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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋
How are you? Fine, I hope! And how’s the weather? Also fine (I hope) with mostly sunny skies today and tomorrow with a predicted high of 88 degrees. And now? The NEWS! (Which is also “fine, I hope.” Like I REALLY hope!)
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Who’s watching out for the watchers? Workers who investigate cops at the current Independent Police Review (IPR) unit have authorized a strike. How come? Well, as you know, Portland is finally implementing its new, civilian-led police oversight system—the one voters approved five (!) years ago. (Sheesh.) Anyway, this new system will have a community board and an office of investigators who review police misconduct complaints. (It will also have more authority than the current Independent Police Review unit that it’s replacing.) So the current IPR staff say they expected to keep their jobs after the transition, since the city will still need professional investigators under the new system, right? BUT! Instead, the city is requiring them to apply for their old jobs. (Not cool, city.) And that’s why IPR workers recently authorized a strike around guaranteed job placement, and it is also why our own Courtney Vaughn wrote down all these details and more in this informative article.
The Oregon Department of Transportation broke ground on the first phase of the I-5 Rose Quarter project this week. But the groundbreaking came and went without fanfare, as the state deals with a major transportation crisis that has led to scrutiny on the state transportation department.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) August 27, 2025 at 10:03 AM
• Oh, and speaking of jobs… DO YOU NEED A JOB? Think you have what it takes to be Portland’s next city administrator? 🙋 Well, current city (and temporary) administrator Michael Jordan is on his way out, which means YOU could be the one to replace him. (Note to Seth, the cashier at the Burnside Plaid Pantry: This job is not easy, and you should be super qualified, please.) So what DOES a city administrator do? Well, according to Mayor Keith Wilson, who will be in charge of making the final selection, they “will set the tone for Portland, inspire and guide city staff, deliver high-quality services that Portlanders can trust, and help us solve our biggest challenges.” (He left out “getting yelled at by City Council.”) Ohhhh, then no sweat! The person who Wilson believes best fits that vague description could make up to almost $400,000 a year (!!)—so brush up your resume, Seth!
• Following two recent stabbing incidents outside downtown’s Central Library, the president of the Portland Metro Chamber (FKA Portland Business Alliance) Andrew Hoan recently published a screeching statement on their site blaming…*rubs eyes, checks notes*… Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson for the stabbings? 🤔 Hoan claimed that Pederson’s “persistent inaction” on… I don’t know what… was and is “a direct contributor to these tragic incidents and the conditions that have enabled them.” Ummm… can someone check on Andrew Hoan? I think the Chamber’s obsession with Pederson and drumming her out of office may have pushed him over the edge. (On the other hand, if this weird statement inspires Pederson to become a masked, crime-fighting vigilante? I AM SO HERE FOR IT! 🦸♀️)
• Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” will most likely take a big, not-so-beautiful bite out of Oregon’s general budget. The latest quarterly revenue forecast predicts Trump’s legislation will yoink a whopping $888.2 million (of your federal tax money) from our general fund—which he will probably funnel into his many, and often racist, scams. That’s why Oregon’s projected ending balance in the 2025-27 general fund is expected to decrease from $473 million to a negative $373 million. (Soooooo… why exactly are we paying our federal income taxes again, and not just funneling that straight to the state? 🤔 Just somethin’ to think about!)
Former Mercury Music Editor Jenni Moore is back with her fortnightly column Hear In Portland! It’s got everything this week: Music industry struggles, an iconic Portland EP release, and one of the biggest names in hip-hop 🎵
Don’t sleep, catch the vibe below 〰️
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) August 27, 2025 at 11:17 AM
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• In their most recent attempt to KILL YOU, the Trump White House has fired CDC Director Susan Monarez, leading to the resignation of three other top CDC officials. Monarez had refused to blindly follow the unscientific directives of HHS Secretary/brain worm victim Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and while being pressured, later refused to resign—hence her firing by the White House. As proof of his increasing incompetence, Kennedy ordered the narrowing of COVID vaccine eligibility yesterday for high risk groups, an action which could easily lead to yet another disastrous pandemic.
The newly ousted director of the CDC refused to fire top agency leaders or approve changes to vaccines from RFK Jr.’s hand-picked panel of advisers.
— Politico (@politico.com) August 28, 2025 at 7:38 AM
• Meanwhile, Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook is suing the Trump administration for his “unprecedented and illegal” efforts to fire her from her role at the central bank, which would also stop Cook from making any further decisions about the national interest rate—which in turn could have HUGE negative effects on the economy. And apropos of nothing, I’m sure, Cook is the first Black woman to serve on the board of the world’s most influential central bank.
• What Republicans think about Trump… and what Trump really is.
@hyperbeam_collectibles Darth Vaders sorcerers ways! ##meme##fyp##darthvader##funny ♬ original sound – Hyperbeam Collectibles
• More tragically unnecessary gun violence: Yesterday an armed murderer gunned down two children and seriously injured 17 more people in a senseless shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic church. The suspected shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, was found dead at the scene, presumably from a self-inflicted wound. Though Westman was clearly suffering from mental illness, she was still able to legally purchase the guns she used to murder those children.
• Russia continued their brutal attack on Ukraine last night, bombing the nation’s capitol of Kyiv with missiles, killing at least 18 people, and seriously damaging the European Union’s mission building as well as British Council offices. Among the dead were three children, including a three-year-old girl.
• And finally… do you have trouble learning TikTok dances? (Don’t look at me… I’m great at them.) If so, here’s the tutorial for YOU!
@sirestodance One More Time For You😂 #Sirestodance ♬ original sound – Yes Sir
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Wm. Steven Humphrey
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