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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! Shake off that seasonal depression and embrace this week's forecast, which calls for MORE SUN! Today's high is 77 with a low of 52. Enjoy it now, because this weekend will get spicy, as temperatures creep up into the 90s. 🌶 😎

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Derrick Peterson, the former sheriff’s captain running for the Portland School Board, confirmed yesterday that he’s officially out of the race, despite waffling on his decision to withdraw and then refusing to communicate with media or voters about his intentions. Reminder: The election is five days away. If you waited to fill out your ballot, the Mercury’s election guide is here to help. 

• Speaking of schools, Portland Public Schools is considering how to make its campuses safer in the wake of rising gun violence and a spate of school shootings earlier this academic year. One school board member argued students shouldn’t be the arbiters of what school safety measures get put in place.

• Portland-area homeless shelters are legally required to be accessible to people with disabilities, but, as Abe Asher uncovered, most shelters don’t have the capacity or staff to actually serve folks who need assistance. 

• A Republican lawmaker from Columbia County is being asked to resign, after a judge upheld a sexual abuse protective order against him from a former campaign volunteer.

• An Oregon woman whose 1971 Chevy Nova was stolen 13 years ago says she spotted it for sale in a Craigslist ad, but a series of DMV errors and Oregon’s adherence to federal records policy for stolen cars prevented her from getting it back. 

• Still need ideas on what to do for mom this Mother’s Day?  Hint: She probably doesn’t need another World’s Best Mom mug. Try harder. Put some thought into it. It’s your mom. EverOut has you covered. 


IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• A woman in Australia left for a short day trip when her car got stuck in mud, leaving her stranded for five days. She left with no water (OK, rule #1…), but survived on snacks, candy and a bottle of wine intended as a gift for her mother. BRB…adding a pinot noir to my emergency roadside kit.

• Over-the-counter birth control pills could soon be a reality, and it’s about damn time! In case you forgot, the morning after pill is available without a prescription, but birth control pills and rings are not. 

• As a growing number of states seek laws aimed at transgender kids and adults, Missouri will now limit access to healthcare and participation in sports for trans kids. In case anyone needed a reminder, trans and non-binary children are some of the most at-risk youth for self-harm, suicide and depression, largely due to the harmful climate created for them by lawmakers in states like Missouri.

• As Title 42–a measure in U.S. immigration law–is set to expire, more migrants are rushing to cross the border from Mexico into the United States, fearing future attempts would get them permanently barred from trying to enter the country. 

• And finally... here's hoping your Thursday is "technical difficulties" free.