The legislature’s regular session is over! Minimum wage and inclusionary zoning ultimately punted! Clean fuels prioritized over new transportation money! Pot laws! What a five months they were, eh? Republicans last night sent out rancorous emails about partisan sleight of hand, Democrats did one of those things where they shook their own hands in mid-air, and the reality’s floating somewhere in the ethereal middle.
One winner in the session? Hemp farmers, who get to grow hemp rather than being sidelined for two years as a sop to outdoor pot farmers worried about having their crops ruined by pollination.
We now know more about Sunday’s officer-involved shooting. Cops say they spied a 55-year-old named David James Ellis “trying to burglarize” a community policing outpost. When officers tried to stop Ellis, he turned on one, Jose Jimenez, with a knife before being shot. Ellis survived the bullet to his arm, and faces a charge of attempted aggravated murder.
Real deal charges for the four pre-teens accused of setting Eugene’s Civic Stadium ablaze. Arson, burglary, criminal mischief, etc. The rat? A fifth pre-teen who apparently left before the fire began and told his mom.
The Tribune reports that the police bureau has lost 190 positions since 2001—something the rank-and-file police union has made much of lately—without once mentioning that the crime rate these days is comparable to the 1960s (though Portland’s population is far greater).
The O‘s grabbing its editorial inspiration from the venerable Daily Caller these days.
Washington taxed the hell out of people and raked in $70 million in pot taxes in the last year. Oregon’s tax isn’t nearly as onerous, which means less revenue per customer, but potentially more customers total? Too soon to tell, of course.
Hypocrisy? In a “presidential race”? From Donald Trump? Turns out Trump is relying on the undocumented immigrants he’s excoriated to build his shiny new DC hotel.
Sure, Bill Cosby obtained quaaludes specifically for women he intended to pursue sexually, but do his attorneys a favor and believe that doesn’t mean for a second that the dozens of women who’ve accused him of drugging and raping them aren’t lying.
Yeah! The South Carolina Senate voted overwhelmingly to strip the state capitol of its confederate flag! More work to do, though. The hard fight’s in the House of Representatives.
This Greece situation is pressing farther and farther down a dark path. By July 20, the country may be officially bankrupt in the eyes of the European Central Bank. That would be a bad thing for a lot of people.
That hastened drip isn’t a bold cup of Pike Place Roast. It’s Starbucks bleeding you dry at a faster clip. The company’s raising drink prices again today, after doing the same thing last year.
Or that drip might be your tears as you hear about how the feds have raided somehow-still-Subway-pitchman Jared Fogle’s home this morning, just a couple months after the director of his foundation—aimed at helping kids build healthy diet and exercise habits—was arrested on child porn charges. Nothing good is coming of this, I can promise you.
So much heat, and apparently a lot of you apartment dwellers have rules against window AC units? Including low-income seniors housed by Home Forward? Break the rules, I say. Without killing pedestrians with your shoddily installed ACs.
And, guys, I’m pretty sure it’s not just the heat talking when I say Linda’s starting to make a lot of sense.
That Linda girl would be a hit here in Portland now if you threw some hippie clothes and a little more new-age speak.