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RIP the great Sidney Poitier, pictured here holding his 1964 Oscar for Lilies Of The Field
RIP the great Sidney Poitier, pictured here holding his 1964 Oscar for Lilies Of The Field Archives / Getty Images News

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! I wish you'd drop what you're doing and get on the case. We could blow this existence, right out into space. LET'S GO TO PRESS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Today in SAD TROMBONE: According to the Oregon Secretary of State's office, politically inexperienced former pundit Nick Kristof cannot run for Oregon governor because he doesn't meet the election's residency requirements—meaning he must be a state resident for at least three years prior to an election. Unsurprisingly, Kristof's lawyers will appeal, and the former candidate issued a huffy, rather Trump-ian response that indicates he doesn't need to follow the rules. That's odd, because here's what he said on Twitter in October, 2020:

• Oregon’s immunization advisory board is on board with the FDA and CDC in giving the green light for kids age 12-15 to get Pfizer booster shots, and also authorized a third vaccine dose of Pfizer or Moderna for immunocompromised children 5 to 11 years old. Our Isabella Garcia has all the info!

• The Omicron variation (which shattered another new case record in Oregon yesterday, with 7,615 new infections) is causing some real trouble around Portland, with local two high schools—Cleveland and McDaniel—shutting down today and returning to remote learning for at least one week, due to a staffing and student shortage stemming from the virus. More and more businesses are temporarily shutting down as well.

• If you're looking for some great new music to plug into those weary ears, it would behoove you to check out Jenni Moore's latest edition of "Hear in Portland," featuring sweet new tunes from TYuS, Amber Mark, and more!

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• The Supreme Court will be hearing some big-time challenges over Biden's large employer vaccine mandates, which death cult Republicans claim overstepped the president's boundaries when he audaciously tried to save lives (including those of death cult members).

• A member of the Capitol Police is suing former President Donald Trump, saying that he is directly responsible for directing the domestic terrorist attack on the nation's capitol on January 6, 2021.

• The president of Kazakhstan has given government security forces the order to "shoot to kill" protesters in a horrific bid to quell the anti-authoritarian movement.

• A judge will decide this morning if the three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery will be given life sentences for their brutal murder of a Black man they saw jogging through their Georgia neighborhood. In February, they'll also be facing federal hate crime charges.

• RIP stellar Hollywood actor, Sidney Poitier (In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner) who has died at the age of 94.

• In one of his most pathetic displays of fealty yet, Sen. Ted Cruz apologized on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show for calling the January 6 domestic terrorists exactly what they are: terrorists.

• And now... THE WEATHER REPORT: Rain and wind followed by showers and a high of 50. But! The sun partially returns tomorrow!

• And finally, for those who plan on attending a baby shower in the near future... DON'T. This is your final warning.