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Good Morning, Portland! We're looking at a high of 84 degrees today, and a warm night in the mid-50s. 84 DEGREES. April, for the love of god, control yourself. Now, let's hit the news.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Speaking of 84-degrees in April, it looks like the Oregon Legislature is back on its environment game. This Wednesday, the House passed a bill banning polystyrene containers (e.g. Styrofoam). That's on its way to the Governor's desk to be signed. (Worth noting that Portlanders already got rid of polystyrene, in 2019.) The Legislature also directed the OHA to create rules on how customers can bring reusable containers in lieu of single-serving to-go ones. I'm interested to know if this practice will be at the discretion of the business, or if this will be yet another thing people can yell at teenage service workers about.
• A group of operational employees at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) are petitioning the museum to pay them a living wage. For the Mercury, Abe Asher has the story.
• Hey, back to this bullshit weather, don't get cocky because it's warm out. Oregon rivers are fed by mountain runoff, and that makes them COLD AS HELL. Or in the words of the MCSO:
The air may be warm ☀️, but the water is cold ❄️ The warm weather will make visiting the Sandy River and other waterways very enticing. Be aware that the water is cold and moving fast! Always wear a lifejacket. pic.twitter.com/Y5DGybgGsH
— Multnomah Co. Sheriff’s Office (@MultCoSO) April 28, 2023
• Fifteen principals from PPS middle schools signed a letter and sent it to school district leadership, pleading for more staff to help with current behavioral issues they're seeing in students. The Oregonian's Julia Silverman reports they're asking for "at least 15 new full-time employees who would focus on student safety, mental health and alternative approaches to discipline."
• IT IS FRIDAY—and normally this is when concert venues drop tickets for upcoming shows. There's actually not a lot on sale this morning, though this list of upcoming shows is pretty great. You'll want to check out the Aces at the new Siren Theater location on North Mississippi, and we have the date for this year's naked bike ride!
IN NATIONAL NEWS:
• The Associated Press is ON ONE this morning. Based on an anonymous source, "familiar with the matter," the AP's Eric Tucker reports that former VP Mike Pence gave testimony to a federal grand jury yesterday about Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. That's really spicy for AP. I'm happy for them.
“Pence’s appearance before a grand jury scrutinizing the president he once loyally served is a milestone in the Justice Department’s investigation. It also carries significant political implications, coming as Pence hints at entering the 2024 race. https://t.co/3L7MaqvLlK
— Eric Tucker (@etuckerAP) April 28, 2023
• The economy is still growing at a dim roar, and Federal Reserve officials are STRESSED OUT about it. Despite attempts to slow inflation, wages are up and companies are increasingly competing for workers.
• In related news, the Federal Reserve released hundreds of pages of documents today, which pointed failure to regulate Silicon Valley Bank squarely back on itself. It's me, hi—everyone thought, looking at the Federal Reserve—I'm the problem, it's me.
• South Carolina's access to abortion health care survived another close vote on Thursday. The state Senate narrowly voted to reject the near-total ban, 22-21. This followed a lengthy filibuster by five woman lawmakers against the bill. It's the third time a near-total ban has failed to pass since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. According to the AP, state Sen. Sandy Senn criticized the Majority Leader and her colleagues to continuing to push the issue. “The only thing that we can do when you all, you men in the chamber, metaphorically keep slapping women by raising abortion again and again and again, is for us to slap you back with our words,” Senn said.
• These villains try to tire us out. They don't realize we love a good show.
@washingtonpost The Supreme Court on Friday preserved full access to a key abortion pill. #supremecourt #mifepristone #texascourt #tar ♬ original sound - MagicOfPiano