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A person paying for gas
Gas prices could continue to increase if Biden bans Russian oil as expected. Grace Cary / Getty Images

Good morning, Portland! Let’s dive right in, shall we?

In local news:

• Portland Public Schools put out a community warning Monday night after two teenagers died of suspected fentanyl overdoses within 24 hours of each other. Portland police have not said if there was a connection between the teens, but it appears both took counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid. PPS officials asked parents to talk with their children about never taking medication that doesn’t come from their doctor.

• The Department of Energy awarded $25 million to Oregon State University’s wave energy testing facility off the Oregon Coast and its research partners Monday. The facility, which is expected to be operational in 2023, will research how to use waves as a renewable energy source. SCIENCE!

• ICYMI: The last day to sign up for state emergency rent assistance is March 14! Renters are currently protected from being evicted due to non-payment of rent if they have filed an application for rental assistance.

• Ten comics artists worked with Portland State University, Street Roots, and the Downstairs Gallery to make an 80-page, full-color comic about student homelessness. It sold out in two weeks, but lucky for you, you can still view it online!

In national and international news:

• One teenager was killed and two others were shot in what appears to be a drive-by shooting outside of an Iowa high school Monday. According to Des Moines police, multiple suspects have been detained but no motive has been determined.

• Conversion therapy—the horrific practice of trying to force LGBTQ people to change their sexual orientation and/or gender identity—has been discredited and condemned by nearly every major health organization in the country. It turns out, it’s also incredibly expensive! The discredited practice costs the US an estimated $9.23 billion every year, according to a peer-reviewed study in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. Twenty-five states already ban conversion therapy, but LGBTQ rights advocates hope the new findings will bring the nation closer to a federal ban.

• President Biden is expected to ban Russian oil imports in retaliation for its attack on Ukraine, according to the Associated Press. While strict sanctions have already hampered Russia’s financial sector, the country has still had a consistent cash flow from its energy exports. Biden previously said he was reluctant to ban Russian oil because it could raise gas prices in the US that have already risen due to record-high inflation.

• COVID-19 may cause more loss of gray matter and tissue damage in the brain compared to people who have not been infected with the virus, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. The study included people over 50 who had already had their brain scanned prior to contracting COVID and found tissue damage in the areas of the brain primarily related to sense of smell. Researchers not involved in the study cautioned that the full implications of the findings were not clear and did not suggest that COVID causes lasting brain damage.

In fun news:

• Feeling thirsty? Then get ready for the boozy fun of the Mercury’s HIGHBALL—a week of specialty cocktails mixed by the city’s best bartenders… and for only $6 each! Coming at ya March 14!

• ATTN: If you’re a hottie with a sick mullet who rides the streetcar, you have an admirer.

Isabella Garcia is the former News Editor for the Portland Mercury. She covered City Hall, transportation, the environment, breaking news, and more.