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Good morning, Portland! Why wait? Let's jump right into the news.
In local news:
⢠Officials determined arson as the cause of the fire that destroyed an abandoned church downtown Tuesday. One person has been arrested and is facing multiple arson charges. The church, which used to house the Portland Korean Church, is scheduled to be demolished because of the significant damage from the fire.Â
⢠HOT OFF THE PRESSES: Mayor Wheeler showed up to City Hall Wednesday on crutches. According to Wheelerâs chief of staff, he fell on some ice. Politicians: theyâre just like us!
Wynne switches flows in a new music video for âCATALYST II," Veana Baby drops a smooth pair of EPs, and Jeffrey Silverstein + Credit Electric tour the PNW! Get your music news via @JenniferKayMo's column HEAR IN PORTLAND. https://t.co/P88lkTRDpe
â Portland Mercury đ (@portlandmercury) January 4, 2023
⢠Starting today, Multnomah County Animal Services is pausing its intake of stray animals as it addresses issues of overcrowding in county-run animal shelters. According to county officials, the shelters received an influx of stray pets over the holidays, likely due to pets running away during fireworks around the New Year. The county is working to return to in-person adoptions to help with capacity and will resume intake on January 11.
⢠The COVID pandemic is still happening! Oregonâs total death toll from the pandemic has surpassed 9,000 people, according to state data released Wednesday. Oregon has the eighth-lowest COVID death rate in the nation.
Before leaving their leadership positions at the Portland NAACP, Gary-Smith and Scribes reflected on the past two years of repair work, the branchâs recent achievements, and whatâs needed to maintain the NAACPâs relevancy in Portland.https://t.co/xEJGR0WFQY
â Portland Mercury đ (@portlandmercury) January 4, 2023
In national and international news:
⢠Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 36-hour cease-fire in Ukraine this weekend for the Russian Orthodox Christmas holiday. Itâs unclear if battles will actually stop on the front line over the weekendâPutin did not make the cease-fire conditional on Ukraineâs agreement to also cease-fire. Throughout the 11 month-long war, Ukraine has dismissed Russiaâs statements around peace and used the time to regroup and prepare for additional attacks.Â
⢠Coastal California is still facing hurricane-force winds and a deluge of rain due to the worst storm the state has seen in the past five years. About 35 million residentsâ90 percent of the California populationâare under a flash flood watch. Two people died due to the storm conditions Wednesday as rainfall threatened to reach one inch per hour.
Kevin McCarthy is still short of the votes he needs to be House speaker because of a cadre of 21 intransigent, anti-establishment far-right members. Here's who they are â and what they want.https://t.co/Pm7133IKYd
â NPR (@NPR) January 5, 2023
⢠The Biden administration announced Thursday that it would immediately begin turning away Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans who cross the US-Mexico border illegally. The move is part of the USâs efforts to curb a rise in immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The US will allow 30,000 migrants from the four restricted countries to migrate to the US legally per month for two years.
⢠Amazon is slated to cut 18,000 employees as the trend of tech companies slashing jobs continues. Salesforce, a software company, is also axing 8,000 jobs, citing the uncertain economy and rapid growth in the past few years. Meta, HP, Twitter, and Snapchatâs parent company have all cut thousands of jobs in recent months.
⢠I find watching rhinos eat watermelons is more effective at reducing my stress than meditation. Maybe you do too:
A smashing success pic.twitter.com/Lx3oTjrVlq
â Oregon Zoo (@OregonZoo) January 5, 2023