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Good morning, Portland! That's right, it's Wednesday again, and I have news to share with all of you. First, a weather report: It's gonna be nice out today. Mid-70s nice. Tomorrow, it's going to be what I would consider HOT, with temperatures in the high 70s. I want the rain back, so wash your cars and take the fenders off your bikes for me, please! 

But first, read this news.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• At a City Council hearing last week, all 12 councilors tentatively voted to reject Portland General Electric's plan to construct transmission upgrades in Forest Park. The plan was already approved by a city hearings officer in March, but the Forest Park Neighborhood Association and Forest Park Conservancy both appealed the decision, taking it to City Council. The hearing lasted about five hours and councilors heard a LOT of public testimony, the vast majority in opposition to the project, which would require PGE to cut down almost 400 trees in the park. The hearing highlighted how far apart people on either side of this issue appear to be, even when looking at the same set of facts. Read more about the project, and what it has come to represent for people who support and oppose it, here. 

• Oregon's Lewis & Clark College, Reed College, and Willamette University have signed onto a letter calling on the Trump administration to stop their attacks on higher education. The letter, which was signed by more than 200 other university presidents, notes we are in a time of "unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education." The Trump administration has recently targeted universities by threatening to pull federal grant funding if the institutions don't comply with their ideological demands. Last week, Harvard University's responded to such threats by essentially telling Trump and his cronies to fuck off (well, in so many words), which has inspired a nation that formerly thought of Harvard as hoity-toity. So, it's good that the presidents of Lewis & Clark, Reed, and Willamette appear to be on board with resisting what could very well spell the end of American higher education as we know it. It would even better to see Oregon's bigger universities stand up to Trump. 'Sko (fight fascism), Ducks. 

• News dropped last night that Intel plans to eliminate another 20,000 jobs across the company, following a previous round of major layoffs last fall. Those in the know say the company will drop the news this week, though Intel hasn't confirmed that. This is a big blow not just for Intel employees, but for Oregon's economy more generally. Intel is among Oregon's largest employers, with 20,000 workers in Washington County. Its products are also crucial to the state's economy. But existing economic concerns—and now, the Trump administration's trade war—are straining the company. 

• When I saw this headline, I knew we were in for a sizzling Lizzy Acker take: "Portlanders say volunteering is important. Why are so few of them actually doing it?" Call those fakes out, Lizzy!!! For real, though, it looks like there's a mismatch between Portlanders' theoretical desire to do community service and their motivation to actually take action and do it. This is shown in data from a new survey, but I don't know if we needed a survey to tell us that people's aspirations don't actually match their follow-through. The survey does show some interesting trends in the demographics of people who are most likely to volunteer, though it also may be common sense that wealthier people with less demanding jobs have the time to spare for community service.

HOWEVER, I do think it's important for people to be active members of their communities, and most people can probably find some time to do it. Lizzy Acker's article shares some reasons why you might want to volunteer: It can be a great way to meet people, assuaging the loneliness that is so prevalent these days. It also feels good to be a part of something bigger. There are many more reasons why community service is good, and you probably know them already. Let this be your encouragement to get involved. 

• In this week's Mercury Music Picks:

 

Reunion shows, tour sendoffs, and a beach retreat! This week's Mercury Music Picks truly does have it all... and so can you 💐⁠
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Peep the link below to receive everything your heart desires ❤️‍🔥

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— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) April 22, 2025 at 12:24 PM

 

 

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• They're coming for our Red Dye 40, folks. Yesterday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he's making moves to eliminate synthetic dyes from foods, as a step toward improving the US food supply, which Kennedy claims is causing diseases. 

"We are going to get rid of the dyes and then one by one, we're going to get rid of every ingredient and additive in food that we can legally address," he said at a press conference. 

I mean, I'm sure this stuff isn't good for us, but it's concerning that Kennedy is tying them to conditions with other, medically-accepted treatments, like ADHD. Plus, a little food coloring pales in comparison with the deregulation spree Kennedy's HHS is on. Artificial dyes>botulism. But that's just my opinion. The candy industry is likely to attack this order with fervor, and I'm behind them here. 

Yes, I made this. Sorry.

• Kennedy's HHS also plans to do much more harmful things, like the recent leak that showed the department will cut funding for a program to help LGBTQ youth who call the national suicide and crisis hotline. The hotline launched in 2022, allowing callers to speak with counselors trained to talk about LGBTQ issues. Gay and trans youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. This program was truly a lifeline for kids in crisis. But the Trump administration doesn't care about that.

• The New York Times has won a libel lawsuit filed by Sarah Palin. Actually, the Times already won during a previous trial in 2022, but Palin appealed, and lost again. Lol. Palin sued the Times for damages back in 2017, following an editorial that kinda implied there was a link between the shooting that injured former US Rep. Gabby Giffords (and killed six others) and Palin's political action committee. But juries didn't find that convincing, I guess. In researching this story, I learned Palin studied journalism in college. Interesting...

• Again, the pro-life party doesn't give a shit about kids once they're born. And JD Vance wants us to start popping out more kids? We live in hell. 

 

NEW: The Trump administration is quietly putting America’s children at risk by cutting funds and manpower for investigating child abuse, enforcing child support payments, providing child care and much more.

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— ProPublica (@propublica.org) April 23, 2025 at 5:30 AM

 

• Finally...I recommend you watch this. 😻 Have a good day!