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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! It’s officially T-minus seven days until Halloween. Do you have your adult skeleton onesie ready? For now, just make sure you’ve got a raincoat in reach. We’re likely in for some afternoon showers. ☔

Words to live by.

Enjoy your Halloweens, hallow-queens — see you in a couple weeks! pic.twitter.com/yuoprAfHVo

— Bob’s Burgers (@BobsBurgersFOX) October 31, 2022

Let’s get into it!

In Local News:

• As mentioned above, Portland is in for some rain this week, but some areas might actually see snow. KATU is predicting a major cold snap in the Willamette Valley and snow in the Cascades. As for the Rose City, our weekend temps could drop down into the low 30s.
  

  WINTER IS COMING… TO THE CASCADES 🥶 | Brrrrrr! Feel that chill in the air? Temperatures will be running 10 -15 degrees below average by this weekend, and the Oregon Cascades could see 3-6 inches of snow! ❄️https://t.co/E9r0w5gXXK

  — KATU News (@KATUNews) October 24, 2023

• In tech news, computer chip maker Intel announced plans to ramp up its operations in Hillsboro, using federal CHIPS and Science act funds the company expects to get. The semiconductor maker says it plans to advance its current research and development facilities at the Ronler Acres campus, to put the campus at “the forefront of innovation.” Intel also expects to add thousands more jobs.
• An Alaska Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing at PDX Sunday evening, after an off-duty pilot made a “credible threat” while on board a flight. Reports indicate a 44-year-old trained pilot sitting in the cockpit attempted to disable the plane’s engines on a flight from Everett, Washington to San Francisco. The man is now in jail on 167 charges stemming from the incident, including attempted murder.
• There’s plenty to see and do in Portland this week, from Halloween pop-up bars, to screenings of Twin Peaks episodes and a fundraiser show for Mississippi Records, featuring Quasi. The Mercury’s Everout team has laid it all out for you! 

Take a peek at our top picks guide if you’re having a tricky time deciding what to do this week—we’ve gathered an assortment of treats, from Angel Olsen to Kim Petras, and from the ’90s Halloween Costume Glow Ball to Fright Night: A Halloween Circus. https://t.co/QbAMO0dJLH

— EverOut Portland (@EverOutPortland) October 23, 2023

In National/World News:

• Comedian and former Daily Show host Jon Stewart’s show on Apple TV+, “The Problem With Jon Stewart” is ending abruptly. The New York Times first reported the show’s cancellation due to reported rifts between Stewart and Apple over the host’s plans to cover China and artificial intelligence. Worth noting: the majority of Apple’s iPhones are manufactured in China. A few years ago, it was reported that Apple was using vendors that relied on forced (i.e. slave labor) to manufacture its iPhone parts and took years to cut ties with a vendor that knowingly relied on child labor. China, the biggest researcher of AI technology, has been under intense scrutiny by the U.S. and has recently been subject to export restrictions that prevent American companies from exporting semiconductor chips to China. What’s also bothersome about this is that Apple had given Stewart creative control of his show. Either the company wasn’t familiar enough with Stewart’s work or IS REALLY THAT STUPID to hire him to host a news and politics show, then get mad when he delves into controversial, but pressing subjects. No wonder Ted Lasso is so wholesome.
  

  Apple cancelled Jon Stewart’s show, which was looking into a segment on AI and China. Very admirable Stewart walked rather than “align” with Apple’s views and demand for control—but it’s yet another reflection of big tech’s power to control what we see.https://t.co/ic8nejFuSS pic.twitter.com/asAeeb5QSK

  — Brian Merchant (@bcmerchant) October 20, 2023

• At least seven people were killed and 25 injured Monday night in what authorities are calling a “super fog” that turned a freeway in Manchac, Louisiana into what looked like a junkyard, when 158 cars piled up due to the lost visibility. The dense fog was reportedly caused by fog mixed with smoke from marsh fires.
  

  A “super fog” in Louisiana caused a multi-car pileup on I-55 near New Orleans after severely reducing visibility, police say.

  Gov. John Bel Edwards confirmed that there were fatalities in the crash, but did not say how many people were killed or injured. https://t.co/iH0E5sVDio pic.twitter.com/Zg3IhrS75v

  — ABC News (@ABC) October 23, 2023

• In a recent relentless barrage of bombings, Gaza says 700 Palestinians died Monday night in an air strike by Israel. Gaza’s health ministry says it’s the largest death toll in a 24-hour period since Israel began firing on Palestinians in revenge over militant group Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists the country is on a mission to eradicate Hamas, a radicalized political and militant group. While the United States and France appear to be unflinching in support to Israel, President Joe Biden recently said he’s open to talking about a cease-fire after hostages are released by Hamas. 
• And no, we still don’t have a speaker of the house yet, meaning that potential government shutdown that’s just *checks calendar* three and a half weeks away now, feels way too close for comfort, given the current state of affairs. After Kevin McCarthy’s ouster last month and Rep. Jim Jordan’s failure to secure enough votes, all eyes are now on Majority Whip Tom Emmer, of Minnesota. 

Amid the sordid nature of things, there will always be cats.

 

 
 

 
 

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