Simone Biles, proving the effectiveness of taking care of your mental health on the balance beam. Credit: Laurence Griffiths / getty images

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Simone Biles, proving the effectiveness of taking care of your mental health on the balance beam.
Simone Biles, proving the effectiveness of taking care of your mental health on the balance beam. Laurence Griffiths / getty images

Good morning, Portland! And a special “good morning” to this list of $6 burgers you can get during Burger Week, starting August 16.

Anyway, here are the headlines.

• Public Record and Data Archives, a local activist collective that fights for public records access, dropped a load of text messages between Mayor Ted Wheeler and different city staffers last night. These texts include the revelation that Wheeler doesn’t think very highly of the local press—you can check them all out here.

• By the end of this month, Portland Police Bureau (PPB) Chief Chuck Lovell’s second in command, Deputy Chief Chris Davis, will depart the bureau to lead the police department of Green Bay, Wisconsin. According to City Hall staff, whose job has them working closely with Davis, his departure will leave a void in PPB leadership during a critical time. Several current and past staffers told the Mercury that Davis’ departure will likely reveal how much Lovell leans on Davis to lead.

• The Oregon Health Authority reported 5,946 new COVID-19 cases over the last week. That’s nearly double the amount from the week before, and the state’s highest new case count since January. In other words: We’re in the middle of our fifth COVID wave.

• And here’s a reminder that it isn’t breakthrough cases among the vaccinated that is causing this spike in cases in Oregon and across the country. The unvaccinated are the problem.

• Last week, Gov. Kate Brown ordered all K-12 to require masks for anyone on campus during the upcoming school year. School districts around the state are apparently pissed off about the mandate, with district leaders saying they wish they could have local control over the issue.

• Meanwhile, in Florida, the exact opposite problem is taking place—our country is truly a rich tapestry.

• Starting on September 13, New York City will become the first major United States city to require proof of vaccination for indoor dining, shopping, entertainment, and other indoor activities. “You want to enjoy everything great this summer in New York City? Go get vaccinated,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. It’ll be interesting to see if other jurisdictions follow suit.

• Speaking of New York: The state’s attorney general has found that Governor Andrew Cuomo has sexually harassed “multiple women,” including many employees. Allegations against Cuomo first surfaced earlier this year, but he refused to resign at the time—we’ll see if the new evidence changes that stance at all.

• And finally, we’ll end with a shout-out to Simone Biles, who came back to the Olympic competition yesterday to nab a bronze medal in the balance beam finals. The next time you feel guilty about needing to take a mental health day, remind yourself that the greatest athlete in the world did it, and it ultimately helped her win another medal.

Blair Stenvick is a former news reporter and culture writer for the Portland Mercury.

One reply on “Good Morning, News: Another Oregon COVID Wave, NYC to Require Proof of Vax, and Biles’ Golden Bronze”

  1. We already knew that Ted Wheeler exists in a rich-man’s bubble, is in near-constant contact with developers and landlords, and hates Joanne Hardesty. His texts confirm it.

    What’s new is that now we know the reason for the constant churn among his staff: It’s exhausting being forced to tell the Mayor how great he is all day long.

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