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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! The trend of nice temperatures continues today with a high of around 80. Next week we're in for some major heat, which sucks, but such is life, I guess. Ready for some news? 

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• It's only August, and it's already been a tragic year for fatal traffic crashes on Portland's streets. More people died due to traffic violence this past July than in any other month in at least 40 years. What's causing this, and what can be done about it? Well, people have different opinions. To some, like Portland Police Sgt. Ty Engstrom, "all motorists, all pedestrians, and all bicyclists" are acting "entitled" on our roadways, and the tide must be turned by putting more traffic cops on the streets. (Sgt., let me know the next time a person walking down the street bodyslams someone and kills them instantly, k?) 

False equivalence aside, drivers do feel entitled to act recklessly on Portland's streets—in large part because Portland police have all but told them they can get away with it. Transportation advocates think cops alone are not the answer, and want to see more infrastructure changes to make our streets safer for all road users. Find out more in our story breaking down the debate about traffic crashes. 

• Right-wing media figure (some might say grifter) lost his lawsuit against Portland antifascist activists earlier this week. Many Portland journalists (who, unlike him, aren't on Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch lists) and activists have ended up as the target of Ngo's ire over the years. Call me a coward, but I don't really wanna join that club, so I'll leave you with a snippet from the Southern Poverty Law Center about Ngo from our article on the situation: 

"What Ngo has portrayed as his journalistic work largely consists of publishing anti-antifa, Islamophobic and transphobic tweets and articles to his sizable Twitter following, along with disseminating the arrest records and personal details of left-wing demonstrators." 

• Governor Tina Kotek has announced a task force to bolster downtown Portland and address "how the city looks, the streets looking clean, the graffiti." As far as I can tell, there's nothing in the task force specifically addressing the elk statue, so I'm not convinced it'll be a good use of taxpayer money. TALK ABOUT THE ELK STATUE, GOVERNOR! 

• Who makes the best bagel in Portland? Last weekend, one deli sought to get to the bottom of this urgent question, and we have all the details. (I was once humbled to my core when I declared my personal favorite bagel spot on Twitter and was lambasted by several people I considered friends, making me rethink my entire approach to bagels and life in general, so I feel like I can't weigh in here. So read our story if you want the truth.) 

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS: 

• One of the candidates for president in Ecuador's upcoming election was assassinated yesterday at a political rally. The man, Fernando Villavicencio, was "known for speaking up against corruption." Not great!

• U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein—who, at 90, is the oldest member of Congress (but not by that much)—was once again admitted to the hospital when she fell in her home earlier this week. This may not constitute as major news to some, but this woman makes up 1% of our country's senate, and it's not just her physical agility that's in question. Let this woman out of the halls of Congress and let her live out her days in peace! And take Mitch McConnell while you're at it, but he should live out his days in less peace. 

• A wildfire in Hawaii has killed at least 36 people and reduced the town of Lahaina to ash and rubble. This is a terrible tragedy for people in Hawaii and around the entire world, who are likely to see similarly unthinkable climate catastrophes in the (not-so-distant) future.

• Lastly, A BABY: