The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

And now may I introduce my fellow DESTROYER OF DEMOCRACY, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.
"And now may I introduce my fellow DESTROYER OF DEMOCRACY, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema." Alex Wong / Getty News

Good afternoon, Portland! The rain is expected to resume this evening, so get comfortable (or not) with the day's headlines.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• The Lane County District Attorney has dropped sexual abuse charges against Portland real estate investor and major Democratic Party fundraiser and activist Terry Bean, who was accused of abusing a 15-year-old boy.

• The Center for Covid Control is under investigation in multiple states, including Oregon, for deceptive and fraudulent practices relating to their COVID-19 testing services. Here's a look at the scope of the company's operations in Portland.

• An important development at city council:

• The Japanese film Drive My Car from acclaimed director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi is adapted from a Haruki Murakami short story and is a contender for an Academy Award. Cinema 21 and the Hollywood Theater are showing it starting Friday, and Chase Hutchinson has our (very positive) review.

IN NATIONAL NEWS:

• The Democrats' voting rights push is expected to fail today in the Senate, with Republicans opposing measures to extend voting rights and Republicans plus ostensible Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema opposing a rule change that would allow the measures to pass with 51 votes.

• Lyft has dropped a record-breaking $14.4 million into a committee supporting petitions that would ensure that gig economy workers like like ride-share drivers would continue to be classified as independent contractors—not employees—in the state of Massachusetts. Lyft, Uber, and DoorDash spent a combined $160 million to win a similar battle in California two years ago.

• Now the story of another police department that doesn't at all function like a mafia family, this time from the small town of Brookside, Alabama, where police officers made more misdemeanor arrests in 2020 than the town has citizens amid allegations of racism and fabricating charges.

• Oakland schools were closed yesterday as students and teachers boycotted over a lack of COVID-19 safety measures, and the district is expecting more than a thousand students to stay home all week. Groups of students have also struck in Portland, St. Paul, and other cities.

• It’s back for 2022! America’s sexiest, funnest dirty movie fest, HUMP! Coming at ya starting February 24 at Revolution Hall—GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

• Finally...