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SAT prep books on a shelf
The Cal State university system will no longer require SAT and ACT scores in its admissions process. Mario Tama / Getty Images

Good morning, Portland! It’s a bit chilly this morning, but we can expect to see the sun later today—huzzah!

In local news:

• The man accused of shooting five traffic safety volunteers, killing one, at Normandale Park last month was booked into the Multnomah County Jail Wednesday. For the past month, Ben Smith, 43, was recovering from a gunshot wound at OHSU. Smith is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday afternoon.

• Former advisor to Governor Kate Brown and housing advocate Shannon Singleton will be the next leader of the city and county's Joint Office of Homeless Services. Singleton—who is stepping into the role amid debates over encampment sweeps, mental health crises exacerbated by the pandemic, and an ongoing housing crisis—talked with Portland Monthly about why she said yes to “one of the hardest jobs in town.”

• Water service on the Warm Springs reservation is back on after a fire at the water treatment plant last Friday. Officials, however, are asking residents to boil their water until the water agency can complete the required water tests that are mandated after any interruption in service. The tests are expected to be completed next week.

• Portland’s Office of Management and Finance wants to raise security measures at City Hall by developing eight safe rooms, adding security cameras, and making the building’s doors ballistic-resistant. The request came as part of the city’s budget cycle and would cost about $2.2 million in one-time general fund dollars.

In national and international news:

• It’s official: The US declared Wednesday that Russian military forces committed war crimes in Ukraine by targeting apartment buildings, schools, and hospitals—aka, civilian spaces. Actually holding Russia and President Vladimir Putin accountable for attacks on Ukrainian civilians is up to the International Criminal Court, which said last month it intended to open an investigation into war crimes in Ukraine committed by any party.

• Thousands of Sacramento school teachers walked off the job Wednesday, protesting low pay and staffing shortages in the school district. The California school district had to cancel classes at 76 schools, impacting 43,000 students, due to the walk out. A similar teacher strike in Minneapolis is in its third week.

• In more California education news: The Cal State university system announced it will no longer require SAT and ACT exams as part of its admissions process. The University of California system dropped the requirement last year. Standardized tests have been subject to growing criticism for years as data shows that whiter and wealthier students regularly outperform their peers due to racial bias within the tests themselves and their increased access to expensive test preparation courses.

• The US will welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and provide $1 billion in food, medicine, water, and other supplies, the White House announced Thursday. President Biden is currently in Brussels, gathering with other world leaders to discuss efforts to limit the economic and security repercussions from Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

• And finally, I have two thoughts: 1) I must know more, 2) Ouiga