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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋
And also happy daylight saving time to those who celebrate—which is nobody, right? 🙄 In any case, you can expect today’s cloudy skies to be turning on and off their drizzle faucets all day, with a high of 53. And for those reading this from higher elevations (as in feet, not weed), you might see a mixture of snow and rain Tuesday, before it warms up later in the week. And now, set your brains forward for a look at today’s NEWS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• A new proposal is set to come before Portland City Council this month to help establish a more permanent solution to the city’s pothole crisis. As you undoubtedly recall, the Portland Bureau of Transportation has been suffering a budget crisis for years, leading to crumbling roads and sidewalks and a financial inability to fix them. This time around council will consider a three-pronged attack on the problem, including a potential “transportation utility tax” on residents and businesses, charging fees to utility agencies whose vehicles damage the roads, as well as a possible surcharge on food and retail deliveries (like Door Dash and Amazon). The transportation utility fee—a tax that several other Oregon cities already implement—could raise up to $46.7 million a year. However, even most transpo officials agree that these extra fees would only be a drop in the proverbial bucket.
• Have you been wondering, “what in the ever-loving hell is going on with the Lloyd mall and its beloved ice skating rink?” Last Thursday, March 5, the Portland Design Commission unanimously accepted the Lloyd Mall owners’ Revised Primary Master Plan, thereby pushing the massive project—which would eventually demolish the mall and replace it with mixed-use development—another small step forward. While this vote focused more on boring stuff like zoning codes and isn’t a demolition order, the plan—as it stands now—will eventually lead to the massive tear-down. Here’s an update on the decision from our Joe Streckert.
The Portland Design Commission unanimously accepted the Revised Primary Master Plan for the Lloyd Center Mall, pushing the massive project one small step forward.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) March 6, 2026 at 12:46 PM
• In sporting news, there could be a substantial delay to the beginning of the season for our new WNBA franchise, the Portland Fire. The WNBA is currently locked in a labor dispute with players, and if a deal is not reached by tomorrow it could seriously delay the team’s season opener, and stop the Fire from building a roster. While players are expected to get a substantial raise, WNBA management is refusing to budge on a key request: sharing the total revenue, the same deal that NBA players receive. An agreement has to be made in order for the Fire to start acquiring and trading players, and unless they start immediately, an on-time start to the season is unlikely.
• Calling all gamers: House House, the video game developers who brought you Untitled Goose Game, have a new world for you to explore called Big Walk. And here’s where it gets even better—the game’s publishers, Portland studio Panic, are inviting YOU to come play it in their downtown offices for FREE before publication. 👀 While the new game made our culture editor Suzette Smith suuuuuper dizzy, she loved it and wants to play it again. In her full review she breaks down what makes this game so special.
• Our new food editor, Katherine Chew Hamilton, has the deets on a new matcha joint that opened in February, called Mako Matcha Mill. Owners Edison Zeng and Emily Dewey are putting out more straight-forward matcha drinks using tea sourced directly from farmers, which allows them to sell their delicious delights at a much cheaper price point: $4 per drink, which is less expensive than many of the other matcha places in town. Check it out!
Scenes from the 10th annual Lunar New Year Parade in Portland.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) March 7, 2026 at 8:21 PM
• And if you’re looking for a good laugh, maybe you should try… the latest Pixar movie? Our Dom Sinacola reviews the new animated flick Hoppers, about a college student/environmental activist who gets her brain transferred into the CPU of a lifelike robot animal, which he calls “undeniably delightful, adventurous, and arguably the funniest Pixar title in forever.” BIG TALK! We better check this one out for ourselves and see!
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Today in Trump’s massive blunders (collect all 3,487): Oil prices are skyrocketing and fueling fears of an energy crisis following Trump and Israel’s attacks on Iran and the assassination of its despot leader. Analysts warn of gas prices rising to at least $4 per gallon—prices not seen since Russia began its war against Ukraine. The crisis is hitting Asia particularly hard, as they receive the majority of their imported oil from the Middle East. So far the war has killed an estimated 1,230 people in Iran, 397 in Lebanon, 11 in Israel, and seven American service members. Meanwhile, following the killing of their former dictator, Iran has named his son, Ayahtolla Mojtaba Khamenei as their new supreme leader, who allegedly has close ties to the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, and… surprise!… is even more of a hard-liner than his father was. (Trump’s violent plan for world peace is just getting better and better, isn’t it? 🙄)
After campaigning to shrink the size of the government, Trump’s administration fired more than 387,000 employees and now needs to hire back to cover significant operational blind spots.
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) March 9, 2026 at 6:26 AM
• In related news, it’s looking more and more like the US was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian girls school which killed over 165 people. Experts, as well as a US official, agree that the bombing raid likely included American Tomahawk missiles and that the United States ordered the attack. Video capturing the bombing appears to back up this theory, which directly contradicts Trump’s ass-covering claim that Iran was responsible for the deadly explosion.
Video footage shows what appears to be a U.S. Tomahawk missile striking in the vicinity of an elementary school next to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval complex, according to eight munitions experts.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) March 9, 2026 at 5:30 AM
• The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today that they have reached a settlement in their antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment. The entertainment company has been accused of leveling threats and retaliation against smaller companies in order to “suffocate the competition.” However, despite the settlement agreement, states are fuming that they didn’t agree to the deal, and now there’s a strong possibility of even more lawsuits against the company.
• “Improvised explosive devices” were thrown at the home of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani that were designed to “injure, maim or worse,” according to NYC’s police commissioner. Two suspects in the attack have reportedly been arrested and authorities are currently treating their actions as “ISIS-inspired terrorism.” The attack took place during an anti-Islam demonstration and counterprotest on Saturday near the mayor’s official residence, and luckily for all, the devices failed to detonate and no one was injured.
• And finally… it’s Monday! And this kitten has a special “good morning” greeting for Donald Trump.
@michimay98 🤭 #catsoftiktok #kitten #cat #fypシ゚ ♬ original sound – SpicyBug
