by Wm. Steven Humphrey

If you’re reading this, you probably know the value of the Mercury’s news reporting, arts and culture coverage, event calendar, and the bevy of events we host throughout the year. The work we do helps our city shine, but we can’t do it without your support. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! 👋

Hello there, and in case you missed it, the Mercury's annual HOLIDAY GUIDE is now live online and in print in more than 500 spots around the city! It's got tons of great advice and tips for surviving the holidays, so unless you're one of those annoying people who always have their shit wired tight (I can't even with you), be sure to check it out. Now let's wire our shit tight with some NEWS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Transportation nerds, assemble! Today (Monday, Nov 18) is possibly your last chance to make public comment on the plan to replace the I-5 bridge dividing Portland from Vancouver, Washington. While most think that replacing the bridge is a good idea, currently there's a fair amount of skepticism over whether bridge planners are going to be able to adhere to their current climate goals—so your testimony today may be the final opportunity to influence the Interstate Bridge Replacement’s final Environmental Impact Statement. So far the plan is to add auxiliary lanes and “safety shoulders” (which could increase the number of cars on the road, not good), and transpo experts are warning that the bike, pedestrian, and public transit plan for the bridge is also inadequate. Get the full story from our Taylor Griggs.

• Today in "scammers are gonna scam":

New: Portland mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez, who finished in a distant third, was just fined an additional $9,000 for new set of campaign finance violations.

City auditor says RG repeatedly failed to return excessive contributions in a timely manner.

www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

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— Shane Dixon Kavanaugh (@shanedkavanaugh.bsky.social) November 14, 2024 at 11:47 AM

And now... here's your Monday morning mini-rant! 🎉

• Here's the terrible Oregonian headline of the day (so far, that is... but the day is still young): "Vancouver voters reject property tax increase to fund more police. What could it mean for Portland?" As we know, the Oregonian loooooooves putting the fear of god ("crime" is their god) into their readership while parroting the views of the police union, even though violent crime rates have significantly dropped in Portland over the past two years. In this story, the O clutches their pearls over the fact that Vancouver residents refused to raise property taxes to pay for more cops (smart), while city leaders are using that old, worn-out trick that cops may start picking-and-choosing which crimes they respond to. 🙄 Now, I know what you're thinking: "Not my pig, not my farm." BUT! The Portland Police Association (the union for rank-and-file cops) was the only "local experts" asked to contribute to this story, and used the opportunity to repeat this well-worn lie: “I think Portlanders have spoken loud and clear that they want more police service.” Actually, let me be "loud and clear"—lots of people do not want that, and those who do would probably demand police service that is fair, equitable, and that doesn't overly rely on violence (especially against people of color) to do their jobs. And as long as I'm speaking for Portland, it would also be great if the Oregonian didn't continually platform the absolute worst, most untrustworthy voices in our community. Have a good day! 💅

• Apparently the general public thinks that pepper-spraying people who are merely filming the police is okay now, cool, cool, cool:

A 59-year-old woman was filming police, at a protest in Portland in 2020, when former police sergeant Justin Damerville pepper sprayed her in the face without warning. Last week a federal jury found the police sergeant did not use excessive force.

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— pdx law grrrl (@pdxlawgrrrl.bsky.social) November 17, 2024 at 1:20 PM

• Academics, business leaders, and politicians are gathering this week for the Cascadia Innovation Corridor initiative—a group think tank working to solve the severe lack of affordable housing across the Pacific Northwest. Members will be discussing new, innovative ways to produce housing, including rezoning of commercial corridors, permitting consolidation, as well as incentives for developers who want to produce affordable housing (instead of high-priced apartment buildings with dog washing stations and kombucha in the lobby). Hopefully something good comes out of it!

• Boeing announced in October they intended to cut 10 percent of their workforce (17,000 jobs), and that plan is underway after the company notified more than 400 workers that they are getting laid off in mid-January. The bulk of the layoffs will be aimed at Boeing's professional aerospace labor union, which includes scientists, engineers, tradespeople, and more.

If you're looking to outsource some of your Thanksgiving Day preparations, we've rounded up this list of restaurants offering holiday specials for dine-in and takeout, from full turkey dinners to pie.

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— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.bsky.social) November 17, 2024 at 8:25 AM

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• Aaaaaaand Trump's absolutely idiotic choices for his cabinet continue, with an invitation for loyalist Brendan Carr to head up the Federal Communications Commission. Carr wrote a chapter in the infamous right-wing Project 2025 playbook on the FCC, and is under the impression that the right's "freedom of speech" (AKA racist hate speech and calls for violence) has been curtailed by social media, TV, and radio companies. (Huh. Have not noticed that it's been curtailed at all!) Meanwhile, Trump's pick to head up the Pentagon—the woefully unqualified former Fox News host Pete Hegseth—is denying that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017... even though he admits to paying her hush money to shut up about it. Sounds convincing!

President-elect Trump has mused more than once that he might like to extend his next stay at the White House. But can he run for re-election again in 2028 and seek a third term? The simple answer: No, the Constitution does not allow it.

Here’s what the law says.

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— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) November 18, 2024 at 4:45 AM

• In a major policy shift, President Biden has reversed his previous decision and has authorized Ukraine to use US-prov...