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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋
In weather-ville, it's gonna be hot today (with the temps topping out at 89 degrees), but HOLY JEEEE-ZUS, it's gonna be a blast furnace for the next couple of days as temperatures hit a predicted dangerous level of 101 tomorrow, 99 on Saturday, followed by 97 on Sunday! So prep your plan to keep cool now and keep an eye out for your neighbors. And now, watch out... because here comes a blast furnace of NEWS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Today in "SPICY": The Mercury reported yesterday that a communications manager who worked for Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards was fired earlier this month. Vikki Payne, who was brought on as a staffer in the commissioner's office when she won in 2023, was terminated for what Brim-Edwards' chief of staff called "potential conflicts of interest," 👀 as well as performance issues. While working for the county commissioner, Payne led the Future Portland PAC (yet another sad People for Portland wannabe 🙄), which was frequently critical of county leadership and progressive leaders—while also boosting Brim-Edwards' policy proposals. (In other words, just the kind of pro-cop, pro-prosecutor political advocacy one might expect from a conservative group funded by rich people.) In May, critics pointed out that Payne appeared to be organizing and participating in a Future Portland press conference during working hours—but that's just the start of Payne and Future Portland's verrrrry problematic, eye-popping behavior. Check out Courtney Vaughn's banger of a report for more dirt.
A staffer for County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards simultaneously led the political action group Future Portland while managing communications for the commissioner. She was fired recently over concerns about potential conflicts of interest after organizing an event for the PAC during work hours.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) August 20, 2025 at 4:53 PM
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• Speaking of rich people screwing up a good thing: Yesterday, citizens turned out in droves to support the voter-approved Preschool for All program, which provides universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, and helps keep their parents out of poverty. Unfortunately the rollout has been a bit bumpy—as are most big, new, and inventive programs—leading local wealthy conservatives (here they come again) to already declare it a failure and torpedo it before allowing it an opportunity to be successful. (Shades of Measure 110, which these conservatives have also been proven wrong about, no?) Anyway, Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards is proposing a "tax indexing" plan which supporters of Preschool for All say will kneecap the program before it's even had a chance to get on its feet, and—here's the important part—is designed to give a tax break to the whining rich crybabies who keep threatening to leave Portland (but sadly never do). The vote to decide the future for Preschool for All happens next Thursday.
Bike. Two generators. Chair. Table. Bike, wheelchair. Walker. Crutches, cooler, baby stroller.
These are a few of the items taken during recent sweeps of homeless encampments in Portland, according to the city’s latest data.
— Jeremiah Hayden (@jeremiahhayden.bsky.social) August 20, 2025 at 5:26 PM
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• After royally blowing their opportunity to fund a transportation package earlier this summer, state Dems are hoping for a special session re-do next week to (hopefully) finally get the job done. Governor Tina Kotek is offering up her own tweaked version of the package, which would throw a tiny bone to environmentalists, a big, meaty bone to the historically belly-aching trucking industry, and would come in at roughly half the price of the original bill. If the legislature is still unable to pass a funding package, the state transportation department says they'll be forced to enact layoffs and cut basic services. Want to dig into the deets? Check out this report from OPB.
• The city's funnest annual event (for my money), the Portland Adult Soapbox Derby, took place last weekend! Celebrating its 26th year of fun, the derby features hilarious and clever homemade art cars racing down the winding track at Mount Tabor—and photo essayist Corbin Smith was there to take pics and interview these creative drivers and garage engineers. These people are the Portlanders who truly make our city great, so give them their props!
Fred Cole's heavy-truckin’, boogie-ready, fret-shrieking band Zipper put out one self-titled album in 1975 and that's it. If you haven't heard it yet you're in for a real treat: Throw it on in your bitchin' Camaro, roll the windows down, and cruise the gut 😎
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) August 20, 2025 at 11:44 AM
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IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• True to their word, the corrupt Republicans of Texas have approved their redrawn congressional maps which will now award the GOP an additional five seats in their already overwhelmingly red state. And in response, today California is racing to pass their own tit-for-tat new congressional maps that would favor Democrats—who hilariously have been given the okay to proceed by a California Supreme Court judge after Republicans tried to stop them from doing exactly what they did.
The adviser to Mayor Eric Adams blamed cultural differences for why she slipped a reporter cash hidden inside the bag of chips.
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) August 21, 2025 at 7:45 AM
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• Despite increasing pressure from the global community and their own citizens, Israel's military is actually ramping up their genocide of the Palestinian people, carrying out massive overnight strikes in Gaza City as well as the cities of Khan Younisin and Deir al-Balah. Meanwhile, the surviving Palestinians are being forced to run for their lives—even though there's nowhere to successfully escape—while trying not to starve to death.
• Sooooo... what are the MAGAts melting down about today?
They got rid of the cracker and the barrel
— Kristi Yamaguccimane (@wapplehouse.bsky.social) August 20, 2025 at 2:08 PM
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• While agreeing that president/convicted felon Donald Trump definitely committed fraud against the people of New York, a state appeals court has voided the nearly $500 million verdict against him, claiming the fine was too "excessive" for the billionaire who continues to make himself richer through self-serving government contracts and payola schemes.Â
• Here's some news to brighten up your day: James Dobson, founder of the extreme right conservative Christian group, Focus on the Family, is DEAD-DEAD-DEAD. 🎉 A staunch critic of abortion and the LGBTQ+ community, Dobson was partially responsible for the rise in anti-democratic Christian nationalism in America which laid the groundwork for Trump and the right's push for a dictatorship. May Dobson spend eternity where he belongs (and we all know where that is). 🔥
• And finally... meet the Mercury's News Drone™—coming to a city council meeting near you.
@rossmandrone flying head drone mod 💀 #fpvdrone #drone #scary ♬ original sound - Rossman Drone
