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Good Morning, Portland! Starting tomorrow, the Mercury's Spring Arts Guide hits news stands and coffee shops near you. I don't have a link yet, so JUST LOOK TOMORROW. Now, for the news TODAY.

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Remember that story from January where PGE wanted to remove nearly 400 trees from Forest Park? Well, that SHIT IS APPROVED. Is this for forest fire reasons? Nope. It's to serve increased demand in the city's residential and commercial areas of North and Northwest Portland. FWIW, Portland General Electric argues it's necessary to bolster the grid as the city shifts toward more renewable energy. Mercury reporter Taylor Griggs has more info on developments, including the hearings officer who really isn't helping their situation by declaring this "is about facts, not feelings." Uh. No, this is about a forest.

• Really should have left this for tomorrow but wanted to give you some time to prepare for Thursday night's sweet pink moon AKA the blood moon. It's just an eclipse that can't commit, but it still looks neat and I think its a holiday for witches, so do no harm or left-hand it, if you celebrate.

• Today's will-they-or-won't-they court call: According to Oregon Court of Appeals, popular gun control law Measure 114 is back on! 

"The opinion finds Ballot Measure 114 is constitutional. This overturns a 2023 decision from an Eastern Oregon judge who found it violated Oregon law."

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— Ryan Haas (@ryanjhaas.bsky.social) March 12, 2025 at 8:48 AM

• In related / unrelated gun-finding dog news:

Explosives-sniffing dog helps feds find ‘large hole’ in Portland yard where stolen guns were buried www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/0...

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— Maxine Bernstein (@maxbernstein.bsky.social) March 11, 2025 at 5:41 PM

• From the new, weekly Mercury Music Picks, music editor Nolan Parker sighs "There’s too much going on this week to even list, sheesh!"

Live music to get you through this rainy week! ⁠ ⁠ Check out all that's going down in Portland when it comes to concerts, music related films, ticket drops, and venue openings in this week's Mercury Music Picks. ⁠

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— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) March 11, 2025 at 12:09 PM

• The Mercury's UNDISPUTABLE GENIUSES OF COMEDY! hits Rev Hall on March 20, and Mohanad Elshieky is the special guest! Duuuude. He gave a truly wild exit interview when he moved to New York. Feels like his career has barely begun. The night is like a bouquet of talent, with the wonderful Adam Pasi hosting, and a tremendous selection of local comedians stepping onstage to give five minutes of their very best material. Get those tix before it sells out.

• IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• This is terrible, but it's also hilarious that the European Union has responded to President Trump's 25 percent tariffs on non-US steel and aluminum with THEIR OWN TARIFFS (◉_◉) on beef, whiskey, and motorcycles. Everything is about to be so expensive, and I already can't afford those luxuries. Will I return to my diet of toast and tomatoes? Reader, I never stopped.

• Recommended after work activity: Just sitting with the fact that we are now the country people boycott.

While Canada and Mexico have been at the frontline of Trump’s trade war, the boycott movement is visible far beyond countries whose economies have been targeted.

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— Guardian US (@us.theguardian.com) March 12, 2025 at 7:59 AM

• The US Department of Education announced 1,300 layoffs on Tuesday—approximately half its workforce. THAT'S A VERY SMOL WORKFORCE. Trump's administration is moving to destroy the department like many others. It's a small consolation that the majority of the country's school funding comes from state and local sources; there are plenty of services that federal funding helped with that are now in danger of being cut. 

• Today in steady goes the schadenfreude:

Elon Musk tweeted in 2022 that the Cybertruck "will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat." But a Cybertruck did not float in Ventura Harbor.

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— The Los Angeles Times (@latimes.com) March 12, 2025 at 8:26 AM

• In this skit, competing mermaids lure sailors with charm vs questions about the stock market. There's a twist!