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Do you recall our years of Sriracha abundance? We took them for granted! David McNew/Getty Images

Good Afternoon, Portland! IF IT RAINS ON PRIDE WEEKEND, IT’S ONLY BECAUSE THE GODS LIKE HOW WE LOOK WET. Now, just a dash of news.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• This week, Mayor Wheeler and business owners cheered the erasure of tents from Old Town’s blocks. The new vigor and pace with which encampments are being cleared is due to a program—the Street Services Coordination Center (SSCC), which addresses homelessness “like we would any other large-scale emergency. Here’s how unhoused Portlanders experienced the past few months of the city’s accelerated system of sweeping homeless camps.

• The Portland Pride main stage programming this year is a veritable who’s who among the city’s queer nightlife artists. You know not to miss Darcelle XV, Poison Waters, and Bolivia Carmichaels—Portland’s holy trinity of drag. But what about the rest of the bill? Here’s a guide to some of our favorite performers and when they’re scheduled to go on.

• Steven Wilber has lived in several cities since he won the 2014 Portland’s Funniest contest, but those who remember his “kinder Andy Kaufman” style know that a dedicated show from Wilber is difficult to predict. Wm. Steven Humphrey interviewed comedy’s “agent of chaos” about what he’s planned for the upcoming Portland night of Spaghettiwall. Sad news: It no longer involves audience members stomping his testicles. 🙁

The Multnomah County budget, passed yesterday, includes funding for a brand-new neighborhood prosecutor program in DA Schmidt’s office.

Read more about it here: https://t.co/a9YXlNKMWc
— Alex Zielinski (@alex_zee) June 17, 2022

• Portland’s Pride Parade is this weekend! Are you ready to party? Are you hungry for brunch? Check out the Mercury‘s 2022 Queer Guide for stories about local artists and organizations worth your notice.

IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

• It’s kind of incredible how much new information is coming out about the January 6 insurrection in Washington DC. The Daily‘s episode about it this morning was riveting, and yet still pales in comparison to this damning deep dive from the New York Times‘ visual investigations team.

• TODAY’S TOP STORY IS ABOUT DRAKE. Drake dropped a surprise album at midnight. The rapper’s new album Honestly, Nevermind is his seventh studio album, and weighs in at just 14 tracks—that’s actually kind of short for the epics we’re used to from Drake. If you haven’t given it a listen, this is your chance to form some opinions before your national critics take a swing.

I said Drake would make a dance record this year and would u look at that
— Jeff Ihaza (@jeffihaza) June 17, 2022

• More insubordination of the status quo! SpaceX employees have released an open letter to their company’s CEO Elon Musk, calling his public, attention-grabbing antics “a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment.”

• NOW DO YOU REGRET YOUR CLIMATE CHANGE INACTION? Huy Fong Foods, the fine company that brings us Sriracha, announced to customers that “severe weather conditions” caused it to halt production for a few months. Although that was back in April, stores are now beginning to feel the pinch, as the sought after sauce is getting harder to order. Don’t horde the sauce! And check on vulnerable neighbors to make sure they have enough sauce!

• Sandwich lovers rejoice! Starting Monday, June 20 through Sunday, June 26, get deeeeelicious $8 sammies from 30 (!) local restaurants. It’s the Mercury’s SANDWICH WEEK! Eat ’em up!

• More evidence mounts that Kyle Prue’s award-winning “Things to Say to Piss-Off Men” series is just a recap of stuff people have said to him that sort of hurt his feelings.

@kyleprue How to upset men number a billion #fyp #foryoupage #aquaman #lotr #polyamory #milesteller #pain ♬ original sound – Kyle Prue

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