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A sign saying vote here
Texas rejected nearly 23,000 mail ballots during this month's primary election due to a new voter ID law. Montinique Monroe / Getty Images

Happy St. Paddy’s Day, Portland! Don’t forget to pop on some green before you head out the door.

In local news:

• As housing costs increase, elderly Oregonians on fixed incomes are facing higher risks of losing their housing. Nearly 40 percent of Oregonians 65 and older reported being at least somewhat likely to face eviction or foreclosure, according to US Census data. Homeless services providers are anticipating a significant surge in older populations requiring more housing services by 2030 unless investments in affordable housing and subsidies are made.

• After being lost in the cargo pit, Dillion isn’t taking anymore chances:

• Families of two teens from McDaniel High School are reeling after both students died of fentanyl overdoses less than 24 hours apart. “I hope that this opens some people’s eyes, that it’s somehow a wake-up call for kids,” a parent of one of the students told the Oregonian. Fentanyl overdoses have tripled amongst teens over the past two years, according to the CDC.

• In related news: The Oregon City School District voted unanimously to provide naloxone, an overdose-reversing nasal spray, in schools this week. Schools will also provide trainings for students and staff interested in learning how to use the life-saving drug.

In national and international news:

• A new controversial voting law in Texas that requires voters to write either the last four digits of their SSN or driver’s license number on their mail ballot triggered thousands of ballot rejections this month. The number written on the ballot must match the number provided on the voters’ registration, but many voters were unsure of whether they registered to vote with their SSN or driver’s license, leading to a mismatch of numbers. In Harris County, one of the state’s most populous counties, a whopping 19 percent of ballots were rejected due to the ID mismatch compared to 0.3 percent rejected in the 2018 primary election.

• In ‘literally wtf’ news: Students at a North Carolina middle school held a “mock slave auction” in which the white students pretended to sell their Black classmates. As if that’s not horrific enough, the mock auction happened in front of school staff who did not intervene. The school district gave the students involved a one day suspension while parents of the Black children subject to the racist incident are calling for stricter punishments and an overhaul of the district’s accountability plan.

• President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” Wednesday, a heavy accusation that must be formally determined by an investigation. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that while Biden was just “speaking from the heart,” an international investigation into Putin’s actions during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been launched. AP has an explainer on what it takes to declare someone a war criminal.
 
• Feeling thirsty? Then join the boozy fun of the Mercury’s HIGHBALL—a week of specialty cocktails mixed by the city’s best bartenders… and for only $6 each! Happening now through March 20!

• And finally, time isn't real.