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Enough about cuffing season, tell me about seasonal deer entanglements

by Suzette Smith

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Good Morning, Portland! Enough about cuffing season, tell me about seasonal deer entanglements. Let’s hit some slow-news-day news!

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• To date, more than 260 people have filed legal complaints over PPB’s policing of the 2020 protests, and the city has paid out $3.3 million in settlements to injured protesters. Following another large settlement of $400,000, news editor Courtney Vaughn asks “how Portland’s new independent monitor could help prevent police misconduct?“

• This week in DIVERGENT OPINIONS about what can increase pedestrian safety, Portland Bureau of Transportation is getting some vocal clap back for this goofy attempt at reminding pedestrians to check before crossing the road. On Wednesday, PPB’s traffic division held a press conference, touching on this year’s 25 pedestrian fatalities, among other road deaths. Sgt. Ty Engstrom said that Portland drivers feel as though they can “drive however they want,” and that needs to change, KATU reports.

• A 7.1 earthquake struck Humboldt County yesterday morning, about 130 miles south of California’s border with Oregon, Associated Press reports. This set off a tsunami warning, which has since elapsed without reports of major damage.

• Your holiday light strands are the ENEMY OF DEER. Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife has some seasonal advice for those decorating their yards in deer country: Keep your decorations at least 8 feet off the ground, especially strands or wires that could ensnare our bounding buddies, the deer. “Holiday lights are particularly problematic along with hammocks, dog lines, tomato cages, and volleyball or soccer nets,” read a press release from the state bureau. Should your yard entangle a deer, ODFW does not recommend you attempt to free it yourself. Call ODFW, who have trained staff and can offer assistance.

• This holiday season, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley wants to re-up a reminder that you have the option to refuse TSA’s facial recognition system at the airport, saying in this PSA: “I want you to know you have the option to say ‘I would prefer to use my driver’s license. Thank you very much.” In late November, Merkley was part of a bipartisan who’s-who of US senators urging the nation’s inspector general to study the usefulness and effectiveness of facial recognition software, which closed with the ultra-spicy: “Is TSA aware of any breaches of travelers’ biometric data collected at US airports? If so, please detail all such breaches.” Indeed, do detail such breaches.

 

 
 

 
 

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IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• This week, for the very first time, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin hit a valuation of $100,000. It’s likely due to impending US president Donald Trump’s vocal promises to create a regulator friendly environment for the compter-code tender. Dennis Kelleher from advocacy group Better Markets told NPR it’s nothing but “a sugar high.”

• Also in internet news, a federal court has “denied TikTok’s petition to overturn the law—which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January,” AP reports. New York Times adds that Trump has signaled his support for the app, in the past, so he might get in the way of the potential ban—which was always pretty unlikely to happen, ultimately.

• It’s impressive that Call Me by Your Name director Luca Guadagnino has a SECOND movie to release in 2024, following his spring success with Challengers. Our critic liked Queer, which is based on a short travel novel by Beat author William Burroughs. But she found the inclusion of Burroughs’ wife—Joan Vollmer—as “a busty, Cocteau-like nude, spinning over a pedestal in a dream sequence” to be in a poor reflection of the wild, complicated woman. Read her fascinating criticisms here.

And now, for your enrichment, a review of Luca Guadagnino’s latest film “Queer” where we spend much more time talking about William Burroughs’ wife Joan Vollmer.

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— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.bsky.social) December 5, 2024 at 5:58 PM

• Updates in the killing of United Healthcare executive Brian Thompson, earlier this week? None of consequence.

• Updates on South Korea’s political unrest, demonstrations, and attempts at impeaching the country’s president Yoon Suk Yeol? Nothing really until Saturday. Although the military has said it won’t enforce order to reimpose martial law, which is always nice to hear.

• Notre-Dame: Still pretty.

• I sort of think Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me is lying to me about the alpaca haircut, but I want to hear more stylish chewing from Summer.

 

 
 

 
 

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