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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! Today is the last day of July, so soak it in, and then kiss it goodbye as we welcome everyone’s least favorite summer month, August. On this final day of the month, expect a gorgeous day, with a high of 82 and a low of 57. Muah! 💋😎

In Local News:

  • Tracking Portland’s Clean Energy Fund progress feels like a doozy. Last year, the city auditor reported the voter-approved fund was overflowing with cash–more than it anticipated drawing in–and needed to find a way to efficiently spend the money, while improving oversight. Now, auditors say PCEF is on the right track. What will $750 million worth of clean energy projects look like? Taylor Griggs has the breakdown.
  • What will it take to bring a women’s basketball team to the Rose City? A recent push for a WNBA team by everyone from a women’s sports bar owner, to Sen. Ron Wyden, suggests the idea is gaining steam. Portland already has the Moda Center, and supporters say the city has the fan base, but it needs a wealthy buyer. Portland previously had a WNBA team in the early 2000s, but it folded after just three seasons. Now, with the WNBA looking to expand, and fans want Portland to be included. Abe Asher brings us up to speed about Portland’s prospects. 

  • It’s hot. It’s dry, and it’s fire season, but lately, Portland’s been more impacted by industrial and commercial fires than wildfires (knock on wood!) Portland Fire & Rescue crews responded to a large warehouse fire over the weekend on Swan Island. The warehouse stored carpeting and rubber mats, making the whole place extra flammable, but firefighters reported the building had no sprinkler system. On top of that, crews couldn’t initially access the building, due to a locked gate. “Picture the kind of racks at a Home Depot, full of carpeting material and no sprinklers,” PF&R noted in a news release. Luckily, no injuries were reported.
  • Oregon’s new bee license plate was designed by a teenage bee expert. Marek Stanton, 16, became fascinated by the pollinators a few years ago when he was still in middle school. He attended a virtual seminar about bees offered by Oregon State University and grew his knowledge base, while also impressing the presenter. Stanton, who also enjoys art and illustration, was later chosen to design the new license plate 
@julouwho Replying to @ℜ𝔬𝔰𝔢 ℨ𝔢𝔭𝔥𝔶𝔯 here ya go 😂 #immabee #sexybee #twerk #dancingbee #funnybee #bumblebee ♬ Imma Be - The Black Eyed Peas

In U.S./World News:

  • Four civilians, including a 10-year-old girl and her mother, were killed by a Russian air strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, far from the front line of a war that’s been raging for over a year, as Russia tries to overtake territory in Ukraine. Amid the attack, Ukraine has reportedly managed to recapture nearly six square miles of land from Russian troops. 

  • Nearly 200 people were wounded and at least 54 killed in a suicide bombing in Pakistan during an election rally for a pro-Taliban cleric. Police there suspect the responsible party could be a regional affiliate of the Islamic State, which is a rival to the Taliban, though a Pakistan security analyst suggests the bombing could have been carried out by “breakaway factions of the Pakistani Taliban” the Associated Press reports.

  • Etsy sellers are lamenting recent moves by the company to withhold payments, sometimes for large sums of money. BBC Reports several makers who do business on the site have had payments held by the company, leaving small businesses and makers unable to pay bills or continue business. The news comes after complaints from sellers over the past few years of rising sellers’ fees, stringent rules, and lax oversight of sellers hawking counterfeit wares. 

That’s it for your morning news feed. May we all learn something from Joan Rivers.

@plutotvuk joan rivers does have a point #JoanRivers  #MelissaRivers  #JoanAndMellisa  #PlutoTV  #PlutoTVUK ♬ original sound  - Pluto TV UK