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Good morning, Portland! Please take a moment to watch this important update from one Britney Spears:
I might as well do a hint of my thoughts here before I go and set things square on @Oprah đ¤đđ¤ˇđźââď¸ !!!!! pic.twitter.com/Gf3ckusc5S
â Britney Spears (@britneyspears) November 17, 2021
Okay, here are the headlines.
⢠Portland City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve Mayor Ted Wheeler's mid-year budget adjustment proposal, which included a $44 million investment into an array of city programs. The one-time funds, which are largely fueled by the unexpected revenue from local business taxes, are meant to address "Portland's greatest concerns," according to Wheeler. That includes more funding for copsâread Alex Zielinski's report for more details.
⢠Right now, unvaccinated kids in Oregon schools must quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19. That requirement could end later this month, and be replaced with a "test to stay" policy, meaning kids could stay at school if they test negatively for COVID.
⢠Read this excellent editorial from Street Roots:
Street Roots editorial: "For now, people with enough money can run or hide from climate change. People living without access to those resources donât have the same options."https://t.co/sxFBVZoJVf
â Street Roots (@StreetRoots) November 18, 2021
⢠Get ready for a rainy night tonightâmeaning it'll be difficult to see the lunar eclipse.
⢠Speaking of fall rains: It's nice to be getting more water after a brutal summer, but the rainfall isn't enough to fix problems caused by the drought. Crops are still withering, and some are still forced to live in homes without running water in Oregon.
⢠As the Rittenhouse jury goes into another day of deliberations, consider this:
âMany extreme right-wing and white supremacist groups and propagandists view the trial as an opportunity to spread their message and recruit."https://t.co/rcG4BiRuhg
â VICE News (@VICENews) November 18, 2021
⢠Checking in on another trialâthis one for the three men who killed Ahmaud Arberyâwith this AP dispatch: "The man who fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery testified Thursday that the 25-year-old Black manâs demeanor struck as him as suspicious when he pulled up beside him in his pickup truck to ask him what he was doing in a coastal Georgia neighborhood... Testifying under cross-examination, he acknowledged that Arbery didnât pull out a weapon or threaten him in anyway and indicated several times that he didnât want to talk to him."
⢠Julius Jones has spent over 20 years on Oklahoma's death row, despite maintaining his own innocence and the giant holes in the case that cast doubt on his conviction. The state plans to kill Jones this afternoon, though many activists are urging the governor to spare Jones' life.
⢠And finally, go check this out:
Watch: Portland Band The Doubleclicks Pen Geeky, Emotional Musical About Being Nonbinary (music video premiere) https://t.co/tHAhZS23Ib
â Portland Mercury đ (@portlandmercury) November 17, 2021