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Good Morning, Portland! They try to tell us there's a winter weather advisory / But we're too Portland to really anticipate snow. Ignore it! It won't snow. Let's hit the news.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Employees at Portland's Living Room Theaters voted Wednesday to form a new independent union, United Cinema Workers. The vote was a culmination of organizing efforts that began in reaction to what staff allege was an unfair labor practice. For the Mercury, Jeremiah Hayden reports the story's new developments.
• ICYMI: On Thursday, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Amy Baggio found Tusitala "Tiny" Toese guilty of 10 out of 11 counts—among them: second degree assault, third degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon—from charges related to an August 2021 parking lot brawl. Oregonian reporter Zane Sparling writes that "while Toese has regularly led or been involved in dueling political protests in Portland since 2017, he has been convicted in Oregon of brawling only once before." That Oregonian story is behind a paywall so here's the OPB version too.
• And now for the dreaded interview share 🥵:
Went on @CityCastPDX to talk about the @portlandmercury Spring Arts Preview. Forgot to mention it's a collection of eight pieces about current and upcoming art, lol.
— Suzette Smith (@suzettesmith) March 3, 2023
'Self-Serve Gas, the Doug Fir’s New Home, and Immersive Sound Art' by City Cast Portland https://t.co/s657oLaHAJ
• Arguably the next best thing to seeing / hearing / smelling art is TALKING about art. For the Mercury's Spring Arts Preview, Wm. Steven Humprey and I (who have been to a scientifically-measured bajillion arts events combined) compiled a list of our favorite spots to grab a drink or dish after an arts event.
• Arguably the next best thing to talking about your own sex life is reading about the sex lives of others. The Mercury's Sex Survey results are in and quite illuminating.
• OH, IT IS FRIDAY, BY THE WAY, and you know that means new tickets are dropping for upcoming shows:
The jam-packed summer music series PDX Live returns this August with highlights like Japanese Breakfast, The Flaming Lips, and Patti Smith. Plus, East Coast hip-hop phenoms Wu-Tang Clan & Nas will enter the PNW on their NY State Of Mind tour. https://t.co/T0LyGpuvZq
— EverOut Portland (@EverOutPortland) March 2, 2023
IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• It's completely wild that after decades of misinformation Fox News might actually be about to face repercussions for spinning stories in ways that even their most conservative anchors didn't believe. The Hill reports that Dominion Voting Systems brought a massive suit, arguing that the network defamed its business by "knowingly repeating falsehoods" and painting the 2020 election (and Dominioin Systems along with it) as fraudulent.
• Today in animal news: dolphins with vocal fry.
Whatever you think of the sound of vocal fry on the surface world, it’s helped make toothed whales successful ocean dwellers https://t.co/3vemDb7nlQ
— NYT Science (@NYTScience) March 3, 2023
• More animals news: New Yorkers remain invested in the escape and subsequent wildn' out of an Eurasian eagle-owl in Central Park. This New York Times piece updates us on the recent exploits of the urn-shaped Flaco,
• Was hoping for a practical reason not to do this, like bears are more likely to chase moving prey, but:
If you come across a bear, never push a slower friend down…even if you feel the friendship has run its course.
— National Park Service (@NatlParkService) February 28, 2023