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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! 👋
Looks like a typical day of sun 'n' showers with a high of 52, to be followed by two extra sunny and relatively balmy days on Tuesday and Wednesday. That means it'll be a good time to face the sun, bask in its golden rays, and thank her for the joy and warmth she brings—while knowing full well she doesn't know you exist and would incinerate you with her blasts of plasma without giving it a second thought. And on that cheery note, let's read some NEWS!
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Remember how we reported last week that the City of Portland suddenly discovered they were sitting on an unknown and unSPENT pile of money, that was thought to be around $15 million? Well, after digging even deeper underneath those Portland Housing Bureau couch cushions we've now learned that the amount is closer to... rubs eyes in disbelief... a whopping $106 million! Obviously more money is good news—though it still represents a problem, according to City Council Prez Jamie Dunphy, who says the financial snafu is a holdover from the inefficient and cloudy form of our former city government. Investigations are underway to figure out how and why all that money was sitting there undiscovered, while others are pushing to earmark the funds for various projects. Which ones? Find out more in this report from our Jeremiah Hayden.
The Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) is sitting on $106 million in unspent funds, far more than was previously reported. City Administrator Raymond Lee outlined the funding in a memo Friday afternoon.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) February 6, 2026 at 3:27 PM
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• Speaking of my fine colleague, Mssr. Hayden, check out his contributed reporting in this article from the Guardian, which documents how ICE has been forced to switch tactics after massive public pushback in various communities, including Portland.
• Congrats to the Seattle Seahawks—and their fearful "Dark Side" defense—who walloped the unlovable New England Patriots, 29-13, for their second ever Super Bowl win. Two interceptions and six sacks against Patriots quarterback Drake Maye sealed the deal for the Seahawks, and to put even more icing on the cake, Bad Bunny's halftime show was one of the moar awesome ever (more on that later).
• With the constant bitching and whining from the city's wealthy and centrist class about taxes, it's easy to forget the wins. Check out this O story about the Portland region's homeless services tax which was enacted in 2020 and promised the eradication of houselessness within 10 years—and though the number of homeless people have actually grown since then, at least 39,000 people have had their lives changed (often in drastically positive ways) with funds that have kept them housed or in shelters. While the economic factors that push people into homelessness haven't abated and have demonstrably gotten worse, all three counties that benefit from the tax have met the initial 10-year performance goals set for them in the measure, and it's a good reminder that the successes of taxes such as these that keep people off the streets are often invisible.
• Speaking of crappy economic indicators, there's this headline: "Oregon’s unemployed outnumber job openings by 2 to 1." Job vacancies plummeted last fall in the state to the lowest number in five years, according to the latest state figures, with unemployment hitting the highest mark since the pandemic. Stats reveal there are 2.4 unemployed people for each vacant job in the state, largely due to layoffs from tech industries like Intel (thanks a pantload, Trump)—though occupations in the health care industry are on the rise, and state officials are hoping we've reached a turning point.
• In further sporting news: Portlanders and beyond are starting to get legitimately nervous that our beloved Trail Blazers could be whisked out of the city by incoming new owner Tom Dundon if the state and county aren't able to complete a complicated deal that would raise $600 million for renovations at the Moda Center. And keeping the Blazers here is paramount, as the team is considered to be one of the state's major economic drivers—however, when our schools are suffering from lack of funds, it's a fair question to ask, "Ummmm... what exactly is the new billionaire owner going to pitch in for these renovations?" That question is currently unknown and under negotiation—though it would appear Dundon, and the implied threat that he could move the team whenever he damn well pleases, could have the county and state over the barrel.
• Ahhhh... if only all sporting events started in this way.
Rose City Rollers kicked off the Goth vs Rave roller derby with a message the crowd loved. “F*** ICE”
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) February 7, 2026 at 10:25 AM
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IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• While Trump may have cried like a swollen, 79-year-old baby about it, Bad Bunny's amazing (yet somehow intimate) Super Bowl halftime show was a global success. The star brought Puerto Rico to the field, celebrating its vast culture in a jaw-dropping performance that was also deftly political. From spotlighting the sugar cane fields where brown and Black laborers are exploited, its colorful, vibrant neighborhoods, and even a REAL wedding, Bad Bunny's show (which he performed entirely in Spanish) was simultaneously thoughtful, inspiring, and filled with not-so-subtle jabs at Trump's administration—including workers and sparks falling from utility poles, documenting the months-long power outages that occurred in Hurricane Maria in 2017, which the president practically ignored... except for throwing paper towels at them. It was a blast to watch, and Trump's expected cry-baby reaction was just icing on the cake.
If you didn’t catch the significance of the exploding transformers in Bad Bunny’s halftime show, I gotcha. Here’s one of a bunch of pieces I wrote from/on Puerto Rico about the crisis—and Trump’s role in it. slate.com/news-and-pol...
— Jonathan M. Katz (@katz.theracket.news) February 8, 2026 at 5:59 PM
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• According to various reports, today members of congress will be allowed to review unredacted versions of the Epstein files. Meanwhile, Epstein's chief enabler, Ghislaine Maxwell, appeared for a virtual deposition today in front of the House Oversight Committee, but refused to offer any real insight, invoking her 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination. Or as California Rep. Robert Garcia put it, "She answered no questions and provided no information about the men who raped and trafficked women and girls."
British police assess claim former Prince Andrew shared confidential trade information with Jeffrey Epstein. https://cnn.it/4tresDc
— CNN (@cnn.com) February 9, 2026 at 7:34 AM
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• Olympic downhill skiier Lindsey Vonn suffered a devastating crash during competition on Saturday, and today is undergoing surgery to stabilize a fracture in her left leg. While much hay is being made about her choice to compete even though she had recently ruptured her ACL, the cause of the accident seems to have occurred when Vonn got caught in a gate on the course and began rotating out of control. It's unclear if the 41-year-old will return to skiing—or want to—when she recovers.
• An increasing number of GOP politicians are ringing alarm bells over White House Chief Nosferatu Stephen Miller, whose wildly racist, and inflammatory public comments about immigration are endangering their prospects in the upcoming midterm elections. Knowing full well that the Trump administration's immigration policy has been overwhelmingly condemned in national polls, many fearful Republicans are asking for Trump to give Miller the boot—though just as many sniveling GOP minions (Oh... hello, Lindsey Graham) continue to praise the knife-faced Göring wanna-be.
• And finally, if you suspect you're looking down the barrel of a very tough week ahead, here's the motivational content you've been looking for.
@equalityalley Mission complete. #motivation #motivational #motivationalvideo ♬ original sound - Ollie Quality
