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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! 👋

For those who hate the stinging rays of the sun, prepare to celebrate: Clouds will be appearing on and off all week, with highs in the much more reasonable low to mid-70s through Wednesday. And now prepare thyself for the stinging rays of the NEWS!

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• As we know, Portland is lagging behind when it comes to building multifamily apartments, and even though Mayor Wheeler has set a goal of 20,000 new units of affordable housing by 2033, that dream has been stymied by... you guessed it... capitalism. According to a new report delivered by economists at ECONorthwest, we have the lowest number of new construction permits since 2009, thanks to institutional investors (like insurance companies and pension funds) who are too squeamish/greedy to fund the projects. 

• Olympian Jordan Chiles (born in Tualatin, Oregon and spending much of her life in Vancouver, Washington) has been stripped of her bronze medal in gymnastics. An independent arbitrator ruled that she and her coaches were four seconds too late in making an inquiry into Chiles' score, which ultimately boosted her score by a tenth of a point, moving her from fifth place to third. The bronze medal will now go to Ana Barbosu of Romania, though Chiles' team is promising to appeal the decision.

• The quickly growing Dixon Fire in Douglas County has spurred Level 3 (go now) evacuation warnings in the towns of Tiller and Drew. As of yesterday morning, the fire has reportedly spread over 1,600 acres and is so far zero percent contained.

• Organizers are estimating that a whopping 10,000 people showed up to ride the Providence Bridge Pedal—which closes seven Portland bridges to cars—on Sunday, making it one of the largest community bike rides in the world!

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• Welp, that's another Olympics in the books as closing ceremonies for the games went down last night. And while I have no idea where I'm going to get my speed climbing fix, not a single breath can be taken because plans are already well underway for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. (No, I will not be attempting to qualify for the breakdancing competition, but thank you for asking.)

• Trump's campaign continues its hilarious implosion, with the former president searching for increasingly desperate ways to slow the meteoric ascent of Kamala Harris in the presidential race. Over the weekend, Trump tried to distract voters from the size of his anemic rally crowds by claiming that the huge audiences for Harris' events were created by AI. Absolutely no one believed the lying liar.

• The US is quickly sending a guided missile submarine and aircraft carrier to the Middle East region, as Israel anxiously awaits retaliation from Iran following the assassination of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah. As you can imagine, this is not doing wonders for the continuing negotiations for a cease fire between Israel's government and Hamas. Another thing not helping: An Israel airstrike on a school in Gaza killed at least 100 people, including women and children.

• Bad news for Portland politicians who are banking on violent crime to get them into office this November: "New data shows violent crime dropping sharply in major U.S. cities"—and yep, that includes Portland.

• And finally... watch this video (all the way to the end, please) AND BE SAFE THIS WEEK AT WORK!