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Good morning, Portland! Hope you’re prepared for a classic winter week in the PNW: Expect gray skies and rain today through Friday. Crank up those SAD lamps and take a gander at this morning’s headlines:
– With a Saturday night victory against Real Salt Lake, the Portland Timbers have qualified for the MLS Cup! While the Timbers have played in the Cup in the past, this will be the first time that Portland will host the match. The Timbers will play the New York City FC next Saturday.
– TriMet will reduce service on 20 of its 84 bus lines starting January 9 due to a shortage of bus drivers. According to the transit agency, TriMet is short 45 drivers. Find out what the bus drivers union and transit advocates have to say about this news here.
– Three people were injured Friday in a shooting on E Burnside near 7th Ave, outside of the Bossanova Ballroom. Police haven’t identified any suspects in the shooting, and no motives have been tied to the incident.
– CNN fired anchor Chris Cuomo Saturday after an investigation found that Chris had worked closely to combat sexual assault allegations against his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Chris’ termination was allegedly expedited by the fact that a lawyer told CNN last week that her client had a sexual misconduct claim against Chris himself. I’ll let CNN tell the story.
– Onetime presidential hopeful and GOP stalwart Bob Dole died Sunday at age 98. His passing has conservatives waxing poetic about the golden days of the GOP, while I’m merely in awe that a politician I considered “that old guy” in 1996 stuck it out for 25 more years.
– Creepy matching members of Patriot Front—a white nationalist group—marched on DC’s Mall Saturday. If this isn’t the same as the KKK marching through our capital city, I don’t know what is.
A beautiful night at the Lincoln Memorial interrupted by demonstrators chanting “reclaim America.“ The crowd gave them the finger and exchanged profanities. pic.twitter.com/Z2voculi9Z
— Andrea McCarren (@AndreaMcCarren) December 4, 2021
– Good news: Fauci says the omicron variant of COVID-19 doesn’t appear to be very severe, especially compared to its cousin, delta. Bad news: There are still an average of 860 Americans dying from COVID each day.
– New York City’s outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio has mandated COVID vaccinations for all private employers in the city, a policy that mimics the federal one proposed by President Biden that has been limited by litigation.
– The parents of the 15-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting four students at a Michigan high school pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges Saturday. Their arraignment was held after the couple allegedly fled prosecution by locking themselves in a room of a commercial building in Detroit. The couple is being held in the same jail as their son, Ethan, who is facing charges of terrorism, murder and assault with intent to murder.
– At least 13 people have died after a volcano erupted Sunday on the Indonesian island of Java. The densely populated island is now covered in a layer of dense ash, with many communities fractured by mudslides, lava flows, and other volcanic debris.
– Speaking of volcanos, what’s going on here:
Including the side hoes https://t.co/ChYZHh99Jl
— Mt. St. Helens (@MtStHelensWA) December 6, 2021
