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Good Morning, Portland! It is, in fact, still January. Sorry. On the bright side, we’ll get another sunny day today, with a high of 50 degrees. Next week’s forecast predicts snow, but that’s a problem for later.
In Local News:
• Last week, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson laid out his plan to “end unsheltered homelessness.” Wilson and city staffers say with the right strategy, the city can add 1,500 overnight shelter beds by December. Wilson’s plan was mostly welcomed by the City Council, but questions remain about the logistics (how will the region transport thousands of unhoused residents to shelters on a regular basis?) and the effectiveness of the plan. The blueprint calls for a “flex” model that will see the city scale down the number of shelter beds in warmer months, meaning folks will likely still be sleeping on the streets, but don’t worry, Wilson says! At least they won’t be in tents or RVs or other makeshift shelters that provide a modicum of shade, safety and privacy.
• Downtown Portland is seeing a slow, but steady increase in foot traffic and office workers. According to data swiped straight from the cell phones of thousands of people, the area saw a 54 percent increase in foot traffic, compared to 2021. The numbers are still 36 percent lower than 2019, which is sure to bum out business owners, and leave developers, and several local politicians crying in their Cheerios. For context, city leaders and business groups have been hyper-focused on the economic health of Downtown and only Downtown for the last two years. Nevermind the fact that restaurants and small retail businesses all over Portland are closing left and right. What rarely gets talked about in the discourse around economic rebound and revitalization is the impact of inflation coupled with sky-high rents. People are probably shopping and dining out less these days because lunch for two is easily $40.
• If you’re sad that Portland doesn’t have as many people Downtown as it did six years ago, or that lunch is breaking the bank, consider the magic of Wiener Week! Here at the Mercury, we’re giving you an extra reason to head Downtown (and all over the city) to check out one of several locations offering limited-time, specially-crafted hot dogs for just $8. Now through Sunday, Feb. 2, delight in Portland’s delicious creativity and grab a dog at one of more than 40 participating locations. Remember to tip well and be kind!
Time to grab those wieners with the Mercury's very first WIENER WEEK! Try more than 40 one-of-a-kind hot dogs from the city's most creative chefs all week long... and for only $8 each? Bow-wow-WOW! 🌭😋
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.bsky.social) January 27, 2025 at 11:34 AM
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• Yes, it’s Wiener Week, but it’s also still Veganuary. Portland is often dubbed one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the US, and while it would be a daunting task to list every plant-based eatery in the city, EverOut has compiled a hefty selection of places to satiate all your cravings, sans cruelty.
In National/World News:
• Remember when the Trump campaign and even Trump supporters insisted the former felon president’s agenda wasn’t a Project 2025 playbook? New reporting from the tech-focused site 404 Media says federal memos from the Office of Personnel Management were drafted by former Heritage Foundation employees (AKA the group that birthed Project 2025, the “Presidential Transition Plan”). According to the reporting, “the senders of the memos failed to scrub the metadata from those documents.” Recent memos have addressed everything from return-to-office mandates, hiring freezes and other employment-related matters.
someone forgot to scrub the author metadata in OPM memos... www.404media.co/opm-memos-to...
— Sam Cole (@samleecole.bsky.social) January 27, 2025 at 2:46 PM
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• Brazilian citizens deported from the United States arrived by plane in handcuffs and endured prisoner-like treatment en route to Brazil over the weekend. The Brazilian government chastised the US for its “flagrant disregard” for the rights of those being removed from the country. One deportee said he and other passengers were “tied hands and feet” during the flight, with no access to a bathroom or water.
• In tech and social media news, rumor has it that Microsoft might acquire the popular video app TikTok. TikTok has caused hysteria over the past two weeks, as the site was court-ordered to shut down in the United States. The company behind TikTok–ByteDance– even pulled a dramatic stunt on the eve of Inauguration Day, prematurely and temporarily shutting down the site, then greeting users again with a notice thanking Donald Trump, who hadn’t taken office yet, for using his presidential wand to save them. The background: TikTok is owned by a Chinese company and US lawmakers have warned that the app poses a risk to national security, and the privacy of American users. Now, Trump claims Microsoft might be in line to buy the company, though Microsoft has yet to confirm. If that were to happen, it would likely assuage Congress and the high courts simply by causing its popularity and engagement to plummet, because Microsoft hasn’t put out anything cool or cutting edge since the age of dial-up internet.
Trump says Microsoft in talks to buy TikTok
— Semafor (@semafor.com) January 28, 2025 at 7:31 AM
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I hear Microsoft is in talks to buy TikTok? I can’t wait for the rebrand. Microsoft ForYou Live 2025 365 is really going to shake up the industry
— Cheryl Platz (@funnygodmother.bsky.social) January 27, 2025 at 7:57 PM