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Good morning, Portland! Happy hump day. Not to jinx anything, but we’ve been having an incredibly mild and pleasant August, as far as Portland summers go. With that said, Thursday will be pretty warm, with temps reaching 88 (possibly 90 in some areas). As for today, expect a partly sunny day with a high of 84 and a low of 60.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Portland Police Bureau says the two people involved in the fatal train incident from Monday were both 16-year-old boys. According to police, two teens, one of which died Monday evening, hopped on an idle freight train in Vancouver, Washington. According to police, the train began moving and made its way into North Portland, and the teens tried to get off the train around North Willamette Boulevard. The incident left one teen dead and another hospitalized with injuries after they were reportedly hit by a BNSF Railway train shortly before 9 pm Monday. The names of the boys have not yet been released.
• Three years ago, Multnomah County took a bold step by suing several oil and gas companies for their role in contributing to the climate crisis that has caused global temperatures to rise. The lawsuit came two years after the deadly heat dome of 2021 that killed 69 people in Multnomah County. That lawsuit is still active, but to the surprise of no one, the fossil fuel companies have asked that it be dismissed, arguing Multnomah County doesn’t have legal grounds to sue them. The defendants are trying to shield themselves from legal liability, saying the county is trying to use Oregon laws to regulate global activity, and that the county is asking the courts to quantify the impact of global emissions on the local community–all of which are inappropriate for a Circuit Court. As the Mercury’s Taylor Griggs explains, the oil and gas companies being sued argue the county’s lawsuit is precluded by federal law. Earlier this summer, the companies asserted that state courts in Oregon lack jurisdiction over their emissions in other states and countries, and thus cannot exert their influence via a state legal challenge. A case that’s set to be heard by the Supreme Court this fall could have major implications for Multnomah County’s lawsuit.
• Speaking of climate crises, if you haven’t yet, don’t forget to check out the Mercury’s new Climate Issue, available now online and in print at locations throughout the city. In the latest issue, curated by the aforementioned Griggs (whose affinity for smart urban planning and green infrastructure is admirable), the Mercury reporter walks readers through her journey to becoming a car-less Portlander, and how navigating the city by bike helped her form a stronger connection to the city and beat back some feelings of climate despair.
• And for no reason at all, other than the fact that Oregon’s transportation system is dangerously underfunded, leaving TriMet to cut several routes, and because our state is still recovering from several wildfires, some of which aren’t completely extinguished, and you know, all the climate stuff mentioned above… check out TriMet’s latest merch drop (yes, they made a special homage to the goats). Support your local transit system.
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS
• The Samish Tribe in Washington is partnering with a university to recover the critically endangered sunflower star species. The ocean dwellers have been nearly decimated by a disease caused by bacteria that’s proliferated as oceans heat up amid climate changes. Sunflower stars, which have multiple appendages and can grow to reach several feet in size, feed on things like sea urchins, which feed on kelp. By reintroducing the species to native Washington waters off the San Juan Islands, which is home to the tribe, researchers hope the local kelp beds there will also regenerate, improving the ocean ecosystem.
• The wave of democratic socialists picking up wins in primary elections across the US has reached Florida, where Angie Nixon beat Alex Vindman to become the democratic nominee for a US Senate seat in Florida’s November elections. Nixon, a current state representative in Florida’s District 13, which represents the Jacksonville area, was not endorsed by the national DSA organization, but still managed to beat Vindman–a key witness in Trump’s 2019 impeachment hearings. Nixon will now face Republican Senator Ashley Moody in November. Moody and Nixon are both vying to fill the remainder of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Senate term, after he vacated the seat to work in the Trump administration.
• Trump’s quest to tariff the globe isn’t going as planned. The president took a break from his underwear changing routine Tuesday evening (we’re told on good authority that White House staff have been tasked with finding an industrial strength Diaper Genie) to announce a three-day pause on new 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods that were set to take effect at midnight. Apparently, a late-hour deal was reached between Canada and the US. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney released a statement saying “substantial progress” had been made, but that more work needs to be done. Meanwhile, countries are trying to figure out how to maneuver around the maniacal politics of an unserious man in a very serious position. Carney added that Canada “remains focused on building a stronger, more independent and more competitive economy at home,” Reuters reports.
