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Good morning, Portland! My prayers for rain have been answered in some abundance. The weather today is supposed to be pretty similar to yesterday’s, but possibly a little drier. After weeks of sustained sun, fall has suddenly begun in earnest.
Before I get into the news, I would be remiss not to mention the Mercury‘s Halloween party (and costume contest!) on Saturday, which you can buy your (reasonably priced!) tickets for HERE. If you already have plans on Halloween, consider this: November 1 is the end of Daylight Saving Time, granting you an extra hour for late-night Halloween celebrations. In other words, you have all the time in the world. Hope to see you there!
Now, for the news.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• It’s officially one week until Election Day, meaning today is the final day Oregon election officials recommend you return your ballot by mail. You can still turn it in in a drop box until 8 pm on November 3, so do not be dissuaded! (Find a drop box here.) If you don’t know who to vote for, never fear—the Mercury has the most trustworthy endorsements in town. You can read them all here, but just in case, a quick reminder: If you live in City Council District 3, we recommend you rank Angelita Morillo, Tiffany Koyama Lane, and Steve Novick (in that order). District 4 residents should rank Mitch Green first and Jamey Evenstar second. Vote for Shannon Singleton for Multnomah County Chair, and rank Nathan Ong Norris first, Bri Williams second, and Serena Cruz third in the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners District 2 race. And please vote for Tina Kotek for governor. We have our share of qualms with her leadership, but she is by far the better option when compared to her Republican opponent, Christine Drazan. Happy voting!
• Should local governments be able to sue fossil fuel companies for climate damages? It’s become a more popular tactic in recent years, as cities, counties, and states seek to recoup growing costs associated with the climate crisis. Last week, Portland City Council weighed in on the issue, adopting a resolution in support of such litigation, and denouncing legislative and judicial attempts to immunize the oil and gas industry from consequences. The resolution was brought by Councilor Steve Novick, a longtime environmental attorney, who wanted to bring awareness to the national campaign to protect the oil and gas industry from consequences for their role in the climate crisis. Some councilors also indicated support for the city joining Multnomah County’s ongoing lawsuit against big oil companies, or filing one of their own. Find out more in the Mercury‘s recent story.
• The Portland Thorns game on Friday was a success for the women’s soccer team, who advanced to the playoffs. But the win was overshadowed in the news by the presence of anti-trans activists, who have repeatedly been shown the door by women’s sports fans in Portland but insist on bringing their hateful attitudes into public anyway. The activists wore shirts representing the anti-trans group XX-XY. They were eventually ejected from the stadium, allegedly after starting shit with other fans carrying trans flags, and have gone on to claim persecution. As one fan present at the game told the Mercury: “It’s extremely upsetting, because I see women’s sports—which I care about passionately—being used by bad faith actors who don’t care about women’s sports and are using their popularity to advance a right-wing wedge issue.” Sounds about right! Read more in Stephanie Kaloi’s latest article.
• Forget lining up for brunch; these days, we’re lining up for pasta. On any given day, you’ll find a crowd congregating outside of Fantino, the not-so-new but still very buzzy no-reservations Italian spot that opened in February 2025 on an otherwise fairly quiet stretch of SE Division.
Fantino isn’t a traditional Italian restaurant, nor is it a red sauce joint. Its style falls somewhere in the middle, and even a few Spanish tapas have worked their way into the list of starters.
Pastas are the star of the menu, with small, smart twists that take them to an eminently craveworthy level. Shells slathered in vodka sauce are an absolute must, baked with a bit of breadcrumb on top for extra crunch. Next time, I want my own plate. The bolognese, served atop wide, eggy, wonderfully al dente housemade pappardelle, hits all the familiar meaty notes, except with local lamb and lots of thyme for a more rustic touch. The linguine vongole, piled high with shell-on clams, features thick housemade noodles that stand up well to the buttery, garlicky sauce. Read the Mercury‘s full review here! KATHERINE CHEW HAMILTON
• Need stuff to do this week? In addition to the aforementioned Halloween party (10/31, Alberta Abbey, 10 pm, be there), the Mercury’s calendar curators have compiled some other great events. Check out early horror films at Church of Film on Wednesday (Clinton Street Theater), a Protomartyr show Thursday at the Aladdin Theater, and a Lone Fir cemetery tour on Halloween afternoon. More here!
• Portland Timbers legend Diego Chará announced Monday afternoon that he will retire from professional soccer following the conclusion of the shortened 2027 spring MLS season. It will be the end of a remarkable era, with Chará spending 15 years on the team. “Football is not leaving him,” Timbers manager Martí Cifuentes said in tribute. “He is leaving football.” Our Abe Asher has the details.
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• The world was blessed Sunday when progressive Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (better known as Lula) handily defeated far-right opponent Flavio Bolsonaro in the country’s presidential election. Flavio is the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving prison time for attempting to organize a coup after Lula defeated him in the 2022 election. As it turns out, the younger Bolsonaro may also have some legal troubles he was hoping to avoid by seeking higher office. He said Monday that Brazil’s federal police asked him to turn in his passports so he can’t leave the country, apparently because of his possible involvement in a massive money-laundering scheme. Bolsonaro is still refusing the accept the results of Sunday’s election, but any legal pathways he may have to challenge the result look very unlikely, as Lula won with such a decisive margin. President Trump, who is among the least trustworthy people in the world, also said he thought the Brazilian election “looked rigged.” But reports indicate Trump doesn’t seem interested in trying to help Bolsonaro cheat, now that he’s been embarrassed on the world stage.
• The Trump administration is clearly worried about next week’s midterm elections, where Democrats are expected to win back control of the US House of Representatives and potentially nab the Senate, too. Instead of doing anything to persuade people to vote Republican, though, Trump has decided to…*checks notes*…go after former FBI Director James Comey again. That’s right, the Trump administration is attempting, for the third time in two years, to prosecute Comey, who led the FBI from 2013 until he was fired a few months into Trump’s first term. The president has hated Comey for years, dating back to the former FBI director’s investigation into the alleged connections between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. The Trump administration’s newest charges against Comey are extremely convoluted and confusing, stemming from something they claim Comey did in October 2016. I’m not here to defend FBI directors—current, former, or otherwise—but it seems obvious that Trump’s obsession with prosecuting Comey is based in personal grievances more than any actual wrongdoing. At any rate, I am pretty darn sure this isn’t a top-priority issue for the American people.
• Israel is holding its national elections today, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s job is on the line. Netanyahu’s current term as prime minister began in 2022, but he served two previous terms, one of which lasted more than a decade. His main challenger in this election is Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief whose views are somewhat unclear. Netanyahu, a far-right nationalist, has overseen Israel’s three year siege on Gaza and an expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him, citing crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli military in Gaza. He’s also faced significant domestic pushback for his handling of the “conflict” (more like genocide, as many reputable experts have called it). Eisenkot may be a slight improvement, but he doesn’t seem to hold substantially different views on Palestinian autonomy, and the problems in Israel (like and directly related to those in the United States) go beyond one person. The results of the election may not be known for at least several weeks.
• Last Ditch, the Covid-conscious lesbian bar in Western Massachusetts that recently went viral for its mask policies, is closing. The bar was featured in an extremely popular Boston Globe article last month, which showcased the extreme backlash to Last Ditch’s decision to loosen its Covid mask policy once a week in an attempt to reach more customers. Apparently, neither that decision nor the subsequent media blitz resulted in more customers for the struggling bar. And that’s quite sad, especially because Last Ditch was one of just 36 remaining lesbian bars in the United States. My best wishes to the bar owner, who has unwittingly become something of a celebrity in recent weeks and probably just wants to live her life.
• Baby orangutan alert. You’re welcome. Have a good Tuesday, everyone!
