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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! It's shaping up to be a hot one today. (Like yesterday, and the day before that, and tomorrow too.) I need to remember to drink more water, and I can't wait for fall. But since it's still summer...have you checked out EverOut's list of things to do in August? If not, I recommend it. But first, here's some NEWS. 

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Remember that fire at the old Kmart on NE 122nd and Sandy a couple weeks ago? The one that spread asbestos-filled ash and debris through the Parkrose and Argay Terrace neighborhoods? (Later to be revealed that there actually wasn't THAT much asbestos found in the debris?) Well, turns out the city had a code violation notice out for the property owners and site tenant, RFC Venture—a real estate company co-owned by the owner of the Minnesota Vikings—and Prologis, a freight company, because they weren't keeping the property secure. Now, one Parkrose resident has filed a class action complaint against RFC Venture and Prologis for their alleged negligence which led to the fire. We have all the deets here. 

• Karma Rivera's irresistible bass-forward singles
• a rare Zyah Belle live appearance
• and THIS IS NOT A DRILL—Wynne is going on tour! Read about all the hot local music drops Hear in Portland.https://t.co/YsDL22Pwow

— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) August 2, 2023

• Even the most jaded cynics can agree that Powell's Books is one of Portland's greatest treasures, in large part because of it's awesome, smart employees who are always super nice and have great recommendations to dole out. So they must make bank then, right? WRONG! Powell's workers repped by ILWU Local 5 have voted in favor of authorizing a strike if management doesn't present them with a contract offer soon that allows employees to earn living wages. If that strike happens, your compulsive book-buying can wait. But until then, you can support the union's strike fund AND buy books you don't need if you use this link.  

• When the 2021 Bootleg Fire sent a Southern Oregon forest up in flames, so too went corporate carbon offsets from Microsoft and other companies. Trees are great, but in a warming world, they're more and more likely to catch fire...and the companies don't catch ENOUGH heat for not actually doing jack shit to curb their greenhouse gas emissions. Be wary next time you hear a billionaire use the term "carbon offsets," okay? 

• The national news came back to Portland this week to postulate about all the different ways our city is fucekd up. The New York Times has a Portland story I think is not-so-good...but to my pleasant surprise, Esquire writer Jack Holmes has written the most comprehensive story about Oregon drug decriminalization Measure 110 I've seen, including from local reporters. Sure, there's some sensationalism, but the story is shockingly humane compared to a lot of coverage of this issue. Here's a paragraph I find especially excellent that points out a major flaw in the anti-Measure 110 folks' logic:

"The law instructs cops to issue a hundred-dollar citation for simple possession that people can then waive by calling a hotline, but the chief pointed out this pretty much never happens. Most cops around Oregon aren’t writing the tickets in the first place, though, and besides, an ultimate goal of Measure 110 was to take police and the criminal-justice system out of the business of addressing drug use altogether. (Property crimes like burglary and vandalism are still very much illegal, to be clear, even if cases have skyrocketed and they’re rarely cleared. Trafficking has not been decriminalized either, though a black market means suppliers settle their differences with violent force.) Now drug users don’t catch felonies that harm their future employment and housing prospects." 

What's more, Holmes didn't even have to spend 20 bucks at the open-air drug market in order to write about the problems on Portland's streets! (Who knew that was possible??) 

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS: 

• Uh...former Rudy Giuliani staffer Noelle Dunphy is suing the slimy, spineless lawyer for sexual harassment, and this week, she provided audio receipts of her old boss being a total dirtbag in more ways than one. The transcripts show Giuliani being horrifically antisemitic, randomly throwing actor Matt Damon under the bus for no apparent reason, and, of course, saying extremely inappropriate things to Dunphy. Check it out at your own risk. 

• As we all know by now, former Prez Donald Trump was indicted on Tuesday for the THIRD time since leaving office, this time for his role in the January 6 insurrection. And guess who will be testifying against him? Yup, it's DJT's former VP Mike Pence himself. Good luck, Mike, but only so far as it gets Trump thrown in jail...otherwise, I don't really care what happens to you. 

• Trump is ALSO probably going to face charges in Georgia soon for specifically attempting to overturn election results in the state after the 2020 election. At what point do we lose track of all the different legal problems this guy is dealing with? 

• In the latest "capitalism will inevitably crumble in on itself, hopefully before global warming kills us all" news: 

•  A jury decided yesterday that the gunman who killed 11 worshippers at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue in 2018—the deadliest antisemitic terrorist attack in U.S. history—will be sentenced to death. One family affected by the horrific and hateful tragedy had this to say about the court decision: “Returning a sentence of death is not a decision that comes easy, but we must hold accountable those who wish to commit such terrible acts of antisemitism, hate, and violence." 

• Finally...stay cool out there, folks! As they say, bye! 

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