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Good Morning, News: A Portland Plan That Works, Mayor-Elect Wilson Pisses Off City Workers, and Hunt Continues for CEO Killer
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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! 👋
It’s looking like a partly sunny start to the week (following some morning fog) and highs in the mid-40s. For me it’s looking like the start of HOLIDAY ANXIETY SEASON, when I obsess over the perfect time to pick up a tree, nagging everyone to death for their gift lists, attending far too many holiday parties, and desperately trying to ignore the constant harping of Christian Nationalists reminding me that “Jesus is the reason for the season” while simultaneously attacking minorities in the most UN-Jesus-like way. These a-holes need to get the name of Jesus (and Santa!) out of their mouths. Anyway, here’s some holly-jolly NEWS!
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Here’s your reminder that sometimes a good plan needs time to work: After a rough start, the city-funded North/Northeast Portland housing strategy—designed to provide affordable housing subsidies to Black families who have been pushed out of Portland’s Albina neighborhood due to gentrification and racism—is starting to show real progress. Once called an “abject failure” by Mayor Ted Wheeler in 2018, and following a course correction, the latest data reveals that the plan has so-far resulted in 116 home purchases while providing “956 home repair grants and 171 home repair loans” primarily for Black people. It has also resulted in the construction of 476 subsidized apartments and 36 townhomes for those who have a history in the neighborhood. It’s a small step toward repairing the damage caused by the city’s long history of racism, but a good one. Remind yourself of this story the next time those wealthy developers and cynical Portland-haters try to convince you that Charter Reform is a terrible idea.
• Incoming city officials are building their teams ahead of their January start dates, with Mayor-elect Keith Wilson choosing veteran politico Aisling Coghlan as his chief of staff, while District 2 Commish Dan Ryan has found his chief of staff in veteran city staffer Kezia Wanner (who ran for a District 3 council seat, albeit unsuccessfully). Our Courtney Vaughn has all the deets on the moving and shaking.
• If you missed it, check out this must-read Mercury article:
Four years ago, protests defined Portland. Since then, more than 260 people have filed legal complaints alleging injuries from police, resulting in roughly $3.3 million in payouts. Now, an independent monitor will determine whether police have improved crowd control tactics and command structures.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.bsky.social) December 5, 2024 at 9:59 PM
• Oooooooh, city employees are MAD at incoming Mayor-elect Keith Wilson after he told 1,400 city workers in a virtual chat that he expected them to spend four work days per week in the office (currently they’re showing up half the week). While Wilson contended that a return to the office four days per week would help downtown get back on its feet… which has definitely improved, but not at the levels that rich landlords would like… city employees reminded him that a hybrid work schedule is often more efficient, climate-friendly, and better for workers. And perhaps most importantly, forcing the return of in-office work is essentially a pay cut that puts the monetary burden on employees to foot the bill for gas money/transportation costs, extra child care, and the time they sit in traffic. In any case, for the incoming mayor’s plan to work, he’ll need to convince the city’s 14 public labor unions to buy in on the idea… and already they do not like it.
Last month, I fell down an absolutely bizarre rabbit hole trying to figure out who was ripping off articles from Oregon journalists.
What I found was identity theft, plagiarism and an absolutely terrifying future for local journalism led by AI scammers.
My latest:
— Ryan Haas (@ryanjhaas.bsky.social) December 9, 2024 at 8:06 AM
• The state of journalism in Oregon is—not so good! And while this worrying trend is reflected across the country, OPB has put together some charts that show how a loss of news outlets and journalists is hitting our state increasingly hard, especially in eastern Oregon. For those who worry about our crumbling democracy, and feel helpless about what to do about it, supporting your local newspapers is a great place to start.
Hey brainy pants! 🤓 It’s time for another super fun POP QUIZ PDX! In this week’s trivia quiz: good news and bad for local queer bars, Oregon’s award-winning cheese, and it’s time to pick a new Portland Santa! (See how well YOU score!)
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.bsky.social) December 5, 2024 at 10:33 AM
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• The rebel fighters who have taken over Damascus, Syria’s capital, and forced President Bashar al-Assad—whose family has kept an iron grip on the country for 50 years—to flee to the waiting arms of Russia, now have the task of bringing order to the country, though the jury is still out whether democracy or another Islamic state will take control. Naturally, President-elect Trump wants America to stay out of it and let chaos rule… which is just so him, isn’t it? In the meantime, thousands of political prisoners have been freed, and the 900 American troops stationed in Syria are reportedly monitoring the situation.
• In an interview on yesterday’s edition of Meet the Press, incoming orange turd Donald Trump reiterated his plans to deport millions of immigrants, pardon the domestic terrorists to attacked our nation’s capital on January 6, and prosecute his political enemies—which includes those who tried to hold him responsible for his failed political coup and attempts to overthrow the 2020 election.
Trump says that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will investigate the discredited link between autism and vaccines. He’s talked about this before. So it’s time for a thread that explains how Trump got red-pilled on autism and vaccines. Buckle up. 1/
www.nbcnews.com/politics/don…— Eric Michael Garcia (@ericmgarcia.bsky.social) December 8, 2024 at 2:29 PM
• Lying Republican shit-heel Alex Jones is desperately trying to keep The Onion from buying his horrible propaganda site, Infowars, by taking the company to court. The ruined conspiracy theorist—whose pants were sued off by the families of Sandy Hook victims—is claiming that the bankruptcy auction that put Infowars in the hilarious hands of The Onion was corrupt and should have awarded the site to another bidder, First United American Companies, which sells Jones’ so-called “nutritional supplements.” (Let me guess… red pills, right?)
• The NYPD is still on the hunt for the shooter who killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare—which, lest we forget, does NOT provide healthcare, but merely gatekeeps it—and so far doesn’t have much to show for it, to the glee of many on the internet. Officials have released two new photos of the suspected killer (who I think looks like the dreamy Andrew Garfield), and divers are searching the ponds in Central Park for the murder weapon and clues. At this point in time, no one else in the world is willing to help them in their investigation.
• OOOOOH… and away we go:
A woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Sean “Diddy” Combs has amended her lawsuit to include allegations that she was also assaulted by Jay-Z at the same party.
— CNN (@cnn.com) December 8, 2024 at 4:55 PM
• The 2025 Golden Globe nominations have been revealed, and the clear frontrunner is the film Emilia Pérez—a musical crime comedy about a cartel leader who wants to transition into being a woman—which garnered 10 nominations, and was closely followed by The Brutalist, Conclave, Anora, and yes, even Wicked.
• And finally… if you’re looking for the perfect HOLIDAY GAME to play with drunk friends and family? LOOK NO FURTHER.
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