Here’s your daily roundup of all the latest local and national news. (Like our coverage? Please consider making a recurring contribution to the Mercury to keep it comin’!)
In local news:
• A string of fires lit in Portland’s Piedmont neighborhood appear to be politically motivated acts of arson, leaving neighbors feeling nervous. Several of the targeted homes displayed lawn signs with progressive and anti-racist messages.
• The Oregon Senate passed a bill today that will require gun owners to use safe storage techniques, and ban guns from the Oregon Capitol. The bill now goes to Gov. Kate Brown to be signed into law. The law is intended to make it harder for kids to access their parents’ firearms and use them, either accidentally or on purpose.
• Good news for all you Blazer fans: The Moda Center is allowing fans again starting this weekend! Attendance will be limited to 10 percent capacity to start, but a few lucky fans will get to see the Blazers play the Lakers this Friday. This makes the Blazers the last team in the NBA to allow fans at games following the pandemic. The only time I went to a Blazers game I had an anxiety attack, but I’m genuinely happy for all you Portland sports fans!
• Check out this Q&A with local author Keith Rosson about his new collection of short stories, plagues, magical realism, Lakota literature, composing “garbage-ass” first drafts, trying to write in a pandemic with toddlers running around the house, and much more.
In national news:
• We’ve got lots of vaccine news for ya today! For starters, President Joe Biden’s administration is now officially on the record as supporting lifting patents on COVID-19 vaccines—a move that would lose a lot of money for pharmaceutical companies, but could literally mean life or death for folks around the world living in countries that aren’t as vaccine-rich as the United States. While this is big news, a majority of countries in the World Trade Organization will need to agree before the patents can actually be lifted.
• There’s yet another vaccine on the block: The CureVac, an RNA vaccine (like Pfizer and Moderna) developed by a German company, is nearing the end of its clinical trial. And unlike Pfizer and Moderna, this one doesn’t need to be kept frozen, only refrigerated, meaning it will be easier to distribute to more people around the world.
• In the UK, some folks are starting to “mix and match” their COVID vaccines—meaning, for example, they get one Pfizer shot and then one Moderna one, instead of two of the same. That could be the future for US vaccinations as well, especially if and when supplies become limited in the future. Doctors say that’s not necessarily bad news; in fact, it could even provide better protection against COVID.
• And here’s just a touch of non-vax news, in the form of a CNN headline: “Chinese rocket debris is expected to crash into Earth soon. It’s not the first time.”
And just for fun:
• In today’s Takeout Club: Tortas spot Güero has a beautiful outdoor deck, and a generous approach to avocado. What more could you ask for?
• Oh, wait, what’s that? EVEN MORE vaccine news? Yep! This time it’s in the form of a Mariah Carey video, because Mariah Carey makes everything delightful, even getting a shot. Thank you for your service, Mimi!
Vaccine..PART 2! Would I EVER walk into this lighting for no reason??? 🙄 pic.twitter.com/U4IDDZ1fzX
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) May 5, 2021
