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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋

If you liked yesterday's weather, you're gonna LOVE the next four days which is expected to feature sunny skies and highs in the low-to-mid 60s. Seems like the perfect weather to go out and enjoy the tummy-delighting fun of the Mercury's SANDWICH WEEK, and try as many of the 74 creative sammies from Portland's best chefs as you can before it ends on Sunday! (That's my opinion, anyway. And here is your morning dose of somewhat opinionated NEWS.)

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• The City of Portland has once again been forced to fork over a major payout due to police violence during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020—the biggest ever settlement related to that summer's demonstrations. Yesterday, Portland City Council paid a whopping $938,000 to settle a lawsuit from journalists and legal observers who were attacked and threatened with arrest while... [checks notes]... doing their goddamn jobs. Our Courtney Vaughn has a wrap-up of the City Council vote and what the lawsuit entails, which contains chilling details of legal observers and reporters being knocked down, gassed, and beaten with batons while legitimately trying to report on police activity during the protests. The council voted 11-1 to settle the lawsuit—with the notable "no" vote being cast by Councilor Loretta Smith. Thanks a lot, Loretta... it's good to know who (and who does not) support freedom of the press during this particularly fraught time for our country. Read the story here.

• Another day, another bungled, dishonest headline from the Oregonian:

I'm sure @shanedkavanaugh.bsky.social didn't mean it this way, but headline & tone of this article seems like it was meant to make people mad that PBOT is spending $$ on bike lanes while other streets don't get swept.

Also FWIW, bike lane sweeping is street sweeping!

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— Jonathan Maus (@jonathanmaus.bsky.social) March 5, 2025 at 8:56 AM

• Clackamas County Commissioner Melissa Fireside stands accused of eight felony counts after allegedly forging the signature of an Oregon state representative and stealing thousands of dollars from an 83-year-old man. Fireside allegedly scammed Arthur Wayne Petrone out of $10,000, accessed a computer system to steal $10,000 more in a separate incident, and reportedly committed two counts of identity theft by forging the signatures of Oregon State Rep. April Eirene Dobson and Petrone. The commissioner is reportedly taking a leave of absence, as Clackamas County officials ponder whether she should be removed from office.

• Two sculptures have been removed from NW Davis and 3rd Ave in Old Town after years of complaints from the Chinese community that the public art was culturally inappropriate and wrongly depicted their culture and history. The statues were originally put up in 2006 as part of a street improvement project, but... surprise!... was designed and installed without consulting the neighborhood's Chinese American community. [Insert face palm here.] 

• A judge has ordered the tiny town of Lake Oswego to immediately cease from enforcing their classist rules which keeps members of the general public from enjoying its namesake lake. The city, in conjunction with the wealthy members of the Lake Oswego Corporation—AKA those who own property surrounding the lake—established the ordinance in 2012, but have been ordered to "take steps necessary to provide for reasonably safe public access" to the body of water within 120 days... and that includes taking away the signs, boulders, and other physical impediments keeping the public from enjoying the lake. (But don't get it twisted, because the city and wealthy residents are planning an appeal... because of course they are.)

• For you lovers of music and art, do not miss Mercury music editor Nolan Parker's terrific story about Bijan Berahimi, the graphic designer and creative force behind Portland’s Fisk Gallery, who is the mastermind behind the new exhibit, Eyes & Ears: A Survey of Visuals in Music 2020-2024, at PNCA. The exhibit is a feast for the eyes and features the iconic design of the music, merch, and posters from greats as Kendrick Lamar, Chappell Roan, Sega Bodega, and more! Our interview spotlights what went into the exhibit, and is a must-see and read!

Hurry, hurry! Tickets for Portland's biggest night of laughs—the Mercury's Undisputable Geniuses of Comedy showcase—are selling FAST. Get yours before they sell out! 🏃‍♀️

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— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) March 5, 2025 at 2:35 PM

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• What's King Fool up to today? More blundering and idiotically cruel shenanigans, as usual:

ITEM: Trump is reportedly set to order the dismantlement of the Department of Education (currently run by a wrestling executive 🤪), which will primarily affect millions of children from low-income families—especially the children in red states, so we'll see how well that works out for their Trump-voting parents.

ITEM: Trump's Republican-led House has voted to censure Democratic Rep. Al Green for doing what the other Dems should have been doing during the president's Tuesday speech—standing up and shouting down King Fool before being removed from the chambers. Green also rightly doesn't give a shit about the censure, happily stating he'd do it all again. (Fellow Dems take note!)

“He’s threatening an entire population with death — what else is that other than genocidal?” one expert told The Intercept.

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— The Intercept (@theintercept.com) March 6, 2025 at 8:05 AM

ITEM: Another federal judge has blocked Trump's attempts to freeze federal grants and loans dispersed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that provides states with trillions in spending dollars. The judge correctly noted that the president's foolish decision usurps the power of Congress.

ITEM: Canadian liquor stores are pulling U.S.-made booze off their shelves in retaliation of Trump's tariffs, which threaten to raise prices for everyday Americans and could potentially lead us into another recession. Canada is also instituting their own 25 percent tariff on American goods, which is sending the markets scrambling and leaving Trump and his supporters wondering how such a terrible plan could go so terribly wrong.

By President Donald Trump’s notoriously high standards for TV ratings, his 99-minute-long speech Tuesday missed the mark.

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— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) March 5, 2025 at 4:59 PM

• Mark this day as the beginning of the end for the California governor: "Gavin Newsom breaks with Democrats on trans athletes in sports."

• RIP to vibraphonist and jazz funk pioneer Roy Ayers (creator of the heavily sampled “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”) who has died at the age of 84.

• And finally... if your boss tells you that you've missed an important deadline, then send them this. (Note: If you are a Mercury employee and you send me this, you're fired.)

@masood_boomgaard the cosmic consequences of missing a deadline are minimal #fyp #foryoupage #tiktok #trending #viral #comedy #hopecore #worklife ♬ original sound - masood_boomgaard