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Good morning, Portland! Finally, PNW fall weather has arrived. We can expect clouds with occasional rain showers, and a high of 54 degrees today, with an overnight low of 43.
But first, expect to catch up on some news.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• This is your reminder that Election Day is six days away. At this point, it’s recommended that you drop your ballot off at a drop box, rather than trying to mail it. Need help deciding who to rank and vote for? Check out the Mercury’s endorsements and our candidate trackers here!
• Spain, the opening show of Profile Theatre’s 29th season, questions if political art can change the world. “It’s not a new question,” writes Mercury critic TJ Acena, “though it’s a question that has become more interesting as the US continues its transformation into an oligarchy governed by perverts.”
• Turns out, District 4 City Council candidate and Portland police officer Eli Arnold is an outlier in his job, but not for the right reasons. Portland Police Bureau data shows Arnold ranks 14th out of 991 officers for the number of times he’s used force on someone on the job. In 2021, he logged more use of force incidents than any other officer. The Mercury’s Jeremiah Hayden chased down public records and dug into the data on the bike cop and Council candidate’s record.
• In potentially bummer news, Cloud City ice cream in Southeast Portland’s Woodstock neighborhood says it’s in danger of closing, after an expensive equipment failure two years ago left them shouldering an unexpected expense that’s left them in a bad economic position ever since. The business owners are now begrudgingly turning to a crowdfunding campaign to try to raise $60,000 to keep the business afloat.
• If you don’t have plans for Halloween, you do now. We’re throwing a Scream Queen party and you’re totally invited. Come dance, sip on a spooky concoction, take part in our costume contest, and hell, get a tattoo while you’re at it. See you there!
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Israel is recording the highest voter turnout in at least two decades, at more than 77 percent, in the first national election since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. Israeli voters will decide which political party to put in power, and whether Netanyahu’s Likud right-wing party will continue its rule. Israel votes for parties, rather than individual leaders, and the full tally of votes may take weeks. Once a party receives a majority, alliances are formed with other parties to create a majority coalition. Netanyahu’s major challenger is Gadi Eisenkot, a centrist and former military chief who’s lost a son and two nephews in the Gaza war.
• Hasan Piker, the progressive online streamer who’s amassed a large following, is suing political commentator Scott Jennings for defamation, after Jennings posted a doctored video of Piker and used made-up quotes that falsely portrayed him. Piker apparently reached out to request that the content be retracted/taken down back in August, to no avail. Piker is seeking $72 million in damages.
• The Associated Press has done a fact-check piece on RFK, Jr. after the racist, deranged, bumbling asshole spouted off some comments last week about how Arabs “don’t produce science” or literature, and haven’t won the Nobel Prize or Wolf Prize. At this point, everyone knows this man isn’t a fan of researching things before he opens his mouth, but this time, he didn’t even bother to consult Google.
• As world leaders (well, excluding the one we put in charge of the United States) try to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, some scientists, as well as those from the oil and plastic industry, have a different idea for a new energy source: turn plastic back into oil. Since plastic is everywhere and is already polluting our oceans, some are looking to a process that would burn the plastic at high temperatures to convert to fuel for large machinery like turbines, ships, diesel trucks, and other things that have yet to be electrified and still rely on fuel. The process is called “pyrolysis-oil.” Whether the plastic could be converted back to oil in a way that doesn’t further pollute the environment is a whole other question.
That’s all for today. Enjoy the last days of spooky season and have yourself a little treat.
