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!
Gooooood morning, Portland! No special weather to report today, just good old fashioned clouds and wind. On to the news!
In local news:
⢠Portland lawyer Alan Kessler filed a lawsuit against Mayor Ted Wheeler and the city Monday, aiming to compel Wheeler and the city to comply with records requests. The lawsuit came after an OPB investigation found that thousands of Wheelerās text messages were not turned over in public records requests because Wheeler kept using iMessage on his city phone, essentially preventing the city from properly recording the text messages. Kessler is asking the court to find the city at fault for not following public records laws, and turn over all relevant records.
⢠Many of the approximately 80,000 Oregon students with disabilities struggled with online learning during the pandemic, prompting state and federal officials to order Oregon public schools to provide make-up services to special education students. However, schools are struggling to provide those learning services amid a severe staffing shortage, according to teachers, advocates, and parents.
Peak Portland is bringing home your Christmas tree via streetcar šš¦āļø pic.twitter.com/lcpU6Kopz2
ā Portland Streetcar (@PDXStreetcar) December 5, 2022
⢠Pacific University voted this weekend to remove Harvey Scottās name from one of its buildings on campus. Scott, a graduate of Pacific University, was a former editor of The Oregonian who allowed the paper to oppose equal rights for women and people of color, promote Jim Crow segregation, and excuse lynching. The building will be temporarily called Pacific Hall while a permanent name is being determined.
Trash pandas assemble! š¦ It's time to dig through the latest local and national gossip with THE TRASH REPORT from @ElinorJoneser. This week: soccer stress, royal racism, and can you ask your parents not to go on deadly cruises? šhttps://t.co/zOB1tHPVXY
ā Portland Mercury š (@portlandmercury) December 5, 2022
In national news:
⢠Good news, procrastinators: The federal government has again extended the deadline for when Americans need to get a REAL ID. The identification requirements, which were expected to begin this spring, will go into effect May 7, 2025. On that date, US travelers over 18 will need to have a REAL ID in order to take domestic flights.
⢠More than two dozen Taylor Swift fans are suing Ticketmaster after the company botched ticket sales for the megastarās 2023 āErasā tour. The lawsuit claims that Ticketmaster has violated Californiaās antitrust and unfair competition laws, creating āanticompetitive behaviorā that harms ticket buyers, namely Taylor Swift fans. The Department of Justice launchd an investigation into Live NationāTicketmasterās parent companyālast month over antitrust concerns.
BREAKING: The suspect accused of killing five people and wounding 17 others at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub has been charged with hate crimes and murder. https://t.co/IT5yf7tFBv
ā The Associated Press (@AP) December 6, 2022
⢠Lawyer Michael Avenatti (the guy who represented Stormy Daniels, the adult film star who claimed to have an affair with former president Donald Trump) was sentenced to 14 years in prison Monday for embezzling millions of dollars from four of his clients. According to court documents, Avenatti would place his clientsā settlements into an attorney-controlled trust and tell them that they were waiting on the settlement to be paid, all while financing his extravagant life.
⢠Productivity in December:
making progress pic.twitter.com/duiJmaQPSF
ā cats being weird little guys (@weirdlilguys) December 6, 2022