GOP Sen. Brian Boquist in favor of overturning Gov. Browns orders and turtlenecks.
GOP Sen. Brian Boquist in favor of overturning Gov. Brown's orders and turtlenecks. Oregon Legislature

Here's your daily roundup of all the local and national news about COVID-19. (Like our coverage? Please consider donating to the Mercury to keep it comin'!)

• As of today, the Oregon Health Authority reported a total of 2,916 positive/presumptive coronavirus cases (an increase of 77 since yesterday), and a death count of 115—which is up two from Tuesday.

• If you want to get really granular with your COVID-19 tracking, the Oregon Health Authority has, for the first time, broken down their infections data by neighborhood, so you can see what zip codes are hotter than others. (Huh... now that's weird. Apparently there are fewer cases in the wealthier neighborhoods who aren't forced to go out and work for a living every day! WEIRD.)

• Trump has admitted that more Americans will surely die from COVID-19—a heartbreaking 70,000 people have perished already—but that doesn't matter, because according to him the economy must reopen no matter how many of your loved ones die.

• AND THEN...

• Uber announced cuts to 14 percent of its workforce (3700 jobs), primarily customer support and recruiting positions. Also included in the closures are almost 200 help centers for the company's drivers. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is reportedly forgoing his $1 million-per-year salary for the rest of 2020. (Wow... hope Dara will be okay!)

• RELATED: According to new research, nearly one-in-five American children are not getting enough to eat... possibly due to a disruption in school lunch programs and the GOP's aversion to bolstering food stamps during the COVID crisis.

• Meanwhile, Senator Kamala Harris and Rep. Ayanna Pressley have come together to push a new $125 billion plan aimed at not just small businesses (like Shake Shack and the Los Angeles Lakers, LOL), but the smallest businesses, with grants of up to $250,000 going to companies with less than 10 employees.

• Did you know that during shelter-in-place... Amazon is making $10,000 per second?

• This sounds about right (from the NYT): "A company created six weeks ago by a pair of Republican operatives collected hundreds of millions of dollars in payments from state and local governments desperate for coronavirus supplies. That company is now facing a federal criminal investigation and a rising chorus of complaints from customers who say their orders never arrived."

• The Streisand Effect is alive and well in 2020:


• Well, this is troubling: "Three Russian doctors have fallen from hospital windows in two weeks, amid reports of dire conditions."

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Republican Sen. Brian Boquist wants the Oregon state legislature to meet in person and then vote to end Gov. Brown's state of emergency orders. (Hey, we want Boquist to shave his stupid mustache and stop wearing turtlenecks... we don't always get what we want.)

• The owner of a Salem hair salon has violated the Governor's ban, opened her business, and could be facing thousands of dollars in fines. Meanwhile officers in Canby issued a warning to a restaurant that was serving diners inside the establishment.

• Bob's Red Mill is stepping in to provide local restaurant relief with "Restaurant Love," offering five $5,000 gifts (that's $25k!) to local eateries randomly selected from a user-generated list of Portland's favorite dine-out spots.

• When Portland restaurants are allowed to re-open, the Governor's office has some guidelines for them: Patrons must stay six feet apart, the place has to close by 10 pm, and all staff has to mask up.

• Portland Public Schools, already fully transitioned to a distance learning model, now have one less school day per week for the remainder of this school year. The move is expected to save 20 percent of district salary costs, to be used next year.

• If you need some laughs, may we suggest the I, ANONYMOUS SHOW livestreaming into your home this Friday May 8. Mindblowing rants and confessions, paired with a panel of hilarious comics! *chef's kiss*

• Look, you're stuck inside, creative, going nuts, and need money, right? Then enter your short confinement-themed film in the Confinement (online) Film Festival, better known as CoFF!

• And finally, here's a handy way to remember what states are currently murdering their citizens.