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A banner hanging on Portland City Hall in 2018.
A banner hanging on Portland City Hall in 2018. Dirk Vanderhart

Good afternoon, Portland! Well, actually, Dillion T. Pickle has been thieved right off the front porch of his home, so maybe it's not such a good afternoon. In either case, the news goes on.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• The city of Portland and a union representing 1,000 of its workers reached a contract agreement this morning, narrowly averting a strike that was set to begin tomorrow. Isabella Garcia has the story.

• A coalition of renters is launching a campaign provide free legal representation for Multnomah County residents facing eviction. The group, which is proposing funding the program through a small capital gains tax, is aiming to get their initiative on the November ballot. Alex Zielinski has more on the effort.

• Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan is disqualifying from the November ballot three initiatives that would have placed limits on campaign donations in state elections and increased transparency on who finances political advertising. Fagan's decision means that Oregon will likely remain one of only five states in the country without campaign contribution limits

• Speaking of new contracts with city workers: the Portland Police Association has a tentative new deal with the city that includes significant retention bonuses for officers and an agreement that police officers will work collaboratively with Portland Street Response. Alex Zielinski has the details.

• The superb Flying Fish restaurant and market has even more to offer these days, with a new pop-up cart at its East Burnside location set to feature big-name chefs and live music. Janey Wong has more.

• SOS. They're not joking this time.

IN NATIONAL NEWS:

• More Democratic-run states across the country, including New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts, are setting timelines for dropping their mask mandates. If it feels like we've been down this road before... we have. Godspeed to us all.

• Documents leaked to the Southern Poverty Law Center show that more than 20 percent of the applicants to join the white supremacist group Patriot Front said they were current or former members of the U.S. military. People with military ties also make up a disproportionate number of people charged in connection to the January 6 coup attempt.

• In case you haven't seen this yet, REI management—whose workers in SoHo are unionizing—recorded a podcast that started with a land acknowledgement and then launched into anti-union messaging.

• Six Honduran activists from the small town of Guapinol have been found guilty of crimes against a mining company—yes, you read that right, crimes against a mining company—for opposing the operation of an iron oxide mine that has polluted the area's rivers. Amnesty International called the verdict "outrageous."

• 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... is there photographic evidence of Boris Johnson breaking lockdown rules at Downing Street? Of course there is.