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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! We’re in for another day of sublime weather as we hit the first day of spring this week. Enjoy the false spring (local weather, we know you too well) while it lasts, before rain makes its grand return later this week.

In LOCAL NEWS:

  • The Mercury's Spring Arts Preview is heeeeere! Learn more about one of Portland's sassiest drag queens, stay in the know about upcoming cool things, and explore features of the city you probably didn't know existed. This guide is lovingly curated by our arts & culture editor, Suzette Smith.
  • Apparently nice weather makes the city go nuts. Early Sunday, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a fire AND a shooting at the same time. Oof. A literal dumpster fire broke out at an apartment complex in Northeast Portland early Sunday morning, spreading to nearby apartments. Portland Fire & Rescue says no one was injured, but five units are now uninhabitable. While fire crews were on scene, a shooting was reported about four blocks away outside Capitol Bar. Firefighters responded to the scene and transported a patient to a hospital by ambulance. Another patient was taken to a hospital in a private vehicle.
  • An older model Boeing 737 plane was found to be missing a panel on Friday after a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Medford. The airport’s leader said the missing panel was found on a post-flight inspection after the plane landed safely without incident. The missing part is the latest in a series of mishaps with Boeing planes. In January, an emergency exit door blew off a Boeing Max 9 jet shortly after taking off from PDX. Soooo…where are we at with those bullet trains?
  • In a very Portland-appropriate announcement, the Portland Pickles collegiate baseball team will open what they’re calling a “giant sports bar” on Mississippi Ave this week. The Portland Pickles Pub will feature “an extensive selection of beverages, including local craft beers and specialty cocktails, while the menu will feature a curated selection of the best stadium dogs from Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks.” The pub will also offer a three-story game screen, dozens of games, and over 10 TV screens, KGW reports.

In NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

  • Let's circle back on how crummy flying has gotten. Daydream with me, because private companies are renewing efforts to bring supersonic travel to passengers. Supersonic jets travel faster than the speed of sound, meaning a person could travel the world in a fraction of the time it takes with traditional aircraft. The last time a commercial supersonic jet was in use was 2003, when the Concorde ceased flying. The jets are expected to seat 64 to 80 passengers, and some companies say they could eventually become affordable to the general public. Supersonic aircraft makers say they’re finding ways to make the jets more climate friendly, by using alternative fuel, but critics say that’s bogus. 

  • President Biden wants you to know he cares about women. The president signed an executive order Monday that calls for more robust data collection and more funding for biomedical research that could bolster research on women’s health. Biden alluded to the issue in his recent State of the Union address. As the AP reminds readers, the federal government didn’t mandate women be included in federally funded medical research until the 1990s. “[For] most of medical history, though, scientific study was based almost entirely on men.” Worth noting: In recent years, the US has seen an uptick in maternal mortality rates, which is surprising for a developed, industrialized nation. Researchers also note Black women are more likely to die from childbirth complications than white women.
  • The US Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in a case that could test the limits of free speech laws when it comes to government officials. Oddly, the ACLU is representing the NRA in a case that challenges whether a New York financial regulator overstepped her role when warning insurance to “continue evaluating and managing their risks, including reputational risks, that may arise from their dealings with the NRA or similar gun promotion organizations.” Check out this handy Vox breakdown of the issue.

And now, for some irrelevant humor.

 
 
 
 
 
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