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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! After yesterday’s deluge of rain, we can expect a dry, partly sunny day, with a high of 67. By Wednesday, the forecasted high is 75, which is a delightful, albeit frightening thing to report as we’re TWO WEEKS FROM HALLOWEEN. 🎃🌞

In Local News:

  • Last week, we told you about the family of a man who was killed by Portland Police in 2022 that is now threatening to sue the city. Immanueal Clark-Johnson, 30, was shot as he fled from police in November 2022. Police surrounded Clark-Johnson’s vehicle because they mistook it for one involved in an armed robbery shortly beforehand. Police fired on Clark-Johnson before they had a physical description of the suspects (they were white men; Clark-Johnson was Black.) Despite all that, a grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against the officer who fatally shot Clark-Johnson. Juan Chavez, an attorney representing the family, explains why the standards considered by the grand jury are different from those considered by a jury in a potential civil trial. 

  • The government isn’t helping folks who had their Social Security benefits stolen in a series of fraudulent charges. As KGW reports, it happened to two different Portlanders, and both were denied any assistance from Direct Express, the card service company the government uses to deposit federal benefits to those who receive assistance.In many cases, the company is denying refunds to cardholders, “despite obvious signs of fraud.”

  • Portland's Cleveland High School could move. The Oregonian reports Portland Public Schools is in talks with Kroger to potentially buy its headquarters in Southeast Portland as a new location for the school. Cleveland is among the smallest high schools in Portland and is up for remodel or rebuild. Cleveland High sits at SE Powell and 26th Avenue, not far from the compact Target store that is set to close this month.

  • We’re more than halfway through October, which means it’s prime time for indulging in spooky libations, creepy-themed treats and downright sexy autumnal takes on food and drinks. Our Everout team (bless them!) has assembled a list of eateries and bars offering Halloween-themed treats, and I’m living for it. I will even brave the taste of anise for the sake of seasonal fun, but as of Nov. 1, I’m throwing it back in the garbage, where it belongs. 

In National/World News:

  • President Biden is scheduled to visit Israel this Wednesday and later head to Jordan, to meet with Arab leaders. The visit will come as some U.S. lawmakers are calling on Congress to demand a ceasefire. By and large, the brutal Israel-Hamas war is exacting the biggest toll on civilians. As TIME reports, humanitarian aid was blocked at the Gaza Strip, as Gaza is on the brink of collapse. The Washington Post interviewed a hospital worker there, who told the outlet some staff were  “reduced to drinking from IV solution bags” after Israel cut off water supplies to the Palestinian territory.
  • Today, the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a new speaker, after ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy two weeks ago. The guy most likely to take his place? Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. Jordan is a hard right conservative and was a staunch Trump supporter. He now denies saying the 2020 election was stolen, despite siding with then-President Trump and pushing false claims about votes—even speaking at a Stop the Steal rally. It's unclear whether Jordan will muster enough votes to win the speaker's gavel. As the Associated Press notes, Jordan "won the GOP’s nomination for speaker in a secret ballot on Friday. But a second round of voting showed that more than 50 Republicans would oppose Jordan on the floor, leaving him well short of the 217 votes needed to win the gavel."

  • In a refreshing, yet still surprising turn of events re: the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Amy Coney Barrett said the high court should adopt an ethics code. Her comments came at a University of Minnesota Law School event. The Supreme Court doesn't have an official ethics code, which is likely why Justice Clarence Thomas felt A-OK about accepting lavish trips from rich acquaintances, some of which were connected to cases that came before the court, and why his wife, Ginni Thomas, was corresponding with folks involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and later said she believes the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. 

  • Remember Fugees? OK, now remember Pras? Well, earlier this year he was indicted on charges stemming from his acceptance of large amounts of money from a Malaysian billionaire that he allegedly funneled into donations to Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Pras is accused of being an "unregistered foreign agent for China" and witness tampering, as well as conspiracy to make concealed political donations. Pras is now in a whole other legal battle, claiming his attorney used AI software to draft a weak-ass closing argument that might have cost him his case. He was convicted on 10 felony charges. Fugees are slated to start a reunion tour with Ms. Lauryn Hill, (presumably to help pay for some of Pras's legal bills?) which will make a stop in Portland next month.