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Good morning, Portland! The weather is set to be in the high 70s today. We’re one spark away from being engulfed in smoke, so enjoy the clean air while we have it. (More on that below).
Also, it’s the last week of the Mercury‘s Summer of Slushies, can you believe it?? Time flies when you’re having fun, and even when you’re not. Make things a little more fun with a slushie. There are several I still need to check out…
Onto the news.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Oregon is on fire, in a big way. There are currently dozens of large wildfires burning more than 1 million acres across the state, mostly in Central and Eastern Oregon. Thousands of people are under immediate evacuation orders, with thousands more under lower levels of evacuation that could rise at any moment. Things could get worse, too, with a lightning storm in the forecast later this week. The Warm Springs area has been especially impacted over the last few days. Pray for rain, and donate to those impacted if you can—the state department of emergency management has compiled a list of resources for those who wish to help.
• The city of Hillsboro, which has been inundated with data center construction in recent years, unanimously adopted a four-month moratorium on new data centers at a City Council meeting yesterday. There are more than 436 acres of data centers in Hillsboro with more than 50 acres in construction, taking away valuable land in the city and using up a bunch of resources in the process—all while benefitting from major property tax breaks. This has outraged residents and helped lead to a state senator, Janeen Sollman, losing her seat to a primary challenger. For the time being, construction is on hold.
• Southern Oregon University, the state’s public university in Ashland, is in major financial trouble. The state has provided emergency, one-time funding, but things aren’t looking great for the 150-year-old SOU. Decreasing enrollment and increasing costs have been a major culprit, similar to other universities across the state. But SOU has been hit particularly hard, with the university administration forced to make major cuts to the school’s music program and cut nine majors, including chemistry, Spanish, and international studies, and lay off more than 200 faculty and staff members. The cuts have meant fewer students enrolling and even more lost revenue, in a messed up cycle of pain.
• GREAT NEWS!!! The explosive diarrhea is in Oregon. I love life and the world.
• Looking for things to do this week? Check out the Mercury‘s Do This, Do That, which offers many wonderful recommendations for what you should get up to. On the roster this week: the film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010 Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner) at Clinton Street Theater tonight, Pickathon starts Thursday, and a Spice Girls bike ride on Friday. Find out more here!
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Oregon isn’t the only place on fire. Fires have engulfed France and Spain, following a very hot June and early July in Western Europe, and the heat isn’t over yet. Firefighters are working to get a hold on the record-breaking wildfires before another heat wave sets in this week, making conditions even worse. Right now, a fire outside the major French city of Bordeaux (near the Spanish border on the country’s west coast) is particularly risky. The fires in both countries have resulted in roughly 300,000 evacuation notices altogether.
• A 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southern Japan early this morning, leaving thousands without power and damaging infrastructure. More than 60 aftershocks have been reported, ranging from 1.0 to 4.0 magnitude quakes. Roughly 300,000 people are facing evacuation orders. Early tsunami warnings were issued but later rescinded. Concerns are growing this morning after an explosion at a shopping mall in Aeon collapsed the building and trapping “many people.” Officials believe many are presumed dead and some 20 to 30 mall workers are still missing. This is the second deadly quake in a decade. In 2016, a 6.5 and a 7.3 quake two days later hit Kumamoto, killing 273 people and injuring 2,800 others. As Mr. Rogers always said, look for the helpers. JEREMIAH HAYDEN
• President Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday for the first time since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran. A lot has happened since then. Trump dragged the US into a conflict that has seen oil prices skyrocket and driven US inflation even higher, leaving the economy on shaky ground. Oh yeah, and this war with Iran has only tanked Trump’s approval rating. Meanwhile, his approach to diplomatic relations with Iran (can we call them that?) has also fractured his once united front with Netanyahu, so today’s chat about war strategy should be super fun for them. COURTNEY VAUGHN
• Guys, Mitch McConnell really is alive and well. His office released another proof of life photo of him and Elaine yesterday, and if that’s not absolute proof, then I don’t know what is. That said, I’m now considering booking a trip to Kentucky to work with Mitch’s physical therapist, because apparently that therapist has the ability to take 10 years of aging off your face, and I want in. And to all you naysayers who point out that Elaine would never wear a black bra under an untucked sheer shirt, which some say appears to be a seashell print from Chico’s a few seasons ago, I say to you, can’t we all have a little personal style reinvention every now and then? And regardless of the veracity of these photos and my general distaste for AI slop, I do enjoy the inevitable “Is It Cake?” videos that come across my feed every time we get a new hospital photo. KATHERINE CHEW HAMILTON
• I’m really into this manual amusement park in Ghana. I think it’s imperative we build something similar here. Ok HAPPY TUESDAY!!!
